Clearly, this woman interfered with an investigation/ police business by refusing to cooperate. If she disagreed with the officer's actions, then she should have argued that in court with the judge, not with the officer in the heat of the moment. You risk your life when you refuse to comply with an officer, and you unnecessarily cause the situation to escalate. If you're ordered out of your car, then be quiet and exit the vehicle. You'll get your day in court to defend your rights; but shooting your mouth off and being defiant accomplishes nothing, and it isn't worth risking your life or the officer's life arguing on the spot. What did she hope to accomplish anyway by being combative and uncooperative?
18
Are you really not aware what has been happening in traffic stops of non-whites the past decades?
56
@Bruce Warden You taking this opportunity to state your unwavering confidence in the efficacy of this system speaks volumes to your lack of experience and empathy with those who have been failed by this system time and time again.
75
@Bruce Warden
Officers would be less confrontational if they did not have weapons, including tazers. They’d learn to develop some negotiation skills of suffer the consequences.
46
I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that it is not illegal for police officers in the U.S. to kill black people at will.
With law enforcement unwilling to investigate individual matters or need for systemic change, with prosecutors unwilling to bring charges, with juries unwilling to convict, with judges unwilling to sentence, and with the public unwilling to face our societal inequities, I worry that nothing will change. At least during my lifetime.
272
@Tina Someone once described the systemic killings of unarmed minorities as a form of state sanctioned ethnic cleansing. The thought horrifies me that you might be right.
11
This is American policing distilled to its ugly essence: bullying, aggressive, authoritarian and racist. De-escalation is never a thought for these thugs.
For those of you reading from outside the US: this is policing in the "land of the free." The country with the highest prison population on earth, and the country where police routinely get away with murder. An authoritarian police state.
18
I watched all the videos and I just keep shaking my head. Sure, no one likes to be pulled over by police, but, why did she give the cop such a hard time? Do you have to put out your cigarette, if a cop asks you to? I don't know. But if he tells you to get out of your car - just do it. Don't keep insisting that you know know the law better and you don't have to follow his orders, especially when you're wrong! She ended up driving herself into a fit of hysteria.
At the same time, the officer could have found ways to de-escalate the situation especially when it became clear that she was a wave short of a shipwreck. At least tell her to calm down so that you can explain the situation.
With a bit more respect, on both sides, none of this had to happen.
18
This video is very educational- it can be used as a model for people of all races of just how NOT to talk to a police officer. If you want to make a police officer very angry, then behave just as Sandra Bland did.
While the officer seems to have some real anger management problems, so does Ms. Bland.
I go with contributory negligence here- both the officer and complainant were at fault.
I also don't see how her suicide was a reasonably foreseeable result of her arrest for an alleged relatively minor infraction. So why is the State responsible for her suicide?
107
She should have listened to the cop.
What is it with youngsters disobeying authority?
6
He shouldn’t have pulled her over. He shouldn’t have harassed her. He shouldn’t have threatened her. He shouldn’t have committed perjury.
I think the better question is ‘What’s wrong with police officers these days?’
24
@abdul74
That cop shouldn't have been such an aggressive punk.
What is with these oldsters making excuses for obvious abuses of power?
21
@abdul74
You've missed the mark. Most of us don't think it's legal or ethical to be expected to live in a police state where we're liable to be summarily arrested, beaten, or shot.
Really simple. I'm shocked that so many of you are happy to lick boots and agree to it.
14
Having been a police officer, I have still not seen any reason, whatsoever, for Ms. Bland to not follow the instructions of the police officer. The police officer is the authority in these situations and must be obeyed. When a subject refuses to follow the instructions of the police officer and not get out of the car, it can only raise suspicions of something nefarious. All these problems and confrontations are elevated by simply doing what the nice police officer tell you.
4
Nice, indeed. I, for one, am thankful you are no longer on the beat.
36
@Jerry Sturdivant
What if the nice police officer isn't nice? What if he's quite obviously a sadistic macho bully and one senses almost instantaneously that one's life is in danger if one leaves the safety of one's car?
21
@Jerry Sturdivant a perfect demonstration of the psychotic attitude held by many if not most officers, OBEY ME no matter who unreasonable my request and you might live, maybe.
19
So i guess whenever I have an encounter with police, I get to decide for myself whether or not I've broken the law. I also get to act like an animal, and to show total disrespect for law enforcement. Who knew?
