COPS: Black Woman Jailed for Turn Signal Hung Self in Cell

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/17/sandra-bland-alleged-suicide-waller-county-texas-racism?CMP=ema_565

The Texas county where Sandra Bland died: there's 'racism from cradle to grave'

Waller County, where Bland was arrested and later found dead in jail, has a long history of racial tension, especially where police are concerned: ‘You have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s before being black in Waller County’

(article at site)

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Nothing worse than a citizen who has an alleged non matching license plate and vehicle, or a person who improperly signals......Maybe somebody should write a letter to the University she had just received a job offer and tell them based on  her vocal protests to the stop that she should not be hired and that she is a horrible rude citizen.......oh......that is right......she is dead.

I had a girlfriend whose young son was found dead hanging in a jail cell in Georgia....he was white...no details.

I was involved in jail reform in the early eighties where there was a rash of suicides among young males arrested for DUIs.   The violations of training were immense, and as a result strict rules regarding removal of belts, shoelaces, and proper intake screening eliminated jail suicides.....it was a tough battle, but it helped that a well known journalist's son committed suicide in the jail, and was stopped for a DUI.  The statistics are overwhelming that a male between the age of 18 and 30 has a 26 times more likely of a successful suicide in a jail than other folks who have been arrested.  Here they are saying she hung herself with a garbage bag......clear violation of protocols to leave a garbage bag in a jail cell, but her facebook talked about depression, and when a person is not getting immediately bailed out and has gone through this kind of trauma over a traffic stop.......yea....suicide has to be part of the investigation.  We live in an out of control police state, and there is fault here whether suicide or assisted suicide.

For those of you jumping to conclusions & crying foul here .... just who do you all think entered her jail cell and asphyxiated her between 7am & 9am on a Monday morning?   And why?   Seriously.  What's your theory on that?

The FBI & Texas Rangers are investigating the death ..... I think I'll wait for more facts to come out on this one before jumping to any conclusions.  

(by-the-by ... this woman allegedly had her license suspended three times in the past year ... I wouldn't mind knowing a little more about that too ... who gets their license suspended 3 times in a year & what for?)

Leaving a garbage bag in a jail cell in America is gross negligence and a violation of protocols.  Who cares who walked down to the cell....if her suicide was assisted by a garbage bag or otherwise, it is a completely broken criminal justice system that a citizen is detained because she back talked......the tail is waggin the dog, and the loyalist will argue nothing is wrong here and keep King George in Power, our revolutionary forefathers are rolling in their graves to think that America houses today more prisoners per capita than almost any other nation.....the very thing which contributed to our revolution......Just like the Mays case the loyalist are rallying the mob to dismiss this incident.....just another uppity citizen protesting....

(by-the-by ... this woman allegedly had her license suspended three times in the past year ... I wouldn't mind knowing a little more about that too ... who gets their license suspended 3 times in a year & what for?)

Usually for non payment of fines.....you know a woman out of work, traveling to her new job, and somebody does not realize if you do not pay a parking fine....they suspend your license.....if you did not pay a fine on a traffic ticket....they suspend your license.........or on one of those great red light tickets where non appearance may result in suspension of the license.....maybe non payment of an Illinois toll caught on photo.....being poor in America is tough, but the police state needs to squeeze revenues from poor people to support this corrupt and bloated monster we have created.

2seaoat wrote:Nothing worse than a citizen who has an alleged non matching license plate and vehicle, or a person who improperly signals......Maybe somebody should write a letter to the University she had just received a job offer and tell them based on  her vocal protests to the stop that she should not be hired and that she is a horrible rude citizen.......oh......that is right......she is dead.

I wonder how many times when you were stopped Oatie did your big mouth get you arrested?

I  have been stopped seven times in my 47 years of driving.  Two traffic convictions in 47 years......I am always treated with respect.however, I have little tolerance for bad stops.  My big mouth is connected to a brain.....it is amazing when that connection works.

2seaoat wrote:Leaving a garbage bag in a jail cell in America is gross negligence and a violation of protocols.  Who cares who walked down to the cell....if her suicide was assisted by a garbage bag or otherwise, it is a completely broken criminal justice system that a citizen is detained because she back talked......the tail is waggin the dog, and the loyalist will argue nothing is wrong here and keep King George in Power, our revolutionary forefathers are rolling in their graves to think that America houses today more prisoners per capita than almost any other nation.....the very thing which contributed to our revolution......Just like the Mays case the loyalist are rallying the mob to dismiss this incident.....just another uppity citizen protesting....

So your theory then is that it was, in fact, a suicide?  Yes?   Are you thinking some jail officer intentionally left a plastic garbage bag in her cell in order to somehow entice her into killing herself because she was black?

