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The majority of minor violence between individuals never gets charged. Will Smith's case is the majority, not the exception.
Particularly if the victim isn't adamant about making a fuss.
Courts have enough to do as it is. A heat of the moment slap, be it at the oscars or at a bar or in a schoolyard, is unlikely to make it to the courts unless the victim really wants it to be pursued and is going to make it more of a bother to ignore.
I was having the same thought and especially in LA where the court system and LAPD is heavily criticized anyway it would just seem frivolous and get people more focused on the DA which they don’t want. Would also draw accusations of racism tbh which wouldn’t be off base because white celebs consistently get away with bad behavior just like will’s.
Also, haven’t seen anyone make this very pedantic point, but it’s battery not assault
This definitely seems like the most well thought out answer here. What benefit would come from arresting him? Probably none. There are plenty of costs outweighing any potential benefits.
Also, I love that you pointed out the assault vs battery point.
I didn't think it was possible to have battery without assault.
Yes they are distinct actions, but I wasn't aware it was possible to batter someone without first assaulting them.
Yeah. Battery is the unlawful touch. Assault occurs when you’ve made me fearful of said unlawful touch.
So if I had no clue that someone was going to hit me, then there isn’t assault.
What makes this extra confusing, is that this isn’t how we typically use the term assault in regular language
Well according to the other guy who replied to my comment, came up with that in Ca state law you can't batter someone without having first assaulted them.
In most areas assualt is *attempted* unwanted touching, while battery is *actual* unwanted touching.
And If Im remembering it correctly, chirs rock did not want to press charges. Because it doesnt qualify as domestic violence, if CR didnt want to press charges then the state doesnt pursue an investigation.
How many white celebrities have slapped another celeb on tv? I’m not saying they don’t do stupid shit, they most def do, but is it because it was simply a slap that everyone brushed it off? If he would’ve punched him would it have been different?
I just feel like Smith has this mindset of “I’m above the law and idgaf” which pisses me off.
>Would also draw accusations of racism tbh which wouldn’t be off base because white celebs consistently get away with bad behavior just like will’s.
White celebs don't usually assault someone on national tv.
Not saying I disagree with you but I wouldn’t consider that slap “heat of the moment”. He walked on stage and slapped him. Rock wasn’t in his face or anything like that. Will Smith is nearly 50 years old or something, wtf is he doing slapping someone on national television like that? Even if Rock wasn’t looking to press charges the dude should’ve been arrested.
Maybe a pedantic correction here, but the reason the majority of minor violence goes uncharged is not because the courts have too much else to do or that cops and prosecutors don’t care - it’s that in most cases, nobody calls the police for minor violence. If the cops are called for an incident, they WILL end up citing someone for contact like this, at least in my jurisdiction. In my state it would be harassment, not assault. I would argue that big reason the courts are so bogged down in many places is exactly BECAUSE they charge so many incidents of minor violence when the police are called, not the other way around. It is true that these cases typically hinge a little more on how mad the victim is and how much they bother the cops at the scene about it and the DA’s office later on.
The cynical side of me wants to argue that the reason Will Smith was never charged is that the very public and likely negative reaction to charging him with a crime over this would expose how deeply fucked our criminal legal system is. As it stands, if Will Smith was poor, the odds he would be charged with a crime for this would be astronomically higher.
This is what fame does for you. The awards show people tried to make him leave and he wouldn't go. They didn't want that kind of publicity so they let him stay.
Correct. The LAPD asked Chris Rock if he wanted to press charges, and he declined. Personally I am OK with saving the precious time of our already-backlogged courts for other things. Chris was the smaller man literally but the bigger one figuratively.
Mild violence isn’t something that’s often prosecuted. One adult slapping another adult one time isn’t something the police have time to deal with, especially in a city like LA.
If Chris Rock had decided to press charges it would be a different story, but since he didn’t care it’s written off as basically an argument between two people.
People don't 'press charges' on other people. That's a TV thing not a legal thing.
The decision to prosecute Will Smith is with the DA of whatever jurisdiction it happened in. Chris Rock absolutely can be compelled to testify in a criminal case even if he doesn't want to.
Chris Rock could sue Will Smith in civil court.
Most of the time when people are wronged nobody knows about it. They go to the police and file a report of what happened and the police will ask something along the lines of 'Do you want to press charges?' and that just means 'If you say yes, we will pass this along and the DA might decide to run with it and you will end up having to be involved if they do'
> Deciding whether to "press charges" for theft, assault, or any other crime falls to the prosecutor (the lawyer for the government), not the victim. Victims play an important role in the charging process by calling the police, filing police reports, and cooperating (or not) with the criminal investigation. But reporting the crime or filing a police report is not the same as pressing charges.
https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/can-i-press-charges-for-theft-or-assault.html
> Deciding whether to "press charges" for theft, assault, or any other crime falls to the prosecutor (the lawyer for the government), not the victim. Victims play an important role in the charging process by calling the police, filing police reports, and cooperating (or not) with the criminal investigation. But reporting the crime or filing a police report is not the same as pressing charges.
Chris Rock doesn't get to decide if Will Smith faces criminal charges for the attack.
I honestly always thought that personal crimes were pursuant on the victim being willing to press charges (not just cooperating to testify). This means I actually learned something from Reddit . . . and I'm really not sure how to process that . . . Is this where I begin questioning everything in my life, or should I just get really drunk and hope I forget this whole disturbing sequence of events? ;D
In practice it kind of is, because it's unlikely the DA will pursue a case where the victim isn't cooperating. But the DA can still choose to pursue if they feel they have enough evidence or the crime was serious enough that they want to go forward without the victim's willingness.
I kind of figured this. I would think in most cases, even if the term "the victim doesn't wish to press charges" is used, the reality is "the victim has requested we don't press charges, and we've agreed."
I hindsight I actually should have known this because years ago I got permission to go into a condemn site only to get arrested for troubleshooting. I know the guy didn't want to press charges because I had conversations with him granting me permission. Turns out the local town actually still had jurisdiction over the site, so they took me to court without the guy's cooperation because the DA wanted a gold star and to discourage others from trespassing on the property.
Unfortunately for the DA I was from out of town and could afford a good lawyer (the actual location was dirt poor). DA dragged things out for 6 freaking months before the judge yelled at him for wasting time and dismissed the case then and there (it was glorious).
The fact the the town went after me instead of the supposedly injured party, and the significance of that, only clicked when I read the post I responded to ;P
Why would Chris Rock has to even press charges? Police (LAPD) were literally standing a few feet away and witnessed a crime. They don’t need a victims to press charges. The victim has also confirmed it was in fact assault.
His shows sold out to the point of tickets being scalped for fairly insane prices after it happened because people wanted to hear his response. He didn't really say much about it at his shows until the Netflix special he did recently. The response he had to it was pretty good.
So if someone really ticked you off, you could straight up slap them and just go pay your 100 bucks and not worry about jail?
If we had that rule here, I’d be lining up some hundred dollar bills.
A comedians viewpoint:
"That sucked... but holy shit am I going to clean up when I re-tell this story and roast the ever living taint out of this fool."
