Sandra Bland

Two Years After Sandra Bland, Justice For Wakiesha Wilson

April 10, 2017 Sikivu Hutchinson, www.thefeministwire.com Resist! Black Women, police brutality, Sandra Bland

By Sikivu Hutchinson for The Feminist Wire - In July 2015, African American activist Sandra Bland died in police custody after challenging a white officer who stopped her for an alleged lane change violation. Bland’s death generated national exposure for the high rate of suspicious police custody deaths among African Americans (Bland was one of five black female policy custody deaths that July). Like Bland, the majority of black women who die in police custody have been detained for minor, non-violent offenses. Nationwide, one in nineteen black women will be incarcerated during their lifetimes for nonviolent offenses—four times the rate of white women—placing them at even greater risk of being re-victimized in prison.

Monetary Settlement And More Reached In Sandra Bland Death

September 16, 2016 Leon Neyfakh, www.slate.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, #SandraBland, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Sandra Bland, Settlements

By Leon Neyfakh for Slate - In July 2015, the death of Sandra Bland became a central flashpoint in the national debate over race and law enforcement. Bland was pulled over by a Texas state trooper because she didn’t signal a lane change. She was screamed at and threatened with a Taser because she refused to put out her cigarette. Because she couldn’t make bail, she was confined to a Waller County, Texas, jail cell for three days—an experience that evidently caused her so much distress that she hung herself in her cell.

Texas Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland Is Officially Fired

March 3, 2016 Kim Bellware, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Sandra Bland

By Kim Bellware for The Huffington Post - The Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, the motorist who days later was found hanged in a jail cell, was formally fired on Wednesday, according to theTexas Department of Public Safety. Trooper Brian Encinia was fired after failing to rebut disciplinary charges leveled against him in January, Public Safety Director Steven McCraw wrote in a letter of final termination. Encinia had been accused of failing to act courteously during his July traffic stop of Bland, prolonging her detention, violating general orders and perjury.

Bland: Suspicions Mount, Fight To Expose Death Evidence

February 19, 2016 Michael McLaughlin, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! police brutality, Sandra Bland, Texas

By Michael McLaughlin for The Huffington Post - Relatives of Sandra Bland, the jailed motorist who authorities say hanged herself in a Texas cell seven months ago, said they're still unable to get basic information about her death from authorities. Police files contain discrepancies, they said, and a videotape that investigators promised would show the hanging never materialized. Further, authorities haven't returned personal items confiscated from Bland when she was booked. A medical examiner ruled that Bland, 28, committed suicide on July 13, but her family is unconvinced, their lawyer said.

Office In Sandra Bland Case Fired After Indicted For Perjury

January 7, 2016 Staff, www.bigstory.ap.org Resist! killed by police, Police abuse, Racism, Sandra Bland

By Staff of Associated Press - HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland after a contentious traffic stop last summer was fired Wednesday after being charged with perjury for allegedly lying about his confrontation with the black woman who died three days later in jail. Trooper Brian Encinia claimed in an affidavit that Bland was "combative and uncooperative" after he pulled her over and ordered her out of her car. The grand jury identified that affidavit in charging Encinia with perjury, special prosecutor Shawn McDonald said Wednesday night.

Grand Jury Does Not Indict Anyone For Sandra Bland’s Jailhouse Death

December 22, 2015 Staff, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Protests, Sandra Bland

By Staff for The Huffington Post - HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A grand jury has decided no felony crime was committed by the sheriff's office or jailers in the treatment of a black woman who died in a Southeast Texas county jail last summer. But prosecutor Darrell Jordan said the Waller County grand jury reached no decision on whether the trooper who arrested 28-year-old Sandra Bland should face charges. The Chicago-area woman was pulled over July 10 by a Texas state trooper for making an improper lane change. Dashcam video showed their interaction quickly became confrontational and she was arrested for assault.