And if it was "negligence," as you allege, are you thinking that "negligence" was racially motivated somehow?   That maybe some jail officer was negligent in leaving a plastic bag in a black inmate's cell, while ensuring there are none in white inmate's cells?

btw .... I've visited lots of jails & even Federal prisons and seen plastic garbage bags and lots of other things accessible to inmates that could potentially be used in some manner for suicide.   Only if an inmate is placed on suicide watch or otherwise identified as a potential suicide risk are extra special precautions taken in that regard. Where are you getting that from?    I'm certainly not aware of any such protocols about that as you allege and I was at one point in my career ACA certified in jail/detention-facility inspections.

2seaoat wrote:.... it is a completely broken criminal justice system that a citizen is detained because she back talked.....

There's some evidence somewhere I haven't heard that indicates that is the reason she was arrested?   Haven't seen/read it myself.  

If you know of any it'd be great if you could provide a link so we can all read/hear it and we don't have to just take your word for it.

(Or are you just guessing?  And if so, based on what?)

Did you listen to the video....she said she did not hear the officers instructions and she had her head slammed down.  We have created a monster which needs raw meat.

I have not mentioned one thing which was racial.  This is about an abuse of a citizen.  Color blind standards apply.   A garbage bag in a cell is negligence.  Race does not set the standard of care or the proximate cause of the means for an arrestee to kill themselves.  Pay attention to what I write, and quit making chit up about race.....no citizen black or white should be exposed to this kind of treatment for a routine traffic stop.  The system is broken.

2seaoat wrote:Did you listen to the video....she said she did not hear the officers instructions and she had her head slammed down.  ....

Said she.  

There's no context to what she meant about not hearing ... we can only make an assumption.   Let's see what the police audio/video shows when it comes out shall we.

As to her head being "slammed" ... she said "slammed" but how do we know what that really consisted of, are there documented injuries?  Or are we just guessing again.   And what was her level of resistance to the arrest?  Again we don't know ... we can only guess based on the information at this point in time.  No doubt the FBI & Texas Rangers will be looking at any injuries she may or may-not have had.

Lots of arrested persons cry foul, abuse, etc when arrested ... doesn't always mean they were.

2seaoat wrote:
I have not mentioned one thing which was racial.  This is about an abuse of a citizen.  Color blind standards apply.   A garbage bag in a cell is negligence.  Race does not set the standard of care or the proximate cause of the means for an arrestee to kill themselves.  Pay attention to what I write, and quit making chit up about race.....no citizen black or white should be exposed to this kind of treatment for a routine traffic stop.  The system is broken.

Fair enough .... the title of the thread points out her race & seems all the news accounts & social media are making a big deal out of it too.   I was assuming you would be too.   So I'll be sure & check with you before I make any further assumptions about what you post ... and you can extend the same favor to me.   Good?

So until I hear different from you I'm going to assume you & I are in agreement there is no information/evidence to date to assume there is any racial component to this incident?  Yes?

March of 2013 – Bland was stopped in Crestwood Township while driving a 2013 Cadillac DeVille and received two citations – for speeding 21-25 mph above the limit, and for operating an uninsured motor vehicle. She was fined $200, which – according to Cook County Court records – has not been paid.

November of 2013 – A report in a suburban newspaper says that Bland was arrested in Naperville; charged on a warrant, and transported to DuPage County Jail. The news report does not say what the warrant was for.

February of 2014 – Bland was stopped by Lombard Police and charged with operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving with expired license plates. She was convicted in both charges and fined, but by May of 2014 court records show that she still owed $2,769.00 in fines, and the judge ordered that the Illinois Secretary of State be notified of her failure to pay.

March 3, 2014 – Naperville Police cited Bland for operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Court records show she was ordered to pay a fine, but was cited twice for failure to pay. In June of 2014 the court ordered that the Illinois Secretary of State be notified, and the docket lists a $1,313.00 balance still due.

March 8, 2014 – Approximately five days after her stop in Naperville, Bland was stopped by police in Lombard and charged with two counts of driving under the influence; speeding 15-20 mph over the speed limit; improper lane usage; disobeying a traffic control signal; failing to signal when changing lanes; driving on a suspended license, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The court found her guilty of one DUI charge, and all the other charges were dismissed. She received court supervision and was fined, and court records show that she still owes $3,132.00 in this case. (A spokesman with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office says Bland’s driver’s license was automatically suspended for six months – until November of 2014 – as a result of this DUI conviction.)

During that suspension – in May of 2014 – Naperville Police cited Bland for speeding 15-20 mph over the limit. According to the DuPage County court docket, Bland “fail[ed] to comply” in the case in June of 2014 and again in August of 2014, when the court ordered the Illinois Secretary of State to be notified. Records show a $45.00 balance due in this case, though a court spokesman says the actual amount owed is $165.00. The outcome in this case is not clear.

These notifications would have come up when Bland next tried to renew her license, according to the Illinois Secretary of State spokesman, and she would be required to pay all balances due.

NBC5 Investigates found five other police encounters involving Sandra Bland ranging from 2010 back to 2004:

May of 2010 – Bland was charged in two separate court cases in Harris County, Texas, for misdemeanor possession of a small amount of marijuana and driving while intoxicated. Court records show that the DWI charge was dismissed, but Bland pled guilty in September of 2010 to the pot charge.