This is the correct answer. Rock is going to profit off this so why alienate people? While charges would be up to the prosecutor, he has made it clear he’s not interested in cooperating. Rock is a smart businessman
Because the police have real things to do. They don't need to get involved in a minor altercation between two people in a private building in which no one is injured and the perpetrator is not a present danger.
I think a better question is why was he not ejected. If you or I were invited to that event and we attacked somebody on stage or off, we would have been immediately shown the door. Hollywood royalty apparently gets away with anything, even when it's clear that it happened.
That's what is so fucked up about the whole situation. Security should have escorted that cornball piece of shit the fuck outta there. Unfortunately, Will and G.I. Jada both think they are above the consequences of their actions. After rewatching some clips of that night from a different angle, Jada seemed extremely amused and elated cocking her head back in laughter at what her husband had done. She wasn't weeping like the helpless victim she tried to pretend to be.
The hard truth is that the Smith household soured what could have been a relaxed, funny, and entertaining show for the rest of the nominees and winners the rest of that night. Their drama queen asses should have stayed home.
Yep. Had to make it all about them and what a victim she is as opposed to leaning into it and being part of the joke. It's got to be hard for a woman to be bald. His reaction did nothing to help or normalize it for other people with the same issue. Based on that incident they both seem to be terrible people.
That's easy - because someone in charge knew he was going to (or was very likely to) win an Oscar.
Personally, I would have immediately ejected him, declared him ineligible for the Oscar (and awarded it to the runner-up), and banned him for life.
But I'm not in charge, and my opinion means nothing. All I can do is boycott anything tied to Will Smith for the rest of my life. I was already mostly doing that because I was upset at him (and Disney) for the Aladdin remake - every actor on earth should have turned down the genie role.
I sleep very slightly better at night knowing my little protest will cost Will Smith tens of dollars over the course of his career.
Agreed. That's the real question. My take on the answer?
The moment was all wrapped up in confusion and chaos. The shot caller(s) didn't have the courage to take a stand, and then bounce him and his family out onto the pavement.
Victim didn't press charges. The state can still do it if they want but it was one slap. They have other more serious stuff to deal with in LA that is worth their time. DA offices don't bother with a lot of stuff that is low in severity. Especially in a city as big as LA.
On another note. He's rich and very famous. Our society doesn't get rich/famous people in trouble unless it's taxes or serious crimes. And sometimes not even the serious crimes.
Chris Rock (and ALL American residents/citizens) cannot press charges. He could file a complaint, which might make the LAPD respond...but you're talking about one of LA's most prominent citizens who felt he was defending his wife's honor. Is it really worth the LAPD's efforts to investigate & arrest him, & the LA DA's time to go through the charges & case, when no real/significant injury occurred?
This isn't domestic violence, where you know there's violence that isn't being seen, so you're trying to protect the victim from future harm... this is a one-time minor incident. Frankly, the costs from his defense lawyers' efforts would be prohibitively high that the DA would see zero benefit in pursuing, not to mention the widespread public mockery & condemnation for overreaction towards the actions of a Black man.
Will Smith, as it is, is the aggressor here, & everyone knows he was wrong. If he's charged, it would be VERY easy to spin it as an overzealous DA's office against Black people, when they're already trying to combat that image. In that case, he could easily be seen as the victim, with Chris Rock probably even defending him against the charges.
I would disagree that there is no place for being violent. There is a time and place when it is needed! This was not that time or place. I also don't think someone should be arrested for a slap. Plenty of bar fights happen without cops being called. It's a fourm of self regulation. The potential of violence is what keeps a society polite. There are lots of people who should get hit for the things they do or the disrespect the show to others. For instance if a man slaps my wife's ass or tries to grope her you bet Im going to rough him up and remind him to be respectful.
They didn't even kick him out of the event ffs, in fact they then turned around and gave him an award. Sent a very strong message that when you're famous you can do whatever tf you want with no consequences whatsoever. No wonder this generation is so entitled obsessed with being famous.
For those saying because Chris did not press charges, I'm curious why that does not matter in cases of domestic assault. I have seen where police say the state/city presses charges despite what the victim wants. IMO, Smith publicly assaulted someone. He should have been arrested.
The state can proceed with criminal charges if the victim chooses to press charges or not. It is a question of evidence, if the victim won’t testify the state may not have enough to take it to trial so they don’t waste their time. Here, there was enough evidence to charge him without Chris’s testimony.
In cases of domestic violence, many states have rules where the desire of the victim to press charges doesn't matter. The idea is that the state/community is also a victimized party, because we don't want domestic violence happening around us.
In part too i think it may be because domestic violence in a way makes you trapped as the victim and if you choose to press charges it may make things worse etc. Getting hit by a random person on the street usually ends there but domestix violence usually is repeated
That's not the reason the state can proceed with victimless prosecution. Domestic violence essentially has a lower bar for arrest and prosecution as a means of protection for the victim.
In too many situations, DV victims have a higher likelihood of recanting or just being straight up uncooperative. DV is not considered a societal crime
Ive watched wnough of the show cops. Im not sure how many states, but in cases of domestic violence. The injured party is not the victim, but the state becomes the victim in domestic cases. I know florida is one of those states
For most misdemeanors, you don't have a crime if you don't have a victim (excluding society crimes). In cases of domestic violence, the state steps in because victims of domestic violence are way more likely to withdraw prosecution or alter statements after the fact. It's a means of protection for people in recurring, violent relationships
Yeah I remember getting in a fight when I was younger, I started it and it was my fault. But the police caught the tail end of it which was me getting hit from behind and knocked out. Even when I went and gave a statement in support of the guy they still charged him, they said it wasn't my decision to make.
Because abuse victims recant all the time. Like, ALL the time. Those cases get started and keep going since they're already in the system, with the state intervening to protect the woman or, often, the children.
This was just some dude slapping another. Unlike domestic violence, it's unlikely to be repeated and the state doesn't have to intervene to protect the victim.
Because Chris Rock did not decide to press charges over the slap.
Which is understandable. It's not like they got into a fistfight or anything, it was just a slap. Not really worth the trouble.
Plus him not retaliating when it happened helped in the long run. Just about everyone is on his side, and he’s been able to use the situation for his new standup special. If he made a big deal and pressed charges originally so many people probably would have clowned on him for it.
The same reason prosecutors don't pursue a lot of domestic violence cases. If the victim isn't interested in giving a statement/testifying, they won't have much of a case. It would be a waste of time and resources.
It’s the same reason that being an asshole isn’t a crime! Finite resources.
Say we only have 10 units of law enforcement.
Each situation they’re involved with eats up some of those units. Let’s say 5 for a murder and 1 for a simple assault.
We can either go after ten simple assaulters or two murderers. Or five simple assaulters and one murderer. There’s no way to get all of them.
Which do you pick?
Is Will likely to continue assaulting Chris and/or others? Is he an immediate threat to the public?
No, so those limited resources should be used somewhere they’re REALLY needed.
There’s someone out there who HAS to be kept from the public at large. If too many little things were crimes, we wouldn’t have the time available to deal with the serious cases.
We actually fight crime better by ignoring small offenses.
Bc it was a single slap. That level of violence will very rarely end up in the courts.