5
She explained why she pulled over sans signal and asked perfectly logical questions as to what crime she supposedly committed. But in your view apparently, she acted like an animal. Thanks for showing how unbiased you are.
12
These people commonly and intentionally provoke law enforcement officers ,which every living human knows can be a most fatal mistake .They generally are looking for a substantial court settlement by portraying themselves as a victim in such cases.This is obviously not a "maam ,please go to the back of the bus " incident.
6
>>> "These people commonly and intentionally provoke law enforcement officers . . ."
"These people," huh?
"Those people" who say things like that don't understand what they are telling the rest of the world about . . . themselves.
15
It is unfortunate that Bland took her life. She had serious mental issues, obviously. The trooper was fired because of his behavior, but I think if people are honest with themselves, they would have reacted much the same way he did to a loudmouth badgering disrespectful driver. She sounds overly agitated and manic, given the circumstances; conversely, when she was booked, she was tearful and depressive. Absolutely no reason to keep her locked up though, but not sure the family should win millions of dollars because of either the trooper's actions or the judge's decision to lock her up.
9
Being a police officer means that you must deal with all the ugly aspects of society, that the rest of us, understandably, do our best to avoid. Nevertheless, I would have thought that the behavior exhibited by the officer in Bland's video would have been prevented by training. Apparently not.
19
It irritates me that even the New York Times does not state the vitally critical information that led to Sandra Bland's murder by the police. The cop car drove up quickly right behind her and she immediately moved out of the way, in the assumption that he was en route to an active call. Then he pulled her over for failing to signal. She had groceries in the car and had just been hired for what promised to be a wonderful job at a university. People who are about to commit suicide don't have groceries in the car, and usually aren't perky enough to score a new job. As reported in Michelle Alexander's chilling book, The New Jim Crow, black Americans are suspected by the police even when they are acting normal, driving legally, etc. The very act of doing things normally and legally is regarded as suspicious by American cops--if you are black.
68
All that commotion over a failure to signal change of lane? Wow this trooper would have had his work cut out for him here in NYC! I find it suspicious she would go through the trouble to film the encounter then later hang herself. Also they got serious issues in that part of the country where they can throw people in jail for a failure to signal change of lane instead of issuing a moving violation ticket.
33
Thought experiment: imagine a male police officer responding to a male driver's evident but unexpressed annoyance at a routine traffic stop by saying, "Are you all right? You seem upset." And then getting angry at the answer.
Nope, never happen. I'm not discounting the racial aspect of all this, but that cop reminded me of all the creeps who made my life miserable when I was a young woman. All the guys who wouldn't leave me alone. In coffee shops. At the laundromat. Waiting for a bus or train. "What are you reading?" "What, you don't want to talk?" "You don't like me?" "Why don't you like me?" Leaning in, demanding some kind of personal validation from a woman who was a complete stranger. And always with the unsettling threat of anger, escalation, even violence.
Why didn't he just give her a ticket and walk away? Because he didn't like her attitude. She was arrested because he didn't like her attitude. That's where we are, folks.
65
Are people really as unaware as most of these letters suggest? When confronted by a police officer here is the rule:Elaborate and smiling politeness. Full cooperation and no arguing,that is for court.
10
You are talking about the Philippines. Americans citizens get to expect more. Raise the bar.
34
I think that most people are blaming this officer for the motorist's death although, if you pay attention, he effected a lawful arrest without causing any serious injury to his subject despite a ridiculous amount of provocation by the motorist. While it may be disturbing to hear him threaten to "light up" the driver, that's just cop slang for deployment of his taser, which, if you notice, he never fired, demonstrating restraint despite his commanding voice, which he is trained to utilize in such situations. It is disrespectful to smoke, talk back to, let alone badger a police officer who was just doing his job and being respectful enough until repeatedly challenged by the motorist. If you have a problem with a ticket, you check the box, "not guilty" and go to court. You don't taunt a cop. There is no need to stick a cell phone in an officer's face for a mere traffic ticket. If you want to blame someone for something, blame the motorist for provoking the entirety of the incident on scene. Credit the officer for a arrest effected without injury. Blame the arraigning Judge that decided to hold this motorist in jail rather than release her ROR (released on her own recognizance). A lady with a job charged with failure to signal and resisting? That's ROR in 99% of America. Had she been ROR'd she'd be alive and causing herself more trouble today. If you want to fire somebody, fire the judge. Police are humans. With expectations of humanity come limits of training.
