What happened to Sandra Bland?
What happened to Sandra Bland?
On July 13, 2015, Waller County police announced that the 28-year-old Prairie View A&M University alumna had hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag.
But what really happened to Sandra Bland?
What happened to Sandra Bland is another tragic and disturbing example of police brutality that is protected by America’s systemic racism.
Police brutality continues to steal security, peace of mind, and lives from the black community, oftentimes without penalty or even recognition of oppression.
Some details of the traffic stop and her time in jail may be a mystery, but two things are clear: the police camera reveals she was unfairly brutalized as slamming her head to the ground for failure to signal is not justified; and it is nearly impossible for any full-grown adult to successfully hang herself with a plastic garbage bag.
The circumstances articulated by Waller County police surrounding her death are beyond suspect. They are outright unbelievable.
What happened to Sandra Bland can happen to you, like it happened to Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and hundreds of others. No matter how great of an education you receive from your HBCU, how proper your speech is, how successful you are, how well-dressed you may be, or how much of a law-abiding citizen you are, you are black and you are a target!
Police brutality prevails because historical civil rights legislation, progressive laws, social welfare programs, expansion of a black middle class, and even electing a black president do not directly address the ideology and system of racism, which foster an America that allows police officers to use deadly force against black people two times per week.
These tokens, while necessary, are only battling the offspring rather than proactively fighting the war against America’s founding father—racism.
Black lives will forever be disposable, and police brutality will persist until this country, and all of its citizens, candidly address and take intentional, proactive, and permanent action against this illness.
What can you do to end police brutality?
Stop making excuses for it! Challenging a police officer or having a bad attitude doesn’t justify death. It’s racism. Period.
Know your rights. (More below)
Report all instances of racial profiling and police brutality and utilize your resources to make sure action is taken against the culprits.
Organize community events with police officers to advocate for policies that increase diversity training for police officers, implement stress and racism tests for officers, develop tougher consequences for racial profiling and brutality, and increase diversity in positions of power within police departments.
Push for police officers to live in the neighborhoods they work in.
What should you do if you’re racially profiled and/or brutalized by the police? (Source: Lawyer Jolanda Jones)
Only give your identification card or driver’s license and car insurance information if you are stopped by police while driving. Don’t open your doors or trunk at home or in your car unless the officer has a warrant.
Secure windows and lock doors if you’re asked to step out of your vehicle.
You do not have to answer any questions. Be sure to say “I exercise my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and I want to speak with my lawyer.”
Turn on your recording device (audio/visual) as soon as you’re pulled over. The Supreme Court upheld the right of citizens to film the police on public property (and sometimes private). It is illegal for a police officer to intimate you from filming a public stop or arrest.
Never sign a consent to search.
Get officers name, badge number, and license plate number.
Remain as calm as possible.