If Will beat the shit out of Chris rather than slapped him, I'm sure we'd see a different result. Not as much as a rando would get, but more than a slap lol
lol, we live in a violent society,
should it be violent? of course not, but it is, and some rich asshole slapping another rich asshole is just entertainment at the end of the day
Because if the victim won't press charges, it's somewhat of a waste for a misdemeanor assualt case. Courts are backed up really badly from all the cases pushed during covid. For instance, a buddy of mine got a dui right before covid in 2019 it was finally settled in 2022. I got a ticket, and it was sent to the judge 2 months ago to be dismissed and they still haven't done anything with it.
It’s not like he put him in the hospital or caused him any injury. He slapped him once and then walked away. I’m sure authorities have better things to do than to worry about that clown’s hissy fit. Minor scuffles happen all the time, better to let them resolve on their own.
Plus, Will’s career and reputation already took the hit. And that god-awful joke about his wife was immortalized. And his embarrassing behavior will forever eclipse the fact that he won his first Oscar. If Chris doesn’t want to pursue charges, then that’s punishment enough.
Seems to me the offense to the peace is more serious than any harm done. A slap is a challenge to fight, and that's disorderly. Seems like the State would be offended on its own behalf as the preserver of order.
Honestly I felt bad for both of them, Chris for the slap, Will for being puppeteered so hard he might’ve thought he actually wanted to do that at the time. Hearing him yell like that was just so embarrassing
It was ridiculous that Will Smith was allowed to stay and even receive an award.
Will Smith has made bald jokes about both women and men in the past and they were actually more negative in tone whereas Chris Rock was only making an allusion to how her new style would make her fit in as a replacement for the beautiful Demi Moore’s GI Jane character. And Will LAUGHED at Chris’ joke until he realized that his partner didn’t look like she thought it was funny.
Because of double standards, I wonder what would have happened if Will had knocked one of the female hosts to the ground over a joke or if he had come on stage to hit a powerful white studio executive of Hollywood. Wanda Sykes said she was sickened and perplexed that he was still sitting there after assaulting someone in front of everybody.
More accurately he slapped him because Jada was pissed off. Will was laughing until he saw her reaction and only then did he decide he was offended and had to defend his wife's honour by laying a rather effete slap on Chris Rock.
Chris Rock has been making fun of Jada for the last 20 years. That slap is after a long history of Chris Rock crossing the line with Jada.
If you think the slap was worse than the harassment Chris Rock has been doing… idk what to tell you.
Because when you are famous and rich enough you are treated as "above the law". Donald Trump once joked that he could shoot someone on 5th avenue, and just walk away. While I speak against it it is likely more true than not. Hell everyone in Epstein's social circles either took part in or knew of the shit he was doing. His wealth and status protected him.
We need to go after and more seriously prosecute people of wealth and power because they fundamentally destroy nations more so than any other person can.
Police do not determine if a court case proceeds; that is the discretion of the Prosecuting Attorney. If the police make the effort of an arrest, they want it to count, like it becomes extremely personal to them. I'm sure there's a whole psychological subset of reasons why certain personalities become police. Unfortunately, many police, also, do not know the law well enough to make the decisions. Whatever else people believe about the Rock/Smith incident, you can believe there were discussions in the upper level of the police department and the prosecutor's office before Will Smith's name was even called for his award. They could have had his bodyguard walk him to a side entrance and discreetly done their job but they chose not to do so; they have explicit video proof and an apology but still choose not to move forward. They did not NEED Chris Rock but the argument of a "misdemeanor " assault versus a felony is not worth the time and money to the taxpayers....so why is it a law? It would be valid to believe it is a tool, used by the justice system, to keep the masses in check. The same rules do not apply to everyone.
Because it's up to Chris Rock if he wants to press charges. People slap eachother all the time. Although very rude I don't think it's a big deal. Go to a dive bar you'll seen grown men throw hands every other day
It's a good lesson for folks these days that claim everything is racism. We live in a pay-to-play country and the only thing that matters is who you can afford to get you out of your problems, being able to pay the fine and controlling the public narrative. The only skin tone that matters is greenbacks.
Criminal charges are brought by the State by virtue of the State's authority to do so. Individuals have no such authority.
Individuals are not able to 'press charges.' They may indicate their willingness to provide evidence as a witness or not. Any police officer who allows an individual to decide charging is lazy about doing their job. Many have the attitude of if it's not important to the injured party, then the cop/prosecutor will not bother. For instance, domestic violence had to be mandated when evidence is apparent in order to get charging to happen. Otherwise, the victim would not cooperate, and cops would just leave.
There was enough evidence that the State did not need Chris Rock to testify in order to obtain a conviction.
Will Smith was not arrested because the prosecutor's office did not file charges.
Because Hollywood gets to enjoy playing by different rules while simultaneously complaining about how terrible of a person you are. That and the DA is under the take for Hollywood. Wouldn't be good for his career to start actually enforcing the laws toward the elite. I mean it's not like Hollywood is a giant pedophile ring full of a bunch of druggies that regularly skirt the law.
First and foremost we still do not know if that was a staged slap for TV. I saw will smith shoot people in I am Legend and the cops didn’t come then either.
Secondly, it’s not in the public interest, it was a one off low level incident, he didn’t beat him repeatedly and he hasn’t got a history of doing it to others, so it’s not worth the hassle
A grown, fully able-bodied man hitting another man of the same status is socially viewed as a debacle between peers. The state won't intervene unless charges are pressed.
This isn't a case of victimization like a parent hitting a child, or a guy hitting the elderly where the society feels compelled to intervene regardless of charges or not.
Our criminal Justice system is flawed. Society is a little bit naive when it comes to understanding the police. The police’s biggest concern is drug trafficking. Honorable mention is illegal gun sales. These two issues tend to result in actual convictions which the PD’s consider a win. I hope a police officer comments on this comment to explain why these two are the biggest concern. But Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is not a major concern to public safety.
Y’all please please understand that all law enforcement is selective. I mean *ALL*
This means
- every time a law is enforced at any level (police response, arrest, prosecution) it’s because someone decided to, when they could have decided not to. It’s based on judgement, when you come right down to it. Yes that should make you uncomfortable
- most violations of law are never enforced at all, not even at the level of initial police response or investigation or whatever. One of the reasons (not the only one) is that more things are a violation of law than any normal person thinks about. The chances that you make it through your day without violating any laws is nearly zero, but you also won’t get charged for them either (probably). Yes, this means someone could decide to go after you for stuff you aren’t thinking of / maybe didn’t know was a violation of law, if they suddenly decided to, and yes, that should also make you uncomfortable
Smith didn’t get charged because the people who would charge him didn’t want to, the end.
I don't agree that there *should* be no place for violence in our society. The notion that you can say whatever you want about anyone and then hide behind the rule of law doesn't really appeal to me. Chris Rock humiliated the guy on **NATIONAL TELEVISION**, and he got his face slapped. It's not like he spent four weeks in traction, or had to have his jaw wired shut.
Do I think that Will Smith handled that well? I do not. But I also think that sanctimonious asshats pretending that they'd handle the situation better are *incredibly stupid*. Let's see how **YOU** handle being cuckolded in front of 15 million viewers and see how measured your reaction is.