8
Back up.
Law enforcement is not a charity job, it’s a profession with standards.
37
This seems like a massive fuss about absolutely nothing. Clearly if she killed herself, she had underlying mental health problems that were the ultimate cause. This officer clearly behaved improperly (though without harming her) and so was duly punished by being stripped of his position. Laws were later changed as a direct result. To argue that this is some massive racist conspiracy is obviously just an attempt to find something - anything - to get angry about.
8
Im not so sure she killed herself. The prosecutor kept this from coming out. What else are they hiding?
23
If a young person loses their life needlessly, most Americans expect the circumstances examined.
Having and expecting sane law enforcement is not some juvenile eye roll - it is bedrock American values in a working society.
19
if this phone was considered evidence, why wasn't it shared with the Bland's family attorney? Why wasn't her phone returned to the family once this case was settled?
It deeply hurts me to watch these videos; I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the HBO documentary about Sandra Bland. This young woman should still be alive. She hurt no one, threatened no one, but was terrorized by a racist cop whose insecurities drove him to beat up on this young woman when he saw she was going to stand up for her rights. That she was treated this way and died simply horrifies me. And it horrifies me that Texas officials were so indifferent that they suppressed this "evidence," keeping it secret for 3 years. Every time I use my turning signal, I think of Sandra Bland.
All these incidents & the awful videos that document them just traumatizes me. It disturbs me that a police officer can lie & state he feared for his life when it's obvious from videos that the only fear manifested was from his victim.
I grieved for her. I grieved for Khalief Browder, for Travon Martin, Eric Garner, for Tamir Rice, etc. I don't understand the kind of hate that lets you kill people who've done you or anyone else harm then go about "living a happy life."
23
@Macktan Although the cop should have scaled down the incident, there is no evidence in either of the videos that the cop "beat up"on Bland. Careless blanket statements like yours, do not add anything new or useful to the discourse and actually aggravate the situation.
6
It is indeed highly unfortunate that in this modern age plain citizens must learn to be obsequiously respectful of all law enforcement personnel as all levels in any encounter whether they are white, brown, black or whatever. Law enforcement officals have the power of the state. Most do a very good job, but many authoritarian types sneak in and exercise an inflated sense of power. Just cooperate at the time and if you believe you have been dealt with inappropriately, complain later on common ground.
9
Yea, he feared for his life with a pistol, pepper spray, handcuffs, a taser, a nightstick, a rifle in his trunk and police backup against an unarmed woman with a cellphone.
I am tired of cops using "fear for their life" as a get out of jail free card after they abuse or kill citizens. I am also tired of the "us versus them" mentality promoted in police culture. The citizen is not the enemy and you are not military so stop calling us "civilians". Even much of the press has bought in on the use of that term.
We need the return of the peace officer and a banishment of the warrior cop decked out like a soldier in Fallujah.
54
The police lie, and the courts take it even when it's obvious they are lying.
16
There are 2 problems with policing in the US:
1) very low recruitment standards;
2) unbelievable prevalence of guns among the citizenry, the supposed fear of which allows cops to use the "fear for my life" mantra so accepted by juries.
Until these two factors are remedied, nothing will change. I didn't add in the being black element, because I know too many white people who have been abused by cops.
17
There's lots of wrong facts in many of these comments. People should watch the original dash cam video also. This officer definitely has anger issues. And just for the record I believe he is Mexican - Amer, or Latino, not White. If you watch the original, he pulls her over for not using here blinker when switching lanes. But the reason she moved over is because he came up on her fast and she thought he wanted to get by. Ms Bland says that to him. He stopped her on purpose. I don't blame her for being agitated. But when he says put out the cigarette. She should have put it out. And I am not blaming her at all. She should have never been stopped in the first place. But he in his psychotic statesaw not putting out the cig as an affront. Disrespect. All I know is, esp people of color, just do what they say, up to a point anyway , no matter whether you think it's right or wrong. Most police don't care, they have that badge & gun. Most of the tickets I have gotten, I wasn't wrong, but I argued with the officer, and that makes them mad. This is a tragic story, very sad.
12
@Doctor Woo
I don't agree with you that she should have put out the cigarette. She has a right to smoke in her own car whatever the circumstance is.
14
To paraphrase Eric Clapton:
We have legalized murder;
We call it police.
19
@Independent Citizen
There is no difference between the police and brutal organized crime when the police do not respect people's right.
