Readers React: Daniele Watts charged with lewd conduct: Revenge or reasonable?

Race or retaliation: What motivated both the initial police stop of and the ensuing misdemeanor charges against actress Daniele Watts?

These questions have dominated the comments surrounding Tuesday’s story about misdemeanor lewd-conduct charges being filed against Watts and her boyfriend, Brian Lucas.

If you recall, there was quite a response across social media and traditional media after Watts wrote on her Facebook page about last month’s encounter, casting it as having been motivated by racial prejudice -- she is black and her boyfriend is white. However, as the story progressed, with the release of an audio recording of the exchange with officers, public support began to shift somewhat and community leaders who spoke publicly on her behalf transitioned to reprimanding her for crying racial-profiling wolf.

The response from latimes.com readers continues to be passionately mixed now that the city attorney’s office has filed charges against the couple, with some continuing to embrace her cause and others casting a doubtful eye about whether the charges are justified.

“This is clearly a retribution/vengeance lawsuit due solely to the outspoken Ms. Watts,” wrote commenter Barry Gold, who characterized the charges as an attempt to quell criticism against the LAPD and the city attorney’s office. “... Citizens will ALWAYS speak out against their GOVERNMENT, especially in cases of perceived and real abuses.”

Some who took issue with Watts’ demeanor during the stop still found the charges unwarranted. “The young lady’s behavior was inexcusably over the top,” wrote onewatcher1. “But it does not justify a vindictive waste of limited judicial resources/public funds by the city attorney and LAPD, especially when we’re closing courtrooms and furloughing staff.”

To many, this situation was less about the specific players and whether they were either racially motivated or entitled and more about the protection of civil liberties. Specifically citizens’ 4th Amendment rights.

Commenter msblack expressed repeated outrage in the comments section: “Police officers were clearly violating Ms. Watts’ Fourth Amendment rights. California cannot compel citizens to carry papers with them at all time nor do citizens have to produce an ID card just because an officer wants to see one. This story smacks of police retaliation.”

To which commenter Huddys Revenge responded, “This story smacks of common sense. Just because she is an actress, she believes the rules don’t apply to her.”

As pervasive a sentiment as the skepticism about the charges and concern about civil liberties is a strong sentiment of entitlement fatigue.

Commenter RMCook put it more bluntly, if not glibly, saying she “tried to play both the race card and the ‘fame’ card (that one was a stretch). For her sake I hope she’s now able to play the get-out-of-jail-free card.”

To be clear, Watts is not in jail; the misdemeanor charge of lewd conduct could carry up to a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine. The outcome of this case is still to be played out with the couple scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13.

Meanwhile something Watts wrote in an Op-Ed for Los Angeles Times resonates: “I think that the conversations our country has been having about the role of race in minor incidents, such as mine, and life-and-death ones, must continue.”

Indeed, the conversations should continue. To that end, we invite you to join ours. What are the lessons we should draw from this situation?

Have an opinion about what’s going on in the world? Talk to me: @mmaltaisla