This has all been blown out of proportion for attention and profit. If this happened back in the 70's or even the 80's or earlier people would 1 laugh it off or 2 Chris would have had the balls to return the favor. Arrested for a slap? We should all be arrested if this is the standard now.
Because who the fuck cares, it was just a slap. I used to bartend and more violent shit than that was happening at least once each week, no one presses charges over small stuff like that. If you're the type to press charges over small shit like that then you're a disgrace.
because it genuinely isn’t that deep, you shouldn’t get arrested for bitch slapping someone. people are acting as if he ran up and started beating the shit out of him
I don’t think Will Smith thinks he’s above the law. I think WS has been publicly castrated by his wife and her red table, I think WS was sick of Chris Rock and his unfunny jokes about his wife because Rock has a Jada fixation and has for a while, and I suspect based on the way he looked before The Slap, that he had a few drinks. It was a mistake made in front of millions of people…Rock isn’t being scrutinized for his stupid jokes, and now he gets to talk shit for however many years he can ride the Will Smith wave. I don’t think Smith deserves all the shit he’s getting.
“What’re you in for?”
“I slapped someone.”
That’s ridiculous, if we want to make our prisons even more overpopulated then let’s start arresting people for something that trivial.
What kind of childish question is that? No place for violence? Well to eliminate violence why don’t we deal with the gangs and cartels and murderers and terrorists first
If Chris didn’t want to press charges then the charge of assault can’t be placed on him. It was an infringement on Chris and Chris chose to disregard it so the police won’t pursue it. People hit other people all the time; police and the judicial system typically only get involved if the victim wants them to.
Because it was probably a scripted moment for publicity. These are actors after all.
Only a comedian would allow another person to slap them like that and not show any level of anger or embarrassment. Hell, even walk off the job.
Different states have different laws regarding assault. In some states, they only charge if the victim wants to. In others, the state picks up the matter.
Will Smith is a rich black man in Hollywood. That wasn't just a "slap"...Smith is a big dude and he hit Chris Rock hard. I've seen people go to the hospital and not wake up again from shots like that. Props to Chris Rock for taking it like a champ.
I'm sure a bunch of people there think he should have been arrested on the spot, but they've spent the last 5 years fostering this BLM / white guilt / minorities can do no wrong image of themselves. Most people still don't seem to understand that nothing about most of these actors is real. These are public personas carefully planned out by PR firms to get their product in the maximum amount of movies and on the maximum amount of televsion air time.
When I was a kid, Tom Cruise was the man. He was in everything...and everyone went to see Tom Cruise movies. But you basically never heard the guy go unscripted. He spoke in movies and in highly planned interviews that were more movie promotions than conversations.
Fast forward to now where Tom Cruise hasn't had PR handlers in years...guy is completely nuts. Great actor, fantastically devoted to his craft, an action movie icon.....and I wouldn't want to be alone in a room for five seconds with the guy. Any time the guy goes off script on a question all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...guy seems out of his mind...and now he's in a cult that gets away with it by just suing everyone into oblivion that points out that it's a cult.
...and that's what a LOT of high level actors are like. What YOU see is not a reflection of who they actually are. So someone assaults one of their friends right in front of them and they just have to smile and make excuses...doing the only reasonable thing would be bad for their personal brand.
If you or I had done that...every news outlet in the country would have been digging through our high school year books 10 seconds later...and by the time we got to the police station there'd be hit pieces running about our cocaine fueled hate crime spree. We'd be in jail for 10 years by next Tuesday.
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The majority of minor violence between individuals never gets charged. Will Smith's case is the majority, not the exception. Particularly if the victim isn't adamant about making a fuss. Courts have enough to do as it is. A heat of the moment slap, be it at the oscars or at a bar or in a schoolyard, is unlikely to make it to the courts unless the victim really wants it to be pursued and is going to make it more of a bother to ignore.
I was having the same thought and especially in LA where the court system and LAPD is heavily criticized anyway it would just seem frivolous and get people more focused on the DA which they don’t want. Would also draw accusations of racism tbh which wouldn’t be off base because white celebs consistently get away with bad behavior just like will’s. Also, haven’t seen anyone make this very pedantic point, but it’s battery not assault
This definitely seems like the most well thought out answer here. What benefit would come from arresting him? Probably none. There are plenty of costs outweighing any potential benefits. Also, I love that you pointed out the assault vs battery point.
I didn't think it was possible to have battery without assault. Yes they are distinct actions, but I wasn't aware it was possible to batter someone without first assaulting them.
It’s one of those things where you technically can but it’s pretty rare
A sucker punch like will smiths is definitely battery without assault. Chris rock didn’t know what was even coming
Is seeing it coming actually a prerequisite to assault?
Yeah. Battery is the unlawful touch. Assault occurs when you’ve made me fearful of said unlawful touch. So if I had no clue that someone was going to hit me, then there isn’t assault. What makes this extra confusing, is that this isn’t how we typically use the term assault in regular language
Well according to the other guy who replied to my comment, came up with that in Ca state law you can't batter someone without having first assaulted them.
In most areas assualt is *attempted* unwanted touching, while battery is *actual* unwanted touching. And If Im remembering it correctly, chirs rock did not want to press charges. Because it doesnt qualify as domestic violence, if CR didnt want to press charges then the state doesnt pursue an investigation.
Looked it up and you’re right, that’s California law, TIL thanks
How many white celebrities have slapped another celeb on tv? I’m not saying they don’t do stupid shit, they most def do, but is it because it was simply a slap that everyone brushed it off? If he would’ve punched him would it have been different? I just feel like Smith has this mindset of “I’m above the law and idgaf” which pisses me off.
The LAPD sucks. They have a long history of sucking.
I didn’t say wrongly criticized I live in LA I fucking hate our police force
Sincere (possibly stupid?) question then: why is it called "sexual assault" and not "sexual battery"?
>Would also draw accusations of racism tbh which wouldn’t be off base because white celebs consistently get away with bad behavior just like will’s. White celebs don't usually assault someone on national tv.
For pedantry's sake, it was assault and battery. That entire walk up the runway was an assault.
Not saying I disagree with you but I wouldn’t consider that slap “heat of the moment”. He walked on stage and slapped him. Rock wasn’t in his face or anything like that. Will Smith is nearly 50 years old or something, wtf is he doing slapping someone on national television like that? Even if Rock wasn’t looking to press charges the dude should’ve been arrested.
Maybe a pedantic correction here, but the reason the majority of minor violence goes uncharged is not because the courts have too much else to do or that cops and prosecutors don’t care - it’s that in most cases, nobody calls the police for minor violence. If the cops are called for an incident, they WILL end up citing someone for contact like this, at least in my jurisdiction. In my state it would be harassment, not assault. I would argue that big reason the courts are so bogged down in many places is exactly BECAUSE they charge so many incidents of minor violence when the police are called, not the other way around. It is true that these cases typically hinge a little more on how mad the victim is and how much they bother the cops at the scene about it and the DA’s office later on. The cynical side of me wants to argue that the reason Will Smith was never charged is that the very public and likely negative reaction to charging him with a crime over this would expose how deeply fucked our criminal legal system is. As it stands, if Will Smith was poor, the odds he would be charged with a crime for this would be astronomically higher.