8
Sadly, this trooper lived up to everything I've come to expect from a cop in Texas, as was hiding the evidence until after the trooper was investigated.
21
How in blazes is this guy not in jail for at least unlawful detainment? And honestly, I no longer believe this was a suicide. I think they are covering up something, at the very least, harassment and bullying.
21
Must be an everyday experience for An officer to confront an irritated, upset driver in the car offense world. So, this fellow’s entire technique seems to reflect poor training and/or poor execution of his interpersonal skills in that environment.
One friendly or kind word of encouragement at the initial encounter would take the edge off the circumstances along the lines of “Good morning mame, is there an emergency that caused you to ....?” followed by “you seem upset, my intention is to merely give you a warning here for this offense” or some such to defuse the situation.
Obviously the officer over-reacted and continued the escalation as she questioned the reasons for his actions and obviously there was nothing that seemed to startle or surprise him in the context of an officer safety issue. Moreover, I don’t know but is it usual to maneuver the arrestee out of visual with the dash-cam? Offhand, it seems to me that an officer is better protected from abuse/complaints if the video documents the actions of the arrested individual.
The good news is the officer is no longer in law enforcement as he clearly had lost his ability to interact with citizens in manner that promoted not only law compliance but, also, the citizens confidence that individual treatment was accorded appropriate.
Her death in a jail cell seems totally out of conformity in her demeanor during the booking process where she had obviously calmed down. Four days in confinement? What was her bond?
9
Its not just the unqualified officers that upset me, its the lack of proper training when it comes to citizens especially minorities. Theres the underlying notion to behave a certain way when dealing with people of color and it makes me sick. This woman didn't deserve this and many others will never see justice because we have system in the US that is designed for white people and by white people. We have a "blue looks out for blue" when it comes to bad policing. Please reopen this case and many others so folks can get the justice they deserve.
11
There is so much evidence of gross systemic criminal behavior at every level of law enforcement in this country that it's presence has a direct, damaging effect on the health and safety of every single U.S. Citizen, either directly through criminal acts prepetrated by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges or indirectly by damaging some wrongfully that others love and/or depend upon. It these crimes were complex, it might leave us wondering but many aren't, they are as obviously unethical and criminal as often some of the most egregious crimes we routinely prosecute the citizenry for committing yet somehow these 'law professionals' always come up with some excuse as to why the law doesn't apply to them. That in itself is prima facie evidence of the grossest of corruption and I DEMAND that our legislators suspend their cowardice and fear of these criminals and take effective legislative action to protect the People from their criminal/criminal gang acivity. If your legislator does nothing about this because he's afraid of the police union or of an investigation of his political behaviors, VOTE HIM OUT OF OFFICE.
9
All because he told her to put her cigarette out. Triggered masculinity. Her stance emasculated him and his trigger was blown. Tragic ignorance.
18
I would never in a million years think to disobey a police officer. What was she - and what are others - thinking?! Yeah, a lot of cops are power/control freaks - why unnecessarily provoke them? What was she trying to prove?
4
She was asserting her rights under the Constitution. We need more Americans like her; not fewer.
19
I watched the video that captured the actual event. Outrageous! I was stunned and disgusted...and all over a failure of the driver to use her turn signal.
That policeman should be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole...And there's a part of me that would love to see him placed in the prison population where he is surrounded by inmates of a certain color who wouldn't take too kindly to his presence. Now that would be justice delivered, don't you think?
13
every single time a cop immediately goes 'feared for my life' the default should be to disbelieve them. because you can almost certainly believe they are lying.
what was the payout to this cop for his promise to never be a cop again. is he now an executive at some security firm; has his gun license ever been revoked.
and all because of an unsignaled change lane. is there even video of that -- because I bet even that was a lie.
11
Disgusting behaviour by a policeman. He needs to be charged and tried.
11
How many incidents are enough to convince you all that cops are out of control and the system that trains, hires and unionizes them is akin to a RICO-type criminal organization? The great majority of uniformed cops harbor insecure, bullying personalities. One peek inside internal files reveals startling incidences of domestic violence, drunken behavior and civilian complaints. Cop unions keep this information away from the public. This is extremely dangerous when coupled with "shoot-to-kill" training and the ingrained attitude that every civilian encounter is with a perp. Add in corrupt unions and paid off politicians that essentially exonerate murder-by-cop 99% of the time. Finally, military grade weaponry, used against civilians btw, and numerous trained killers, that is, ex-combat veterans, who specifically receive bonus points on entry tests. THESE are the badges and guns in our streets. WAKE UP.
