No indictments in Sandra Bland case

Though we have witnessed what appear to be clear-cut cases of excessive force by police in recent months – in South Carolina, Cincinnati, and Chicago, for example – it remains hard to know what constitutes justice in cases like Gray’s and Bland’s.

“Right now, the biggest problem for us is the entire process”, said Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland’s mother. The driver and officer exchange heated words, and Encinia eventually threatened to use a stun again against Bland-“I will light you up!”-dragged her out of the vehicle, and arrested her. Bland was taken to Waller County jail, where she was found hanged with a plastic trash bag from a metal barrier in her cell”.

Another family attorney, Larry Rogers Jr., said Encinia should have faced charges “within days or weeks” of the incident and that he doesn’t understand why the grand jury would need more time to consider whether to indict the trooper. Lambert talks to reporters as Sharon Bland stands behind her mother Geneva Reed-Veal, center.

Bland, a black woman who was arrested after clashing with police during a routine traffic stop, committed suicide alone in her cell on July 13.

Jordan, citing the confidentiality of the grand jury system, would not say what those charges could be.

Jordan said the case is not over. What started as the normal conversation gets testy after Encinia asks her to put out her cigarette and Bland refuses…

A confrontation erupted between her and the officer – some of which was caught on dash cam footage.

Last night the grand jury chose not to issue charges against employees of the jail or the Waller County Sheriff’s office.

Cannon Lambert, an attorney for Bland’s family, said Monday that the grand jury’s decision is consistent with what the family believes has been an attempt by the authorities to cover up what transpired after Bland’s arrest.

Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis has maintained that there is no evidence of foul play, but a lawyer for the family is requesting all the evidence from the grand jury proceedings to conduct their own investigation. Encinia later arrested Bland for battery, for allegedly kicking him. Her death was ruled a suicide, but family members and protesters disputed the conclusions, alleging she was a victim of police brutality and racism.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, has called her death “heartbreaking” and said it is an example of how the country must face “hard truths about race”.

Sandra Bland is another entry on a horrifyingly long list of Black Americans who have died at the hands of police officers or in police custody; the police officers or other officials involved in their deaths have overwhelmingly not been charged with any wrongdoing.

In late July, authorities released hours of jail video in an effort to knock down the idea that Bland was dead before she was brought to jail.