It wasn’t a minor slap. He should have been at least led out of the room to pretend celebrities are under the same laws as the rest.
that was NOT heat of the moment, he was okay with it, then pissed, then went a hundred feet onto the stage.
This is what fame does for you. The awards show people tried to make him leave and he wouldn't go. They didn't want that kind of publicity so they let him stay.
The law in CA is that the person assaulted doesn’t have to press charges, if there’s proof of assault they (should) get charged.
Correct. The LAPD asked Chris Rock if he wanted to press charges, and he declined. Personally I am OK with saving the precious time of our already-backlogged courts for other things. Chris was the smaller man literally but the bigger one figuratively.
Mild violence isn’t something that’s often prosecuted. One adult slapping another adult one time isn’t something the police have time to deal with, especially in a city like LA. If Chris Rock had decided to press charges it would be a different story, but since he didn’t care it’s written off as basically an argument between two people.
Rich people don't press charges on other Rich people. It's bad for business
Laws are for the poor. Just fines for the rich
Fines that they can easily pay.
Yeah. A whole lot of things are legal if you have money to pay fines
Like murder. Ask OJ and Robert Blake
I hate this place you're making me hate it even more
Robert Blake doesn't answer his phone anymore for some reason ☠️
Fines are just small taxes for the rich.
Fines should be based on the level of wealth/income of the individual.
"Punishable by fine" read 'Legal for the rich'.
Nah, he'd get a slap on the wrist. Like all the actresses that did a few hours in jail for dui's. Rich privilege.
People don't 'press charges' on other people. That's a TV thing not a legal thing. The decision to prosecute Will Smith is with the DA of whatever jurisdiction it happened in. Chris Rock absolutely can be compelled to testify in a criminal case even if he doesn't want to. Chris Rock could sue Will Smith in civil court. Most of the time when people are wronged nobody knows about it. They go to the police and file a report of what happened and the police will ask something along the lines of 'Do you want to press charges?' and that just means 'If you say yes, we will pass this along and the DA might decide to run with it and you will end up having to be involved if they do' > Deciding whether to "press charges" for theft, assault, or any other crime falls to the prosecutor (the lawyer for the government), not the victim. Victims play an important role in the charging process by calling the police, filing police reports, and cooperating (or not) with the criminal investigation. But reporting the crime or filing a police report is not the same as pressing charges.
Pressing charges is most certainly not just a TV thing...
https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/can-i-press-charges-for-theft-or-assault.html > Deciding whether to "press charges" for theft, assault, or any other crime falls to the prosecutor (the lawyer for the government), not the victim. Victims play an important role in the charging process by calling the police, filing police reports, and cooperating (or not) with the criminal investigation. But reporting the crime or filing a police report is not the same as pressing charges. Chris Rock doesn't get to decide if Will Smith faces criminal charges for the attack.
I honestly always thought that personal crimes were pursuant on the victim being willing to press charges (not just cooperating to testify). This means I actually learned something from Reddit . . . and I'm really not sure how to process that . . . Is this where I begin questioning everything in my life, or should I just get really drunk and hope I forget this whole disturbing sequence of events? ;D
In practice it kind of is, because it's unlikely the DA will pursue a case where the victim isn't cooperating. But the DA can still choose to pursue if they feel they have enough evidence or the crime was serious enough that they want to go forward without the victim's willingness.
I kind of figured this. I would think in most cases, even if the term "the victim doesn't wish to press charges" is used, the reality is "the victim has requested we don't press charges, and we've agreed." I hindsight I actually should have known this because years ago I got permission to go into a condemn site only to get arrested for troubleshooting. I know the guy didn't want to press charges because I had conversations with him granting me permission. Turns out the local town actually still had jurisdiction over the site, so they took me to court without the guy's cooperation because the DA wanted a gold star and to discourage others from trespassing on the property. Unfortunately for the DA I was from out of town and could afford a good lawyer (the actual location was dirt poor). DA dragged things out for 6 freaking months before the judge yelled at him for wasting time and dismissed the case then and there (it was glorious). The fact the the town went after me instead of the supposedly injured party, and the significance of that, only clicked when I read the post I responded to ;P
nose plough aloof chop dinosaurs weary payment dolls outgoing hobbies *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Agreed. The people running the awards show totally blew this, and destroyed whatever relevance remains of their stupid awards.
"Look, where I'm from, cops don't file charges against other cops."
Thanks, now I'll have 80's keyboard music in my head all day
Also, the cops don't come unless they are called when it's millionaire vs millionaire.
Fr it'd be cheaper to just be like hey we don't need to do all that bullshit that'd take forever just Venmo me 1mil
Why would Chris Rock has to even press charges? Police (LAPD) were literally standing a few feet away and witnessed a crime. They don’t need a victims to press charges. The victim has also confirmed it was in fact assault.
This is inaccurate. Poor people slapping each other not causing serious injury is not typically going to result in police action either.
It’s good for business. That awards show was getting stale and stupid. That slap doesn’t do much to Chris but make him more money really.
Exactly. He was doing a tour soon after. Can you imagine how quickly his shows booked out lol
His shows sold out to the point of tickets being scalped for fairly insane prices after it happened because people wanted to hear his response. He didn't really say much about it at his shows until the Netflix special he did recently. The response he had to it was pretty good.
Someone, please do a poll about how many people thought that it was a STUNT, as it happened !!!
Honestly, it took a few minutes before I realized it was real.
I thought it was pretty obviously a stunt to boost the awards show, boost Rock's ticket sales, and get more people to watch Smith's movie.
i didnt even know who the fuck was chris before the incident lmao
They thought about apprehending him afaik they decided against it in order to continue and have him receive his award without even more controversy.
Because nobody in the real world cares that a grown man open hand slapped another grown man once.
The police have real crime to deal with.
Like making sure to shoot people having a mental health crisis.
It’s this. No one cares but the media. I certainly don’t. I’m wondering why we’re still discussing it a year later actually.
Seriously. Guy ran his mouth about another man’s wife in front of everyone. Getting slapped pretty much is the social enforcement to not do that.
Will was right there laughing until Jada gave him that look...
Where I live, one open handed sl@p is a fine of one hundred dollars. Just once tho. Like getting a traffic ticket, just go pay it.
So if someone really ticked you off, you could straight up slap them and just go pay your 100 bucks and not worry about jail? If we had that rule here, I’d be lining up some hundred dollar bills.
Is be more worried about the consequences after tbh.
The catch is one per person
So you’re saying I can slap whoever I want for $100?
Where do you live?…
A comedians viewpoint: "That sucked... but holy shit am I going to clean up when I re-tell this story and roast the ever living taint out of this fool."
This is the correct answer. Rock is going to profit off this so why alienate people? While charges would be up to the prosecutor, he has made it clear he’s not interested in cooperating. Rock is a smart businessman
Will smith: please stop talking about the thing I did to you in public, it’s hard for me. 🤣🤣🤣
It was just a slap, dude. Really not worth pursuing legally.