9
so much sad in America. mass shootings, guns guns guns, trump trump trump, racist police, inequality everywhere ...who is free and where are the brave?
10
Police in American remind me, increasingly, of a vast motor cycle gang.
One can be waylaid on any pretense and find oneself at the mercy of an officer who may or may not be having a "good day".
We have more people under lock and key than any other society. Maybe it's time to look at the front end of the food chain
7
On a typical day in NYC you will likely encounter 10 or more different types of people with different “police powers”. A few of the many you will see include; run of the mill cop, state troopers, federal police, court police, sheriff, traffic control officers, parks police, sanitation police, port authority police, transit police; that’s before getting to inspectors from every agency, private police and security guards. Home of the free? I think not. It’s a well disguised police state and we’re just fooling ourselves to think otherwise.
So how can the police get away with this? Simple, we created this monster. We have become so risk averse that we’ve come to believe we need every form of police to protect us. Maybe it’s time we start to rethink this.
10
Does the U.S. need so many poorly trained officers paroling for minor traffic violations and trying to meet some quota? With all the racial profiling and violence, are minor traffic violations worth it?
The U.S. has 14.2 fatalities per 100K vehicles (one of the highest in the developed world) despite the heavy police coverage (approx 350 officers per 100K people). In comparison, Norway has 3.9 fatalities, less than half as many police. Perhaps resources in U.S. cities should be redirected to better roads and traffic management.
6
The mobile phone video doesn't depict a man in fear for his life. Considering this was at best a minor traffic violation, his obvious anger and aggression suggest something else. Why should Encina be permitted to live a quiet life in comfort. Until the Bland matter and the perjury issues are resolved without suppressing evidence, Encina, if possible, should be hounded by the public and the press.
13
Every time I see that still of the officer pointing that gun, taster or not, at a woman he is accusing of changing lanes without signaling I shake in both rage and fear. When police officers treat any human the way he treated Ms. Bland we should all fear what the police have become.
Ms. Bland would be with us today if the police saw themselves and protectors instead of enforcers whose power and jurisdiction is unlimited.
19
I weep and grieve over the loss of this brave soul who stood up for herself in the most intimidating and degrading circumstances imaginable -- humanity is the poorer for her loss, and I ask that we all live in her memory and do all we can to right wrongs when we witness them.
26
I'm privileged and lucky having been born a white European, yet I can't lead a quiet life because witnessing, with an empathy still not numb or suppressed, the ugly flip side of the coin of bigoted white entitlement that's unable to cope with its own shortcomings disquiets and pains me too much. I'll hear the voice of Sandra Bland in my head for the rest of my life, so alive, so heart-on-tongue, so passionate, so upright, direct, quick-witted, and ready to retort with the instantly truthing conviction of a rich, well-versed, prescient, precocious, yet audibly still developing mind that has gone and seen places, not just seen, but seen deeper into them as well. I will keep, keep bleeding her voice as if it belonged to a very close girlfriend who got unspeakably kidnapped and killed away from me. As if she were me. I recognize her. The trooper failed to recognize himself in her. I fail to recognize myself in the trooper. Which is probably because I fail to concede I have shown similarly childish reflexes as a child (and probably also negligibly few lives ago as a failed so-called grown-up) to protect understanding myself as a more enlightened exhibit of being human. Heck, I might even anxiously suppress remembering having been this a grown man in this life. I better re-member and easen up my liddl'e egoic strong-arm reflexes, and become a member again in a joint body of aware shared humanity.
As long as steep inequality and creepy white privilege reign I cannot not be in pain.
12
The cop and all officials involved in this cover up must be charged with obstructing justice under color of authority, and all other charges that could be brought, and if found guilty, sentenced to as many years as Sandra Bland lived on this earth, on each charge, to be served consecutively.
The 'suicide" must be re-examined. Motive for cold-blooded murder with planning aforethought, and possible aiding and abetting fellow officers, acting under color of authority to cover up one's crime with murder is strongly indicated.
18
White men can walk away unscathed after walking into a school filled with innocent children and murdering many of them.
Black men and women can be arrested, jailed, killed, for being anything but 100% compliant and passive when pulled over for a traffic violation.
28
The strong smell of coverup here makes me wonder, was Ms. Bland's death really a suicide?
