TX - Sandra Bland, 28, found dead in jail cell, Waller County, 13 July 2015 #1

[Dénouement]

https://youtu.be/49_wNH9OiYA

 

[Dénouement]

The documents say she attempted suicide last year by taking pills.



Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis promised a thorough and exhaustive review of the case, which will be presented to a grand jury.

"It has not been determined at this point that this was a murder. This investigation is being conducted as a murder investigation would," Mathis said. "Whatever the ultimate determination may be, whether that's a suicide or a homicide, that will ultimately be decided by a grand jury."

But investigators were examining online videos posted by Bland in March in which she talked about battling depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Mathis.

He also said preliminary autopsy results indicate she had marijuana in her system and cutting scars on her arm.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/us/texas-sandra-bland-arrest/

Because she lost her baby. I read it along with the staff observations that stated that she didn't appear to be under the influence. I see. Interesting.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I totally agree. She should have been on suicide watch and monitored more closely. That is very sad.

But it is too bad that they made such a big public outcry claiming she would NEVER kill herself and implying the cops lynched her. That really angers me because the family attorney went off on a witch hunt and was irresponsible imo.

Just curious...what if it was your family member that you felt certain would never kill herself despite what LE was saying? What would you do?

 

[teedie2]

She was 6ft tall. I don't know the height of the cell. But at her height... hanging herself with a plastic bag?

Supposedly the little thin white ones.

This video http://www.click2houston.com/news/n...stigation-in-waller-county-jail-cell/34255970 shows her cell with the trashcan and the bag.

It is a tall trashcan, and the bag hangs over the top of the can, and it looks like the type of bags that are used in hospitals in patients' rooms. They are not thin and they aren't white, either. They are clear, that's a pretty good idea. Contents are visible.

So, I'm wondering who reported that the bags were supposedly the little thin white ones? Is there a link for that supposition?

 

[arkansasmimi]

If she hadn't been driving the car she never would have been arrested. She should have taken the bus.

She was fixing to be with out a license and riding a bus or risking getting more fines.

"Sandra Bland – who was vocal on the issue of police encounters with African Americans in the months leading up to her death in a jail cell in Texas -- had at least 10 encounters herself with police in both Illinois and Texas in past years.
And NBC5 Investigates has found that – at the time of her death last Friday -- she still owed a total of $7,579.00 in court fines resulting from five traffic stops in various Chicago suburbs (including a DUI), and she had been cited several times for her failure to pay those fines." http://www.nbcchicago.com/investiga...revious-Encounters-With-Police-316025661.html

Prior to 2014, her Illinois driver's license had been suspended three times because she had no insurance, according to court records. In 2014, she was stopped on suspicion of DUI and was given supervision in Illinois. Records show her license was due to be suspended July 31 for lack of insurance. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...ail-death-met-0717-20150717-story.html#page=2

 

[IzzyBlanche]

What IF it comes out that she was again, under the influence? It is unbelieveable that anyone is condoning the behavior of this lady, and I am not condoning all of what the officer did. We are just seeing part of the situation as she was in the car. He took her to the grassy area to get her out of the street. She asked for EMT then refused. Stated at the jail she wasn't hurt. Trying to justify bad behavior over and over is why so much crap is going on and innocent people are being hurt and innocent businesses being destroyed. What ever is going on is NOT working. Far from it. And Sadly Sandra Bland considered herself part of a movement that isnt working fixing anything. I hate the loss of life, of anyone. But she was the one who caused herself to get stopped because she broke the law. And got herself arrested ... JMHO

I am sure that if the arresting officer behaved the way he did because he thought she was under the influence of something, we would have heard about it by now. So even if she was, not a factor IMO if the arresting officer himself doesn't claim to think so.

JMO, but I think the entire discussion would be a bit more productive and intelligent if we all (and I include myself in this statement) stuck to what we know rather than posing continual what-ifs.

On that note I am going off to try to punch my insomnia in the nose. Good night all and thanks as always for the civil discussion.

 

[Dénouement]

This video http://www.click2houston.com/news/n...stigation-in-waller-county-jail-cell/34255970 shows her cell with the trashcan and the bag.

It is a tall trashcan, and the bag hangs over the top of the can, and it looks like the type of bags that are used in hospitals in patients' rooms. They are not thin and they aren't white, either. They are clear, that's a pretty good idea. Contents are visible.

So, I'm wondering who reported that the bags were supposedly the little thin white ones? Is there a link for that supposition?

That was not the video I saw thanks for clarifying.

I can't find a YT link to the voicemail she left a friend

 

[Storm]

What IF it comes out that she was again, under the influence? It is unbelieveable that anyone is condoning the behavior of this lady, and I am not condoning all of what the officer did. We are just seeing part of the situation as she was in the car. He took her to the grassy area to get her out of the street. She asked for EMT then refused. Stated at the jail she wasn't hurt. Trying to justify bad behavior over and over is why so much crap is going on and innocent people are being hurt and innocent businesses being destroyed. What ever is going on is NOT working. Far from it. And Sadly Sandra Bland considered herself part of a movement that isnt working fixing anything. I hate the loss of life, of anyone. But she was the one who caused herself to get stopped because she broke the law. And got herself arrested ... JMHO

Seriously??

 

[teedie2]

What I'm about to say is not meant as any slight or offense to you, but I'm afraid I think your post is profoundly depressing. Its the type of thing I would expect to hear from all too many countries around the world, but I never expected to hear it from America.

<modsnip>I see many, many, many posts on here that I find profoundly depressing. And I've seen videos of the type of things that I do expect from many countries around the world, but not America -- buildings burning, looting, screaming, etc etc, all the things that make up "peaceful protests." Very depressing.