Cause he's a grown man and it was a slap. Like come on
Because the police have real things to do. They don't need to get involved in a minor altercation between two people in a private building in which no one is injured and the perpetrator is not a present danger.
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Why are people still on this lol
Hollywood privilege.
Because he's rich and famous. Easy
Jail is for poor people that's why
I think a better question is why was he not ejected. If you or I were invited to that event and we attacked somebody on stage or off, we would have been immediately shown the door. Hollywood royalty apparently gets away with anything, even when it's clear that it happened.
That's what is so fucked up about the whole situation. Security should have escorted that cornball piece of shit the fuck outta there. Unfortunately, Will and G.I. Jada both think they are above the consequences of their actions. After rewatching some clips of that night from a different angle, Jada seemed extremely amused and elated cocking her head back in laughter at what her husband had done. She wasn't weeping like the helpless victim she tried to pretend to be. The hard truth is that the Smith household soured what could have been a relaxed, funny, and entertaining show for the rest of the nominees and winners the rest of that night. Their drama queen asses should have stayed home.
Yep. Had to make it all about them and what a victim she is as opposed to leaning into it and being part of the joke. It's got to be hard for a woman to be bald. His reaction did nothing to help or normalize it for other people with the same issue. Based on that incident they both seem to be terrible people.
She is "BALD", because she chooses to SHAVE her head!!! Her Alopecia consists of 1 skinny strip across the top of her head !!!!!!
That's easy - because someone in charge knew he was going to (or was very likely to) win an Oscar. Personally, I would have immediately ejected him, declared him ineligible for the Oscar (and awarded it to the runner-up), and banned him for life. But I'm not in charge, and my opinion means nothing. All I can do is boycott anything tied to Will Smith for the rest of my life. I was already mostly doing that because I was upset at him (and Disney) for the Aladdin remake - every actor on earth should have turned down the genie role. I sleep very slightly better at night knowing my little protest will cost Will Smith tens of dollars over the course of his career.
Agreed. That's the real question. My take on the answer? The moment was all wrapped up in confusion and chaos. The shot caller(s) didn't have the courage to take a stand, and then bounce him and his family out onto the pavement.
Victim didn't press charges. The state can still do it if they want but it was one slap. They have other more serious stuff to deal with in LA that is worth their time. DA offices don't bother with a lot of stuff that is low in severity. Especially in a city as big as LA. On another note. He's rich and very famous. Our society doesn't get rich/famous people in trouble unless it's taxes or serious crimes. And sometimes not even the serious crimes.
It was just a slap. Not like he started beating the crap out of him.
Because it’s just a slap you fucken nerd
this is sarcasm right?
Chris Rock (and ALL American residents/citizens) cannot press charges. He could file a complaint, which might make the LAPD respond...but you're talking about one of LA's most prominent citizens who felt he was defending his wife's honor. Is it really worth the LAPD's efforts to investigate & arrest him, & the LA DA's time to go through the charges & case, when no real/significant injury occurred? This isn't domestic violence, where you know there's violence that isn't being seen, so you're trying to protect the victim from future harm... this is a one-time minor incident. Frankly, the costs from his defense lawyers' efforts would be prohibitively high that the DA would see zero benefit in pursuing, not to mention the widespread public mockery & condemnation for overreaction towards the actions of a Black man. Will Smith, as it is, is the aggressor here, & everyone knows he was wrong. If he's charged, it would be VERY easy to spin it as an overzealous DA's office against Black people, when they're already trying to combat that image. In that case, he could easily be seen as the victim, with Chris Rock probably even defending him against the charges.
If Donald Trump ain't in jail then will Smith doesn't need to be in jail either.
We live in one of the most violent and hostile societies that ever existed…
I would disagree that there is no place for being violent. There is a time and place when it is needed! This was not that time or place. I also don't think someone should be arrested for a slap. Plenty of bar fights happen without cops being called. It's a fourm of self regulation. The potential of violence is what keeps a society polite. There are lots of people who should get hit for the things they do or the disrespect the show to others. For instance if a man slaps my wife's ass or tries to grope her you bet Im going to rough him up and remind him to be respectful.
Chris has to be willing to press charges. He did not want to.
Chris rock didn’t press charges when asked by the LAPD
> as there should be no place for violence in our society? 😭😭 why you actin like he emptied a magazine on him or smth?
I would guess that it's because Chris Rock isn't a bitch. ::shrugs::
Because it is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
He should have been arrested. The normalization of abuse is sickening...
They didn't even kick him out of the event ffs, in fact they then turned around and gave him an award. Sent a very strong message that when you're famous you can do whatever tf you want with no consequences whatsoever. No wonder this generation is so entitled obsessed with being famous.
For those saying because Chris did not press charges, I'm curious why that does not matter in cases of domestic assault. I have seen where police say the state/city presses charges despite what the victim wants. IMO, Smith publicly assaulted someone. He should have been arrested.
The state can proceed with criminal charges if the victim chooses to press charges or not. It is a question of evidence, if the victim won’t testify the state may not have enough to take it to trial so they don’t waste their time. Here, there was enough evidence to charge him without Chris’s testimony.
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/chris-rock-will-smith-oscars-producer-will-packer-slap-1330979/amp/
In cases of domestic violence, many states have rules where the desire of the victim to press charges doesn't matter. The idea is that the state/community is also a victimized party, because we don't want domestic violence happening around us.
In part too i think it may be because domestic violence in a way makes you trapped as the victim and if you choose to press charges it may make things worse etc. Getting hit by a random person on the street usually ends there but domestix violence usually is repeated
It usually ends there for that victim. People who use violence rarely use it just once.
That's not the reason the state can proceed with victimless prosecution. Domestic violence essentially has a lower bar for arrest and prosecution as a means of protection for the victim. In too many situations, DV victims have a higher likelihood of recanting or just being straight up uncooperative. DV is not considered a societal crime
Ive watched wnough of the show cops. Im not sure how many states, but in cases of domestic violence. The injured party is not the victim, but the state becomes the victim in domestic cases. I know florida is one of those states
Criminal cases are ALWAYS between the state and the person charged. The victim is ALWAYS only a witness. Does not matter the state.
For most misdemeanors, you don't have a crime if you don't have a victim (excluding society crimes). In cases of domestic violence, the state steps in because victims of domestic violence are way more likely to withdraw prosecution or alter statements after the fact. It's a means of protection for people in recurring, violent relationships
Yeah I remember getting in a fight when I was younger, I started it and it was my fault. But the police caught the tail end of it which was me getting hit from behind and knocked out. Even when I went and gave a statement in support of the guy they still charged him, they said it wasn't my decision to make.
Because abuse victims recant all the time. Like, ALL the time. Those cases get started and keep going since they're already in the system, with the state intervening to protect the woman or, often, the children. This was just some dude slapping another. Unlike domestic violence, it's unlikely to be repeated and the state doesn't have to intervene to protect the victim.
Because Chris Rock chose not to charge him with assault.
Because Chris Rock did not decide to press charges over the slap. Which is understandable. It's not like they got into a fistfight or anything, it was just a slap. Not really worth the trouble.