19
Yet another armed sociopath in uniform granted by the state the power of life and death, judge, jury and executioner.
19
I’m surprised that no one charged this former “police officer” for having a role in her death. This guy should have never been allowed to wear the uniform.
15
Saw the movie that detailed the whole fiasco. It was disgusting abuse of police power. How many more?
14
Two things need to be emphasized and not glossed over: (1) She committed suicide while in custody & (2) she notified her family to post $500 bail and they REFUSED to even come down & talk to her. This says a lot.
8
@Jimmy That actually says nothing. She should never have been arrested at all for a failure to signal. Write her a ticket and move on.
Fact is none of these events should have occurred. It's a classic case of driving while black. Next time you are driving take a look at how many people don't signal and how often people are actually pulled over for this offense.
10
1) She was kidnapped and held captive by the state for a minor traffic offense.
Stop looking away from the real horror.
9
The acceptable and appropriate thing to say is that a person has suicided, leaving the “committed” bit out.
Though the video didn’t show what happened the first time he interacted with her before he brought the warning back, nothing in this video rose to the level of arrest.
That officer is at a minimum an accomplice to manslaughter.
Makes me sad.
We reverted backwards substantially on race relations during Obama’s 8 years.
And it seems scripted by the puppet masters to cause a retraction from a long run at racial harmony and unity.
I’m just a white boy. I grew up not being black. It I’ve seen racism from every race and I’ve seen it weighed with heavy hands.
We are better than this. Those who sow seeds of division among us brothers and sisters are the real enemies.
I’m sorry, Ms. Bland.
Note: her attitude and approach didn’t help her case or situation. That’s apparent in this video. But her upset was still valid and justified. And she’s dead because of how he responded to her poor choices in communication.
Sad.
6
It’s disgusting how you use an obvious display of police brutality resulting in an unnecessary death of an innocent person to both blame the victim and President Obama.
Racism didn’t make a sudden return under his Administration, angry whites who long held their racism quietly merely decided that a black man in the White House was more than they could stand.
Likewise, Ms. Bland’s emotional response to a blatant pretext stop is more than understandable for anyone who’s suffered through enough of them. But being “just a white guy” you know NOTHING of the rage that accompanies unrelenting, state-sanctioned dehumanization by racist thugs who operate under the color of law. Your comment is as shameful as it is disrespectful.
And BTW Mr. Montgomery, you should correct your story. Ms. Bland was not pulled over for an unsignaled turn, but rather for an unsignaled lane change that she made to get out of the way of the officer rapidly accelerating on her rear for no apparent reason.
20
Her humanity was taken because of her gender, her race, her wealth (or lack-thereof). All people are created equal. All people have equal rights under the law. Why are outcomes so different?
7
So now we know more clearly than ever that, when the officer ordered Bland to "get off the phone," it was not because she was talking on the phone, but because she was using the phone to record the arrest--and that annoyed him.
12
Watch Live PD on A&E. Every other stop is a pretense stop. Just about everyone stopped is a minority or at the poverty level. You won’t see anyone from the upscale neighborhoods or professional men or women.
5
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
Orwell was right on the mark.
8
Too many of these videos show the officer involved going into a rage and dragging people out of their cars when their "authority" is questioned. I think too many of these cops are so jacked up on steroids that all they can do is "hulk out" when they don't get immediate submission, and sometimes even when they do. All the cop had on this driver was "failure to signal during a lane change" and he felt needed to escalate this by physically dragging her out of her car? I watched another video today where the cop was sweet as pie to a belligerent driver who kept swearing at him. He had pulled over the driver because the driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt. But then the cop suddenly started dragging the man physically out of his car and the driver attacked him and the cops partner shot the man. Fine the driver overreacted but the cop didn't need to pull the man out of his car, did he? Well, at least the man can be thankful the cop saved him from a possible accident without his seatbelt while he gets taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound.
The point of these two episodes is the cops CAUSED these two events in order to issue tickets for minor infractions so the city could fill their coffers. Period.
17
Why is Encinia not in prison? He effectively assaulted a woman who was part of the citizenry he was sworn to protect, and assaulted her because she refused to cower before him. This is misogyny compounded by racism. . How could Encinia have been allowed to walk away without a day in jail, when the woman he assaulted was brutalized and plunged into such despair over an obvious injustice that she took her own life (allegedly). This is a case that all Democratic presidential candidates need to speak out on immediately and often. Bland is the Emmett Till of our era.