No offense taken.

You heard it from Texas, USA.

 

[arkansasmimi]

I am unable to watch the video due to technical difficulties on my computer. My question is, did he ask her if she was OK before he ran her license and knew her history of DUI, or after?

I work with cops, dispatch them. 99% are great. There is always that 1% that are jerks, which is human nature (not say it's ok, just stating a fact) I do know that when a license/plate is run, and the subject has a history, the cop is more alert to possible difficulties. (Not excusing this one, but) You never know if the person with a history knows they will be done with driving with one more thing added to their record and therefore gets an attitude. JMO.

I should also mention, that the majority of the ones I work with will clear with a warning as they don't want to do the paper work, or have to go to court over a simple traffic violation. If it is a real breach violation, then yes, they will carry through.

Quoting myself, because I looked and listened earlier. Lic plate was ran prior to officer getting out of car, I assume as he speed up to catch up with her. We do not know who name the veh is reg in.

Ok they have uploaded the orig long video, I guess it have issues orig loading to youtube from the TDS,
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-...ry.html#page=1

Officer goes to the Passenger side of veh, @2:31, @2:49 he explains why he stopped her, asked for her DL, reg and insurance, then ask "whats wrong?" @3:16 "how long you been in TX? SB> Got here yesterday...@3:32 he asks if she has a DL... she says I didnt give it to you, he says No Ma'am... I cant understand what she says, but he says "your ok" (I think that she thought she gave to him)

840 he walks back to her car, "ok ma'ma, ... you ok SB> I waiting on you this is your job, Officer, you see very irritated.. SB I am , I really am ... she goes on to tell him what she did and why, then tells him but that doesnt stop you from giving me a ticket ...he asked her if she was done, she tells him, you asked me what was wrong and I told you. She mumbled something, he asked her to put out her cig, Please, she asked him why she had to, she could smoke in her car went downhill from there.... ** no he asked her if whats wrong when first stopped, when he went to passenger side. When he returned he asked "you ok"....She evidently had something wrong for him to ask her that when he first walked up on passenger side. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...r-County-13-July-2015&p=11946523#post11946523

 

[katydid23]

I don't find these 'what if' questions useful for anything other than derailing a discussion. It would be as if I asked you "What if the officer was groping her? Should she be able to defend herself?"

link:
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84053091/

The trooper later wrote in an affidavit that Bland kicked him, leading to his use of force in which he took her to the ground.
==================================================================

How is asking a question, based on the facts of THIS CASE, considered derailing the discussion? :waitasec:

 

[screecher]

The July 13 recordings of activity in the hallway near her cell show officers conducting two security checks on Bland in the course of 48 minutes starting around 6 a.m.

Just after 7 a.m. a male officer makes a third check on Bland. The sheriff's office says that officer spoke with Bland and she told him, "I am good"

At 7:55 a.m. the sheriff's office says Bland used a cell intercom to ask jailers about making a phone call

There isn't another in-person check on Bland until 8:58 a.m. when a female officer checking to see if Bland wanted recreation time looks through the cell window and sees the 28-year-old with a trash bag around her neck hanging from a partition in the cell.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/n...stigation-in-waller-county-jail-cell/34255970

RBM

And sheriffs don't lie?

 

[katydid23]

Black lives matter is working to fix something. It's working to fix something that is very, very broken in America.

I think it is doing just the opposite. This case is a perfect example. They are on the web claiming that this poor woman's mugshot was taken postmortem. And saying the videos from the dashcam were photoshopped, and the cops beat her to death and then lynched her. And this kind of outcry helps how?

 

[katydid23]

RBM

And sheriffs don't lie?

there are video cams in every square foot of that jail.

 

[Montjoy]

link:
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84053091/

The trooper later wrote in an affidavit that Bland kicked him, leading to his use of force in which he took her to the ground.
==================================================================

How is asking a question, based on the facts of THIS CASE, considered derailing the discussion? :waitasec:

Considering that the officer lied several times when he was talking to his department/precinct, I hardly consider the officer's account on the events that happened off-camera to be 'facts'. We have no idea what happened when, or whether he was kicked at all. We only have his self-serving testimony at this point, and I consider it worthless, and I suspect most of the posters in this thread do as well.

 

[Montjoy]

Do we know he ran her priors before he confronted her, or is that just an assumption? We didn't hear anything on his radio to suggest he ran her plates.

 

[katydid23]

I think the witnesses and the person with the cell phone will corroborate Sandra's story.

Then the person with the cell phone should offer up that part of the video. LE said they were trying to get a hold of it and couidn't. If the cell video shows that she didn't kick him, wouldnt the cell owner turn it over to CNN or someone?

 

[katydid23]

Considering that the officer lied several times when he was talking to his department/precinct, I hardly consider the officer's account on the events that happened off-camera to be 'facts'. We have no idea what happened when, or whether he was kicked at all. We only have his self-serving testimony at this point, and I consider it worthless, and I suspect most of the posters in this thread do as well.

So since you consider him a worthless liar, it is 'derailing the disvcussion' for me to ask if he might be telling the truth about the kick? Derailing the discussion, as in taking away from where the majority want it to go?

 

[arkansasmimi]

Seriously??

Respectfully, yes I was being serious.

 

[bluesneakers]

Then the person with the cell phone should offer up that part of the video. LE said they were trying to get a hold of it and couidn't. If the cell video shows that she didn't kick him, wouldnt the cell owner turn it over to CNN or someone?

Hasn't it been shared with MSM?