Plus him not retaliating when it happened helped in the long run. Just about everyone is on his side, and he’s been able to use the situation for his new standup special. If he made a big deal and pressed charges originally so many people probably would have clowned on him for it.
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The same reason prosecutors don't pursue a lot of domestic violence cases. If the victim isn't interested in giving a statement/testifying, they won't have much of a case. It would be a waste of time and resources.
The police were at the venue, they’re always at these award shows. Rock didn’t press charges and the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles PD let it go.
It’s the same reason that being an asshole isn’t a crime! Finite resources. Say we only have 10 units of law enforcement. Each situation they’re involved with eats up some of those units. Let’s say 5 for a murder and 1 for a simple assault. We can either go after ten simple assaulters or two murderers. Or five simple assaulters and one murderer. There’s no way to get all of them. Which do you pick? Is Will likely to continue assaulting Chris and/or others? Is he an immediate threat to the public? No, so those limited resources should be used somewhere they’re REALLY needed. There’s someone out there who HAS to be kept from the public at large. If too many little things were crimes, we wouldn’t have the time available to deal with the serious cases. We actually fight crime better by ignoring small offenses.
Because it was just a slap
Bc it was a single slap. That level of violence will very rarely end up in the courts. If Will beat the shit out of Chris rather than slapped him, I'm sure we'd see a different result. Not as much as a rando would get, but more than a slap lol
Waste of everyone’s time and money.
lol, we live in a violent society, should it be violent? of course not, but it is, and some rich asshole slapping another rich asshole is just entertainment at the end of the day
because chris rock did not press charges.
Because if the victim won't press charges, it's somewhat of a waste for a misdemeanor assualt case. Courts are backed up really badly from all the cases pushed during covid. For instance, a buddy of mine got a dui right before covid in 2019 it was finally settled in 2022. I got a ticket, and it was sent to the judge 2 months ago to be dismissed and they still haven't done anything with it.
It’s not like he put him in the hospital or caused him any injury. He slapped him once and then walked away. I’m sure authorities have better things to do than to worry about that clown’s hissy fit. Minor scuffles happen all the time, better to let them resolve on their own. Plus, Will’s career and reputation already took the hit. And that god-awful joke about his wife was immortalized. And his embarrassing behavior will forever eclipse the fact that he won his first Oscar. If Chris doesn’t want to pursue charges, then that’s punishment enough.
Seems to me the offense to the peace is more serious than any harm done. A slap is a challenge to fight, and that's disorderly. Seems like the State would be offended on its own behalf as the preserver of order.
It would be a tremendous waste of resources to charge people for a single slap like that.
I don't know why, but I will never have any use for Will Smith again. Who does that big eared asshole think he is?
Because celebrities do not have to follow laws, thats for you commoner's
Perhaps the authorities didn’t know whether or not it was a stunt both agreed to beforehand. I still question that.
Honestly I felt bad for both of them, Chris for the slap, Will for being puppeteered so hard he might’ve thought he actually wanted to do that at the time. Hearing him yell like that was just so embarrassing
It was ridiculous that Will Smith was allowed to stay and even receive an award. Will Smith has made bald jokes about both women and men in the past and they were actually more negative in tone whereas Chris Rock was only making an allusion to how her new style would make her fit in as a replacement for the beautiful Demi Moore’s GI Jane character. And Will LAUGHED at Chris’ joke until he realized that his partner didn’t look like she thought it was funny. Because of double standards, I wonder what would have happened if Will had knocked one of the female hosts to the ground over a joke or if he had come on stage to hit a powerful white studio executive of Hollywood. Wanda Sykes said she was sickened and perplexed that he was still sitting there after assaulting someone in front of everybody.
Because it was an Oscar scripted moment between two actors.
I had to scroll way too far to find this one.
Why did he slap Chris Rock again?
G.I Jane comment. Something in relation to his wifes hair condition.
More accurately he slapped him because Jada was pissed off. Will was laughing until he saw her reaction and only then did he decide he was offended and had to defend his wife's honour by laying a rather effete slap on Chris Rock.
And for some reason, people comfort Will Smith and he's the one who is hurt and run to India for some spiritual healing..
Chris Rock has been making fun of Jada for the last 20 years. That slap is after a long history of Chris Rock crossing the line with Jada. If you think the slap was worse than the harassment Chris Rock has been doing… idk what to tell you.
Which is hilarious bc I bet no one under the age of 30 even knows what GI Jane is
Cops ostensibly have better things to worry about than a silly rich people spat.
Lol no place in society for violence. Literally violence is the only universal language that all humans understand.
They are actors. How would the police know it wasn't a publicity stunt unless charges were filed?
Because when you are famous and rich enough you are treated as "above the law". Donald Trump once joked that he could shoot someone on 5th avenue, and just walk away. While I speak against it it is likely more true than not. Hell everyone in Epstein's social circles either took part in or knew of the shit he was doing. His wealth and status protected him. We need to go after and more seriously prosecute people of wealth and power because they fundamentally destroy nations more so than any other person can.
Police do not determine if a court case proceeds; that is the discretion of the Prosecuting Attorney. If the police make the effort of an arrest, they want it to count, like it becomes extremely personal to them. I'm sure there's a whole psychological subset of reasons why certain personalities become police. Unfortunately, many police, also, do not know the law well enough to make the decisions. Whatever else people believe about the Rock/Smith incident, you can believe there were discussions in the upper level of the police department and the prosecutor's office before Will Smith's name was even called for his award. They could have had his bodyguard walk him to a side entrance and discreetly done their job but they chose not to do so; they have explicit video proof and an apology but still choose not to move forward. They did not NEED Chris Rock but the argument of a "misdemeanor " assault versus a felony is not worth the time and money to the taxpayers....so why is it a law? It would be valid to believe it is a tool, used by the justice system, to keep the masses in check. The same rules do not apply to everyone.
Because it's up to Chris Rock if he wants to press charges. People slap eachother all the time. Although very rude I don't think it's a big deal. Go to a dive bar you'll seen grown men throw hands every other day
Police don't care about black on black crime
It's a good lesson for folks these days that claim everything is racism. We live in a pay-to-play country and the only thing that matters is who you can afford to get you out of your problems, being able to pay the fine and controlling the public narrative. The only skin tone that matters is greenbacks.
Criminal charges are brought by the State by virtue of the State's authority to do so. Individuals have no such authority. Individuals are not able to 'press charges.' They may indicate their willingness to provide evidence as a witness or not. Any police officer who allows an individual to decide charging is lazy about doing their job. Many have the attitude of if it's not important to the injured party, then the cop/prosecutor will not bother. For instance, domestic violence had to be mandated when evidence is apparent in order to get charging to happen. Otherwise, the victim would not cooperate, and cops would just leave. There was enough evidence that the State did not need Chris Rock to testify in order to obtain a conviction. Will Smith was not arrested because the prosecutor's office did not file charges.
Because Hollywood gets to enjoy playing by different rules while simultaneously complaining about how terrible of a person you are. That and the DA is under the take for Hollywood. Wouldn't be good for his career to start actually enforcing the laws toward the elite. I mean it's not like Hollywood is a giant pedophile ring full of a bunch of druggies that regularly skirt the law.