26
The lie we are fed is that without the cops and the military chaos would reign. And this is better?
15
It seems to me that this woman was arrested for "being rude to an officer with an aggravating circumstance". He is white and she is black. And I think this started when the cop saw her driving past and did a quick U-turn to follow her long enough for to get nervous and do something, just as switching lanes and failing to signal. Anybody would get nervous if a cop followed them long enough. I remember a time when a cop followed me for a couple of miles and then pulled me over for suspicion of impaired driving. He even told me that the more he followed me, the more nervous I appeared to be, and so "something must be going on". At least I was white. I passed the drunk test, but what if he handcuffed me anyway for having 0.00% alcohol in my blood. What if a judge asked about it, and the cop started laughing and said, "Maybe it was a typo, your honor" and then asked that the 0.00% be altered to 0.01%, and the court clerk felt obliged and changed it.
6
Unreal. All for a failure to signal. What a travesty.
21
Exhibit A on why Collin Kaepernick was doing all the kneeling.
42
There's more comments here than there were about the U.N recent report on climate change. What does that say about us?
2
What’s the sense of saving the planet if we can’t even treat each other with kindness and respect?
13
So sad and unnecessary. The only thing threatening Brian Encinia was his ego. In no way did this man fear for his life. A black female was challenging him by questioning his bulling of her. She was right. She could smoke in her own car. That seems to have been the trigger for his uncontrollable rage.
How did she die? There was a camera trained on her cell.
This case needs to be opened with a federal charge against Brian Encinia that Sandra Blands civil rights were violated.
13
For the life of me, I can' t figure out why any person would seek asylum in the US of A. Perhaps the current administration should broadcast films like these to deter would-be asylum seekers.
14
What a gentleman, a gem. He threatens her life and then she mysteriously hangs herself in her jail cell because of a traffic stop and he goes back in the job. I never believed that charade of a story. He threatened her and most believed, not that parts proven. The second part, that she did not commit suicide, can now perhaps be probably proven. Or again covered up. A murderer cop is not a shock any more. And I’m not even black.
19
I am a white woman. Three years ago, when I was in my late sixties (I am 70 now), I was pulled over by a cop late at night on a busy street. I was listening to music, bopping my head in time to the song. "Bet you wonder why I pulled you over," he said. "Bet I do," I replied. "I wasn't exceeding the speed limit or anything." "Well, ma'am, I thought you were falling asleep at the wheel."
"I was listening to music. Do you want to see the CD cover?" "No, ma'am, I want your license." He didn't even ask for my registration! There I was, on the side of the road, with the police light going, and he came back with my license. He said, "Did you know that you were veering over to the right and driving along the solid white line on the right?" "There IS no solid right line on the right," I informed him. "I drive this road every Saturday at this time. There's nothing on that side of the road."
I was indignant. I had NEVER been pulled over for anything since I had gotten my license in 1964. EVER. Let's just say I was less than polite to him. I didn't use foul language, but I was sarcastic. When I drove away, I started to think that had I been a 60-something black woman, I would most likely have been arrested.
Or dead.
My heart goes out to the Bland family. And I cannot get the image of Philando Castillo out of my head. And so many more. What is the answer to this? We need to make it stop.
35
@Zander1948. You get it lady. You get it. Thanks.
5
God Bless you Ma’am, now all we need for you to do and others with a similar sweet heart is to vote for the Progressive Democrats that want to bring a much fairer, respectful society to a country that I love to visit but despair about...
As a white 60 year old I offer my shame and apologies for my race, but hope to live long enough to see a change for all our sakes.
Otherwise how can you ever hope for God to Bless America today ?
3
So many of the people commenting here have no hesitation to make a racial issue out of this incident, without bothering to provide the slightest proof. You can be assured that if there would have been anything in what the overreacting cop has said or done that could be construed as racism, this would have been flagged from the beginning by the media - it would have been a huge story.
White people are also victims of police abuse, especially if they start with an attitude and end by insulting a police officer. But that’s not news, it’s just a sad fact of life.
3
No doubt, but disproportionately more black people are victims of police brutality compared to whites. That isn’t some random circumstance, but is simply (sadly) the present-day’s means of controlling the minority black population, (in addition to mass incarceration), inherited since the days of slavery and up through Jim Crow.
7
I have the right to have an attitude with anyone in the USA including law enforcement . As long I am not acting with violence. Law enforcement does not have the right to put a gun in my face , use excessive force , arrest me , and jail me because of a minor traffic offense .
