So are 9 news legal analyst Whitney
trailers with us now to talk more about
this and it says that the you know LAPD
says Will Smith won't be facing charges.
They have civil and criminal criminally.
It appears like nothing is
going to happen. Why is that?
Yeah it does look like that.
And in the criminal charges can
be brought in a number of ways.
The police can actually obviously
be called an arrest somebody and
then start the charging process.
The DNA can also do that and here though
I think the issue is primarily that
Chris Rock didn't want to press charges.
That's not the only reason,
because obviously a prosecutor can
go forward and subpoena witness
who doesn't want to participate.
Here, we're talking about.
Really, though there were
no severe physical damages,
so there's no physical harm,
so it's as simple assault,
and so it doesn't look like the
police or the DA is going to pick
this up without somebody initiating
like LAPD, saying they're aware
of something happening along
with that 100 million other
people. Yeah, along with it,
when you think of the millions
of people watching and everyone
had their own reaction.
I think honestly,
at first everybody said what what,
what's happening here for you
when you look at it at what's
your reaction when you see this
happening between 2 black men?
Well, I was deeply bothered.
I mean, I'm still actually quite shook up
just because these are such prominent men.
Will Smith has just come out
with a really phenomenal book.
He talks about witnessing
violence at six years old,
seeing his father abused his
mother and feeling like a coward.
And so some people are saying.
Look, this has been an ongoing thing
to call out your wife in in this
way in a public setting, you know,
of course it's gonna happen, but of course,
and there's people who are saying this was
good for him to stand up for her and he,
you know, defend black women.
And I agree with that.
But I completely disagree with the violence.
He wasn't. He didn't appear to
be in needing a self defense.
He was definitely called out.
And if you look at the history of comedians,
you know this is the nature of a of
a comedian and you can go back to.
You know Don Rickles,
Sam Kinison,
Richard Pryor,
and even recently Dave Chappelle
and some people are saying well
should the trans community be
reacting in this way with what Dave
Chappelle has been doing right?
Saying that this was just an overreaction.
But on the other hand there is
a pressure to man up to defend
a woman to to do these kind of
things and so I think you have this
culmination of all these pressures,
kind of capsizing right here.
Which
way do we go from here now this is.
A little bit out of your you
usually our legal analyst,
but which way do we go from here?
Is this become more
commonplace for people to?
I mean, if you watch the show,
there were a lot of people who were teased
and poked fun at and different things,
and we we know about Jada
Pinkett Smith and and alopecia.
And that made it a much
more sensitive subject.
But do we now say, OK,
now we know you never react this way?
Or do we go now?
We do react this way when
we feel we're wronged
well and obviously that's the
message people are saying.
Well, this is not how we teach our children.
And he had a moment to reflect in there.
I think one of the greatest takeaways,
though, is this notion of
the moment of decision.
And that is everything
before we do something,
we have that moment of decision where
we decide how we're going to react.
And that's what I'm constantly trying to tell
my nieces and nephew and my daughter to.
You know, really, think about this,
and that's what's unusual,
is that Will Smith is seems to
be very introspective and and,
and I think that's what I hope to take away.
I've been telling everybody we're
so contentious there's so much
pressure on us that this is an
opportunity for grace and gentleness.
I'm talking about for both of
them because I really looked at
Chris Rock when that happened,
and I empathized with both of them,
'cause I felt the the really the pain.
But Chris Rock,
this reminds me in the employment
context when people are yelled
at or punched at the job.
It's so much more extreme and egregious,
because you don't expect that
to happen in the workplace.
You don't expect it to happen anywhere,
but if you're at a ball game
yelling or at home, right?
So I think that also where it
happened really increases.
Chris Rock's damage is embarrassment,
humiliation, and all that.
You know. The next 48 hours a week
will be interesting to see what is
what is written after the story?
What what Chris Rock has to say.
What Will Smith has to say
in the next week or so?
It will be something we all follow.
Whitney. It's always good to see it.
It's good to be here and the last thing.
Just if we can.
One thing we can do is.
You just put positive energy out there.
This morning I woke up and thought
about Chris Rock and Will Smith and
just sent them positive energy.
'cause this is an opportunity for
redemption like we can do something
great from this sad moment. 100%
forgiveness and redemption.
Really good things.
Really good things, thanks Whitney.
Thank you Whitney.