Sandra Bland’s Family Files Federal Lawsuit

August 5, 2015 David Lohr, www.huffingtonpost.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Sandra Bland

By David Lohr in The Huffington Post - The family of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old African-American woman found dead in a Texas jail cell after a controversial arrest, announced the filing of a federal lawsuit against officials in Houston on Tuesday. "We are looking for the individuals involved in this situation to take accountability," Cannon Lambert, the Bland family attorney, told reporters at a press conference in Chicago. Lambert said the lawsuit has been filed against state trooper Brian Encinia and all officials involved in the arrest and incarceration of Bland. The action, Lambert said, was prompted by "inconsistencies" in the investigation into Bland's death and the unwillingness of authorities in Waller County, Texas, to share information with the Bland family. "[We have been] unable to get many of the answers we have been asking for," the attorney said. "This family needs an answer to the principle question: What happened to Sandra Bland?"

Across US, Activists Shine Light On Sandra Bland’s Mysterious Death

August 3, 2015 Ashoka Jegroo, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Protests, Sandra Bland

By Ashoka Jegroo in Waging NonViolence - In cities across the United States on July 29, the name of Sandra Bland, a woman whose mysterious death in police custody recently made headlines, could be seen bringing light to dark city nights. The demonstrations were part of a nationwide action to remember Bland and bring attention to her death. Additionally, a petition by the nonprofit activist organization UltraViolet is soon to be delivered to the Department Of Justice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, seeking a federal investigation into Bland’s death. “There is going to be a massive petition tomorrow delivered to the Department of Justice demanding an investigation into [Sandra Bland’s] death and accountability for the officers who are responsible,” said Gan Golan, co-founder of the NYC Light Brigade and member of People’s Climate Arts.

Say Her Name: Protesters In Chicago Demand Justice For Sandra Bland

July 31, 2015 Kelly Hayes, www.ruth-out.org Educate! #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Chicago, Sandra Bland

By Kelly Hayes in Truthout - This week, from Dallas to San Diego to the Midwest, activists and community members around the United States are answering a national call to demand justice for Sandra Bland, a Black woman and activist who died in police custody on July 13. In Chicago, protesters lifted up Sandra Bland's name on Michigan Avenue on July 28, as hundreds of protesters lined a bridge over the Chicago River, urging those who believe Black lives matter to "say her name." While a great deal of public discourse has focused on whether or not Sandra Bland committed suicide, or died as a result of police brutality, participants in Tuesday night's event carried a broader message - that the system was responsible for Sandra Bland's death regardless of the specifics of her death. In the words of organizer Mariame Kaba, "I don't care about the CSI version of how she died. The system killed her. The rest is superfluous."

At Sandra Bland’s Funeral, A Mother’s Call To Action

July 26, 2015 Marwa Eltagouri and Maggie Angst, www.chicagotribune.com Resist! #SandraBland, Police abuse, Police violence, Racism, Sandra Bland

By Marwa Eltagouri and Maggie Angst for the Chicago Tribune - Sandra Bland's mother was the last to speak at her daughter's funeral. Geneva Reed-Veal’s voice didn't break as she addressed the hundreds before her; she didn't shed any tears. She spoke clearly and decisively, determined to raise a call to action with each word. “I'm the mama, and I'm telling you that my baby did not take herself out,” she said. “The fact is, I'm the mama. And I still don't know what happened. You think you're mad? I'm mad too.” She recalled the last words her daughter spoke to her, in which Bland said, even before she received a job interview, that she wanted to go to the South and stop the injustices against blacks. “Sandy knew what her purpose was,” she said. “Some call it a tragedy. Some call it a travesty. But I've got to call it testimony.”

Activist Sandra Bland Dies After Minor Traffic Stop

July 18, 2015 Shaun King, www.dailykos.com Resist! #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, Black Lives Matter (BLM), police brutality, Sandra Bland, Texas

By Shaun King in Daily Kos - Sandra Bland died in police custody this past Monday. Visiting Texas from Chicago to interview for a college job at her alma mater of Prairie View A&M, she was pulled over for a routine traffic violation (failure to use her turn signal). Everything from that point forward screams racism and foul play, including her death in the Waller County jail Monday. The first red flag is that Bland was officially arrested on Friday for assaulting a police officer. What we see from a bystander video is her telling the officers she is in pain and cannot hear after her head was slammed on the ground by the male arresting officer. The video is below. We have now learned that Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith, who made the first public comments about Bland's in-custody death, was suspended for documented cases of racism when he was chief of police in Hempstead, Texas, in 2007.

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