[Is Death In Custody The New Norm For Blacks?] Sandra Bland: Could Have Been You.

sandra bland

July 10, 2015 a 28 year old black woman of  Naperville, Illinois was arrested in Waller County,Texas. Three days later on July 13,2015  this young lady was found dead in her holding cell. This woman went by the name of Sandra Bland.

Today is July 28th which marks a little over two weeks since her death. Suicide was the ruling of her situation, but we weren’t and still aren’t buying that. Bland was said to be a woman with a promising future, success driven and God fearing. Why would a woman with so much going on want to end her life at such a significant time?  She was set to start a new job next week. 

As speculations surfaced, the black population grew eager to know what really went on after her arrest. Dash-cam footage showed that yes Sandra exchanged words with the officer,but the officer was also a bit nasty with her as well and became violent. Most people with common sense know that a brief traffic stop should not lead to three days in jail or death.

As the days progressed details started ooze out just a little. From the authorities to the news to social media, it’s hard to determine what’s factual and what’s not. Lets go down the list of allegations against Sandra:

Talking back to Officer

Cigarette being used as a weapon

Large Amounts Marijuana in her system

-Talks of suicide previous to arrest

– Assaulting Officer

Just to name a few. What caught everybody’s eye was the released mugshot. Many believe that Bland was deceased when this photo was taken while some think she could have very much been alive.

mug shot sandra
Photo Credit: abc.news.go.com

There were some things about this mug shot that appeared a bit peculiar. Sandra looked as if she was laying down on a floor and not standing upright. Some speculate that her position displayed that she was lifeless at the point the shot was taken, going in to detail of how distressed her face looked to the posture of her shoulders. It seems as if no one will know the real story, but the authorities who arrested her and Sandra who will not be able to tell her story.

Today new footage was released of Sandra Bland allegedly being booked and having her mugshot taken. The sad part is, the footage just like most of the evidence in this developing case, may have been tampered with. Many things are in question:

Where is the side view of Sandra’s Mug Shot?

Why is it that a trashcan appeared in the first video , but not in the most recent footage?

Why is Sandra in a prison jumpsuit when she was only arrested for a petty traffic stop?

Why does Sandra appear to be on the floor in her mugshot?

Where is the footage of her alleged “suicide” or what lead up to it?

Why was she arrested in the first place?

Why is it that the person in the videos identified as Sandra Bland appear unrecognizable or dark

-Was that actually Sandra Bland in the surveillance? 

As expected the authorities in Waller County are trying to cover their asses, but here’s a fun fact, Sandra was against police brutality and publicly displayed that in videos that surfaced social media after her death. How ironic is it that she died the very way she spoke against. There was a video where Sandra briefed about depression, but her family still believes this is an act she would have never committed. Family knows best right?

In a recent report, it states that Texas state trooper, Brian Encinia made false claims about  the verbal exchange between him and Sandra. Audio also proves that he made false claims to his supervisor about what lead to him making Bland leave her car. We know a cover-up when we see one. We can not continue to let the media put wool over our eyes.

Sandra is one of the countless black victims to police brutality and probably won’t be the last. Just a day after Bland’s death, 18 year old Kindra Chapman was found dead in her cell. Allegedly, she hung herself as well. See the pattern here?  It seems as if we have become more of a target once we started to exercise our freedom of speech effectively. What’s really going on? Are we supposed to believe that these are not racially targeted acts? Did Sandra Bland even pose a threat to the officer that is partially responsible for her death?

Wake up people. Most of the victims of these disgusting acts were not even armed. We can’t walk around saying All Lives Matter if there is one particular quadrant of lives that catches the heat for them ALL.  Even if someone back -talks or gets angry it does not justify their death. Just like any crime involving a black victim, the victim is picked apart instead of the criminal, which in this case happens to be the “protector.” Protect and serve my ass. We need answers.