April of 2009 – Bland was charged in Harris County with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, but the charge was dismissed.

June of 2005 – Bland was stopped by police in Oakbrook Terrace and charged with two traffic violations: Driving too fast for conditions or failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. She pled guilty to both charges; was given supervision, and paid a fine.

June of 2004 – Bland was charged by Elmhurst police with one count of retail theft of less than $150. She pled guilty to that charge in August of 2004; paid a fine; and was sentenced to community service and supervision.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/Suburban-Woman-Found-Dead-in-Jail-Had-Previous-Encounters-With-Police-316025661.html#ixzz3gD2fhNjd
Follow us: @nbcchicago on Twitter | nbcchicago on Facebook

2seaoat wrote:Did you listen to the video....she said she did not hear the officers instructions

That's not what I'm getting from this article:

“I can’t even fucking feel my arms,” Bland is heard saying on video, calling the officers “motherfuckers” several times. “You just slammed my head into the ground, do you not even care about that? I can’t even hear!”  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/16/sandra-bland-tried-to-post-bail-before-allegedly-committing-suicide.html

Indicates she was complaining that she couldn't hear because her head was supposedly "slammed" .... not that she did not hear the "officers instructions" as you seem to be claiming.

I'm not taking any sides here .... I just want to be able to evaluate the story/incident based upon known facts .... not assumptions or guesses.

Unconfirmed that the trooper had her out of the car due to an outstanding warrant from Harris County when she supposedly assaulted him or resisted arrest.

Just an unconfirmed rumor I picked up elsewhere on the net .... let's wait & see, shall we?

I am noting all the reports saying how she "tried" to post bail ... called a bondsman, called her mother, probably a few other people.   So what happened?  Maybe none of her friends or family were willing to pony up $500 to get her butt out of jail ..... again?   Well, that would be depressing now wouldn't it?

Just speculating here ..... but could be also she was going to fake a suicide attempt in order to garner attention or maybe get them to bring a psych for an evaluation hoping they would just let her out based on that ... maybe also use the psych eval to explain away her belligerent assaultive behavior to the judge at her next court appearance? And then things went wrong & she ended up being more successful than she intended? ... it happens.

Fact is .... there is zero evidence to date her death was anything other than suicide.

EmeraldGhost wrote:I am noting all the reports saying how she "tried" to post bail ... called a bondsman, called her mother, probably a few other people.   So what happened?  Maybe none of her friends or family were willing to pony up $500 to get her butt out of jail again?   Well, that would be depressing ... wouldn't it?

I agree!

Taking this woman to jail and having an apparent suicide take her life in jail is insane.....for what?  A minor traffic infraction....we have lost our collective minds justifying the police state we live in.....Enough!  May President Obama and Senator Paul begin dismantling the monster we have created.   It is devouring our citizens, and some seek to justify this monster.  Our founding fathers warned us clearly of the dangers of a standing army.....there fears have become reality.

Are you trying to say the police are responsible for this woman killing herself?

2seaoat wrote:Taking this woman to jail and having an apparent suicide take her life in jail is insane.....for what? 

Assault on a police officer. Did you need a link?

I am saying that the policies of revenue generation from traffic citations to support a bloated and broken criminal justice system must stop.  We have our peace officers turning on non violent American citizens and the real truth of Furgeson was how City managers were extracting obscene fine collections from citizens.   It just has to stop.  We need to scale down law enforcement.  We need to focus on violent crime.  We need to legislate a system of motorist warnings which disengage profit from traffic stops.  If every American can get one warning on a minor traffic offense every six months, there is no incentive for these wasteful practices where citizens miss work and American productivity takes a hit to support those who produce nothing.  Cut the criminal justice systems budgets, decriminalize drugs, get non violent offenders out of jail, and focus on violent crime.....the same arguments I have been making for 10 years on the PNJ and here.

2seaoat wrote:Taking this woman to jail and having an apparent suicide take her life in jail is insane.....for what?  A minor traffic infraction....we have lost our collective minds justifying the police state we live in.....Enough!  May President Obama and Senator Paul begin dismantling the monster we have created.   It is devouring our citizens, and some seek to justify this monster.  Our founding fathers warned us clearly of the dangers of a standing army.....there fears have become reality.

She clearly had mental health issues.

Vikingwoman wrote:

2seaoat wrote:Taking this woman to jail and having an apparent suicide take her life in jail is insane.....for what?  A minor traffic infraction....we have lost our collective minds justifying the police state we live in.....Enough!  May President Obama and Senator Paul begin dismantling the monster we have created.   It is devouring our citizens, and some seek to justify this monster.  Our founding fathers warned us clearly of the dangers of a standing army.....there fears have become reality.

She clearly had mental health issues.

*****SAYS THE MENTAL INSTUTION INMATE*****

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA