Actress Daniele Watts is complaining that she was handcuffed and briefly put in the back of a squad car after a public display of affection. Also, a new California law will require drivers to stay three feet from bicycles. Then, a class action lawsuit filed against a Farmer’s Rice Cooperative is accusing the company of selling tainted rice to thousands throughout the state.
Police procedure at issue in LAPD detaining 'Django Unchained' actress
Actress Daniele Watts, who appeared in "Django Unchained," is complaining that she was handcuffed and briefly put in the back of a squad car after a public display of affection with her white companion.
Brian Lucas told KCBS-TV in a joint interview with Watts that he suspects police mistook the black actress for a prostitute "because he was asking me questions like, 'Who is she? How do you know her? Are you together?"
The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday that officers detained the pair after a complaint that two people were "involved in indecent exposure" in a silver Mercedes. Watts was detained until police determined no crime was committed.
Did the LAPD police officers follow procedure in responding to a call about lewd behavior? In what instances do citizens have a right to refuse to show identification?
Guests:
Tim Williams, Retired LAPD Senior Detective Supervisor (Robbery-Homicide Division), 1974-2003; Expert on police procedure and use-of-force for state and federal court
Lieutenant Andy Neiman, officer in charge of media relations for LAPD
Peterson case raises corporal punishment debate
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was indicted Friday on child abuse charges for hitting his 4-year-old son with a tree branch back in May. Peterson admitted to "whooping" his son, which resulted in cuts and bruises to the child's back, legs, and buttocks.
His lawyer says he regrets unintentionally injuring his son. The Vikings teams says they’ll let the courts work out the legal issues here and continue to play Peterson in this Sunday’s game, but the episode is reigniting the debate over corporal punishment.
Some like Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter have condemned Peterson’s alleged abuse, while others like Charles Barkley claim this is a cultural, regional issue, arguing, “I’m from the south, whipping, we do that all the time. Every black parent in the south is going to be in jail under those circumstances.”
Striking children with “reasonable” force is not prohibited in any state and 19 states still allow teachers in schools to use corporal punishment. Are attitudes on this evolving? For the better or worse? Where should you draw the line between disciplining children and abusing them? Under which circumstances is it okay to hit a child?
Guest:
George Holden, Professor of Psychology at Southern Methodist University in Texas. He has studied parenting, discipline and family violence for over 20 years
Bike talk: how to navigate the new bike buffer zone
A new California law will require drivers to stay three feet from bicycles. The legislation takes effect on September 16, and is intended to clarify existing laws, which say only that drivers must pass cyclists by a “safe distance.”
But is the new law enforceable? Assemblyman Steven Bradford says that “Law enforcement won’t have a ruler or yard stick out to measure that,” and that the heart of the law is focused on education. The Auto Club of Southern California is part of the awareness campaign for the bike buffer -- proponents are hoping that the law will help people consider bikers more seriously.
Is the bike buffer the best way to keep bikers safe? Is it possible that it could make the road more dangerous for cars trying to keep a legal distance? How will law enforcement in the LA area approach the new law?
Guest:
Sergeant Stephen Egan, LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division
Mayor Garcetti asks neighboring cities to raise minimum wage
Angelenos could be looking at a $13.25 minimum wage by 2017 if a new campaign by Mayor Eric Garcetti is successful.
Dubbed “the largest anti-poverty program in the city’s history” by Garcetti’s administration, the “Raise The Wage LA” campaign hopes to raise incomes by 21%, an average of $3,200 for an estimated 567,000 workers according to an analysis conducted by researchers from UC Berkeley. The analysis also found that 27% of Angelenos live below the federal poverty line of $23,850 a year in a family of four. The mayor’s new plan would require businesses to raise wages to $10.25 by 2015, $11.75 in 2016 and $13.25 in 2017.
Crtics of Garcetti’s campaign say that Los Angeles would lose workers to neighboring cities and create an “uneven playing field.” The mayor has requested a ripple effect, asking that all neighboring cities partake in this same campaign.
Should Los Angeles support the Mayor’s campaign? Would raising the minimum wage be beneficial to workers and companies alike? Would neighboring cities follow suit with the Mayor’s wishes?
Guest:
Chris Tilly, Director of the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
David Neumark, Professor of Economics and Director, Center for Economics & Public Policy at UC Irvine
Polls show Scots torn over vote for independence from U.K
Later this week, Scots will vote on whether to secede from the United Kingdom. The latest polls show the "Yes to independence” vote has been picking up steadily and is nearly over-taking the "No" vote.
The impacts would be high-stakes and wide-ranging - from governance to economics to security and culture. Scotland’s relationships with NATO and the EU would be severed, at least temporarily. The UK would have to negotiate to keep its nuclear system in Scottish territory. The biggest change would be what brought this to the fore in the first place: Scots would govern themselves without the restrictions of the British parliament. How bad are Scottish grievances with the UK? Would independence solve them?
Guest:
John “Jock” Campbell, Formerly of the Scottish Cultural Center of Vancouver
Euan Sinclair, Attorney and Scot residing in Vancouver
California sushi lovers may share tainted rice nightmare
A class action lawsuit filed against Sacramento-based Farmer’s Rice Cooperative is accusing the company of selling tainted rice to thousands of grocery stores, brokers and sushi restaurants throughout the state.
Jinju Sushi Inc. filed the suit in July alleging the cooperative packaged inedible rice into their premium grade packages. The inferior rice known as “flush rice” is allegedly used, broken or recycled rice that may contain traces of insects, rodents, black mold and bird remains. Restaurant and store owners were led to believe they were buying rice that didn’t contain flush rice. The cooperative denies the accusations.
Guests:
Jeremy Zwinger, CEO and President of The Rice Trader, a trade publication dedicated to the global rice industry based in Durham, Calif. He has no relationship to FRC.
Chris Weller, reporter for Medical Daily, who’s been following the story