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Issue 78 / 2015
GUESTLIST
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Pulled over for failing to signal a lane change, and found dead in jail three
days later. A brief account of a black woman's mysterious fate
Kingpin Ne-Yo
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sandra Bland: History of a mystery
S
andra Bland was a 28 year old, African American
who had just moved across the USA to take up
a new job, which she was very excited about. On
July 10th, she was driving on University Drive, Prairie
View, Texas, when she got pulled over by trooper
Brian Encina for failure of signaling a lane change. The
conversation, all recorded in a video released by the
Texas police, heated up, until Sandra ended up on the
floor, screaming and crying, handcuffs on her wrists.
Officer Encina arrested Sandra for assaulting a public
servant. She was jailed in a single cell in Waller County
Jail. Three days passed until Sandra was found dead
by the patrols. Her death, which was made public one
day after the body finding, was filed as suicide, but not
everything was clear.
Sandra Bland was part of the Black Lives Matter
campaign, and was also described as an activist in
Chicago: she was a fighter, and a very-aware-of-her-
rights one. When she was arrested, indeed, she kept
asking why, and when she got no answer at all, except
for taser-threats, claimed she would report this very
illegal procedure right away.
Many doubts have arisen since Sandra's death, and a
petition has been launched to demand an investigation
on the case. It has been pointed out that a lane change
signalling failure hardly has any ground to end up in
imprisonment, but even if it does, procedure is to be
followed.
A lot of questions still need an answer, but one thing is
for sure: something is clearly wrong.
Clandestine activists Anonymous
are now calling for a day of rage encouraging people to
take to the streets and demand answers.
Her death caused international outrage with protests
breaking out all over America and the world
At least 4 black women
killed in police custody since
Sandra Bland.
Around 740 people
killed by police since
January 2015.
41 people killed by US police
in August as of 14th August.
