As more and more details of the weekend arrest of actors Jeffrey Wright and Josh Brolin outside of a bar in Shreveport, La., where they are filming the G.W. Bush biopic W, come out, the story becomes more and more horrifying. The fight started when some "good ol' boys" at the bar found out that the actors and crew were responsible for a Bush biopic with a liberal bent, and Wright joined in when racial slurs came into the mix. Apparently, once the police arrived, they also let loose with a racist tirade against Wright. Much of it is was caught on a cell phone camera, according to TMZ.
The incident occurred during a wrap party for Oliver Stone's movie "W" about the Prez. Local station KTBS reports and TMZ sources say Wright, who plays Colin Powell, was repeatedly tasered and pepper sprayed as he lay prone on his stomach in the street. We know witnesses heard the officers using extremely foul language, including the "N" word, directed at Wright.
Our sources say Brolin was observed by witnesses attempting to make peace and standing still as he was repeatedly sprayed in the eyes by cops.
Upon picking up our rental car at Shreveport's airport during a family trip to Louisiana earlier this month, the (black) woman at the rental desk looked at my parents and kindly explained (because we clearly have "Northern City Folk" slapped across our foreheads), "Just so you know, the cops like to act a little funny around here." We didn't need her to elaborate — we knew what she meant. So does Jeffrey Wright.
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Fuckin white trash rednecks. that pisses me off so much, man.
Damn. Southern people aren't even trying to people aren't even trying to dispel those little "misconceptions" about them. Cops everywhere act "funny," but this Jim Crow shit is why I stay north of the Mason-Dixie Cop. I can't believe there's a place in the US that people are violently defending W. Give Oliver Stoner material for his next film I guess.
OK! I've skipped reading every other article on this because I figured Wright and Brolin got drunk and started a fight and I really didn't care. Nice to know that I was totally wrong about those two. Not so nice about the, you know, racism and rampant stupidity involving beating up two movie stars in front of a crowd.
The entire south isn't like that. But some parts of it are and apparently it's the entire state of Louisiana.
DaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAg. Aint that some mess. These people are going to learn about these cameras one day.
Shreveport! Why would you expect any different? Racist and stupid……go together and the story speaks volumes. Maybe they are not used to cell phone cameras?????????
We've come a long way but we still have a long way to go.
I hope some cops lose their jobs. What a horrifying ordeal. Wright could have been killed! He and Josh are in my good books now. I really don't like cops.
I love Jeffrey. I just finished watching Angels in America like 10 times. That's Louisiana for ya. I'm glad I was born in New Orleans and nowhere else in that state.
I wasn't there, but I can't imagine these two acting out so badly that the extreme measures that were taken had to occur at all. I hope the public gets to see that video, and that the police who were in the wrong are relieved of their duties.
Wright could have been killed for sure! Tasers need to be outlawed, especially when they are put in the hands of those that are too quick to use them and they don't understand the mortal danger of doing so.
What a mess. Sorry it happened to these two guys.
Screw losing their jobs. I hope those cops get arrested. I have a lot of respect for the police officers that put on the uniform to do some good. The other half that takes it up so they can bully the rest of the population without consequence really piss me off. Those racist idiots deserve to be locked up. I think it's called a 'hate crime' and assault and battery.
The only time that I've ever felt scared, let's-get-outta-here-now, these people are racist and this is scary vibes in my life was in Louisiana, during a road trip. Driving across the south through some of those backwater towns can be terrifying. I hope the video reveals the truth and these officers are fired and publicly shamed.
As a California born child of the 60's I have always had a bad impression of the South. I visited Savannah, GA and was pleasantly surprised - and was ready let go of my prejudices. Now I am back to square one. My plans for a road trip from New Orleans to Ashville have been shelved. Too bad. I hope Wright sues the City of Shreveport into bankruptcy.
I live in Shreveport, and want to say first that we are not all like those pigs (and these few are pigs, not cops), but also that this sort of thing wont just go away. The racists here did not all get raised that way, and many tried not to fall into it. But, in this place, so many white people are killed or raped or robbed by black people so often that its hard not to fear blacks in general out of self preservation. Granted, almost all black folks are like anyone, but when black on white murders happen so much, it is hard not to be misled into poor thought. So for this to start getting better, both the racists whites need to shut up and racist blacks need to stop shooting people.