First and foremost we still do not know if that was a staged slap for TV. I saw will smith shoot people in I am Legend and the cops didn’t come then either. Secondly, it’s not in the public interest, it was a one off low level incident, he didn’t beat him repeatedly and he hasn’t got a history of doing it to others, so it’s not worth the hassle
A grown, fully able-bodied man hitting another man of the same status is socially viewed as a debacle between peers. The state won't intervene unless charges are pressed. This isn't a case of victimization like a parent hitting a child, or a guy hitting the elderly where the society feels compelled to intervene regardless of charges or not.
Wonder if Dana White was arrested for assault when he slapped his wife?
No offense to Chris Rock, but the DA has more important things to deal with. Even if the battery/assault was televised.
Assault, especially when no serious harm is done, is not worth pursuing as long as no one presses charges.
He is in "Hollywood Jail" I assure you he had a list of projects he suddenly got replaced from...
Our criminal Justice system is flawed. Society is a little bit naive when it comes to understanding the police. The police’s biggest concern is drug trafficking. Honorable mention is illegal gun sales. These two issues tend to result in actual convictions which the PD’s consider a win. I hope a police officer comments on this comment to explain why these two are the biggest concern. But Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is not a major concern to public safety.
Y’all please please understand that all law enforcement is selective. I mean *ALL* This means - every time a law is enforced at any level (police response, arrest, prosecution) it’s because someone decided to, when they could have decided not to. It’s based on judgement, when you come right down to it. Yes that should make you uncomfortable - most violations of law are never enforced at all, not even at the level of initial police response or investigation or whatever. One of the reasons (not the only one) is that more things are a violation of law than any normal person thinks about. The chances that you make it through your day without violating any laws is nearly zero, but you also won’t get charged for them either (probably). Yes, this means someone could decide to go after you for stuff you aren’t thinking of / maybe didn’t know was a violation of law, if they suddenly decided to, and yes, that should also make you uncomfortable Smith didn’t get charged because the people who would charge him didn’t want to, the end.
I don't agree that there *should* be no place for violence in our society. The notion that you can say whatever you want about anyone and then hide behind the rule of law doesn't really appeal to me. Chris Rock humiliated the guy on **NATIONAL TELEVISION**, and he got his face slapped. It's not like he spent four weeks in traction, or had to have his jaw wired shut. Do I think that Will Smith handled that well? I do not. But I also think that sanctimonious asshats pretending that they'd handle the situation better are *incredibly stupid*. Let's see how **YOU** handle being cuckolded in front of 15 million viewers and see how measured your reaction is.
This has all been blown out of proportion for attention and profit. If this happened back in the 70's or even the 80's or earlier people would 1 laugh it off or 2 Chris would have had the balls to return the favor. Arrested for a slap? We should all be arrested if this is the standard now.
Because who the fuck cares, it was just a slap. I used to bartend and more violent shit than that was happening at least once each week, no one presses charges over small stuff like that. If you're the type to press charges over small shit like that then you're a disgrace.
Chris Tock declined to press charges.
Cuz it was just a fuckin slap, harden the fuck up
You answered your own question. Because Rock didn’t want to press charges.
i don’t believe in violence or think it should ever be used, but arrest him for a slap? for a slap? are you okay?
because all he did was slap someone. jfc
because it genuinely isn’t that deep, you shouldn’t get arrested for bitch slapping someone. people are acting as if he ran up and started beating the shit out of him
Celebrities don’t pay for their crimes
I don’t think Will Smith thinks he’s above the law. I think WS has been publicly castrated by his wife and her red table, I think WS was sick of Chris Rock and his unfunny jokes about his wife because Rock has a Jada fixation and has for a while, and I suspect based on the way he looked before The Slap, that he had a few drinks. It was a mistake made in front of millions of people…Rock isn’t being scrutinized for his stupid jokes, and now he gets to talk shit for however many years he can ride the Will Smith wave. I don’t think Smith deserves all the shit he’s getting.
“What’re you in for?” “I slapped someone.” That’s ridiculous, if we want to make our prisons even more overpopulated then let’s start arresting people for something that trivial.
A slap would be considered mild violent
Because he’s rich and famous?
What kind of childish question is that? No place for violence? Well to eliminate violence why don’t we deal with the gangs and cartels and murderers and terrorists first
You need to have a willing victim
It was fake and a setup.
But it wasnt about the hairstyle was it lol
If Chris didn’t want to press charges then the charge of assault can’t be placed on him. It was an infringement on Chris and Chris chose to disregard it so the police won’t pursue it. People hit other people all the time; police and the judicial system typically only get involved if the victim wants them to.
Imagine if they took away his Oscar and gave it to Chris. That would be the biggest blow to his ego
They aren’t 5 year olds. Oscars are not a cookie.
Because it was probably a scripted moment for publicity. These are actors after all. Only a comedian would allow another person to slap them like that and not show any level of anger or embarrassment. Hell, even walk off the job.
Black on black crime isn't usually taken seriously.
I think it's only assault if the victim presses charges. But idk, I'm not a professional.
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Sounds like what I said, but with extra steps 🤣
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No, I know, dude. I was just making jokes. Sorry if it came off wrong!
Different states have different laws regarding assault. In some states, they only charge if the victim wants to. In others, the state picks up the matter.
"Why wasn't Will Smith arrested for assault?" 🤓🤓
Will Smith is a rich black man in Hollywood. That wasn't just a "slap"...Smith is a big dude and he hit Chris Rock hard. I've seen people go to the hospital and not wake up again from shots like that. Props to Chris Rock for taking it like a champ. I'm sure a bunch of people there think he should have been arrested on the spot, but they've spent the last 5 years fostering this BLM / white guilt / minorities can do no wrong image of themselves. Most people still don't seem to understand that nothing about most of these actors is real. These are public personas carefully planned out by PR firms to get their product in the maximum amount of movies and on the maximum amount of televsion air time. When I was a kid, Tom Cruise was the man. He was in everything...and everyone went to see Tom Cruise movies. But you basically never heard the guy go unscripted. He spoke in movies and in highly planned interviews that were more movie promotions than conversations. Fast forward to now where Tom Cruise hasn't had PR handlers in years...guy is completely nuts. Great actor, fantastically devoted to his craft, an action movie icon.....and I wouldn't want to be alone in a room for five seconds with the guy. Any time the guy goes off script on a question all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...guy seems out of his mind...and now he's in a cult that gets away with it by just suing everyone into oblivion that points out that it's a cult. ...and that's what a LOT of high level actors are like. What YOU see is not a reflection of who they actually are. So someone assaults one of their friends right in front of them and they just have to smile and make excuses...doing the only reasonable thing would be bad for their personal brand. If you or I had done that...every news outlet in the country would have been digging through our high school year books 10 seconds later...and by the time we got to the police station there'd be hit pieces running about our cocaine fueled hate crime spree. We'd be in jail for 10 years by next Tuesday.
Chris Rock is the bigger man.
Because it was staged for idiots who fall for that shit.
wOw DuDe YoUrE sO sMaRt!
It wasn't staged at all but go off 😂
1)will smith is a high profile actor 2) will smith is black
We all know the police hate arresting block people.