Yes , you are right law enforcement does abuse white people during interactions . Especially when a white male murders nine innocent black people at a Bible study at Church . The abuse that law enforcement showed this murderer before taking him to jail was a trip to Burger King .
Sandra Bland was communicating her rights as an American citizen for a minor traffic offense . The abuse she suffered was she was found dead in a her jail cell. Yes, it was most certainly about race.
So, give me a break with entitlement.
9
What happened to his lady is beyond the pale. This “officer’s” actions are outrageous. He should be stripped of his badge and prevented from ever again working in law enforcement.
9
" trooper’s claim that he feared for his safety as he approached the woman’s vehicle" come to find out it wasn't. The truth shall always prevail.
13
My husband and I just finished listening on audible to Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King on way to and from picking our son up from his first year at college when we stopped at rest area and paused book. While my husband and son went to find something to eat, I scrolled through my NYT feed and saw first this article and then the one on huge racial disparities of pregnancy related deaths. It makes me wonder if anything has really changed. Someone please turn this book into a movie.
4
Does the police force attract jerks, or do some become jerks on the job? I have met this exact same traffic cop in a northeastern state. Luckily, I am not African-American.
20
I am sort of curious of a white blonde woman turned super irate and cantankerous, would the cop reach in and grab at her to drag her out?? I am curious.
11
@KD Yes. You can find that on youtube easily. Would the media report on it? No.
6
Another sad day for America. I am enraged!
16
How nice: the previous officer is living a private life, supporting his family. One can only wonder what Ms. Bland might be doing now had she not been hounded to death. Literally. Not good enough, Texas. Nowhere near.
31
I am amazed at the difference in the tenor and substance of the reader comments from 2015 until today.
Overwhelmingly, the 2015 comments supported Ms. Bland and were critical of the police and jailers.
Not so much in the 2019 comments, in the Age of Trump White Power.
15
I know it’s hard, but let’s just imagine that maybe people have looked at the two videos and have made an opinion for themselves. Maybe there’s still some independent thinking out there, despite Trump and despite leftist identity politics.
5
"Fear for my life" is no more than a script. If so many didn't either despise or just discount Aftican Americans, this incredible claim by an aggression by an armed, extensively trained cop about about an unarmed citizen would never amount to justification.
284
@Rave
That's right. They are trained in one thing without fail, that being how to describe a suspect's behavior so as to show that it gave them a legal right to use deadly force. Unless the officer is an idiot, all will use the same terms to describe that behavior as meeting the threshhold for deadly force. If they don't, it's automatic proof of guilt. Of course, many lie and most aren't discovered lying until a video surfaces after the fact. But that's rare.
16
It became clear to me while reading this article that her death was a modern day lynching. I hope all those who's corrupt hands had any involvement with this disgraceful and tragic incident face the legal consequences, and are made to face the family of Ms. Bland.
26
Everything I heard about this prior to this article indicated that the officer overreacted. That overreaction is typical among law enforcement, especially when they can get away with it. I'm a white female so I haven't got the same concerns an African American of any gender has about law enforcement encounters. However, this is disgusting. There was no reason for Encinia to be so aggressive or threatening. Ms. Bland was not a threat. She should have come out of jail alive. It's incidents like this that make "Black Lives Matter" important. Her life mattered but not to him. If she'd been white I have no doubt that the entire encounter would have been quite different.
I do speak from some experience. My brother is handicapped. Given how militarized and trigger happy the police have become, coupled with how quick people are to misinterpret "normal" people's moves I fear what would happen with my brother in an encounter with the police. I cannot imagine the anguish African American parents go through.
Any police officer who needs to be treated with absolute respect at every moment of an encounter and then escalates it when s/he isn't seeing the person grovel shouldn't be a police officer. Cops are supposed to defuse situations, not escalate them.
5/7/2019 10:17pm
30
This sort of confrontation seems to be a regular occurence in the US. And sometimes it ends with a civilian being shot. Why can't the officers just issue a ticket and be on their way instead of making it a personal issue that is bound to get out of control? "You failed to signal a turn, here's your ticket, have a good day, goodbye".
If officers think they are in danger, they should immediately remove themselves from that danger rather than escalate the risk to themselves; especially over something like a petty traffic infringement. The risk might be warranted if the offender was a murderer or a terrorist.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the US gun culture. It's impossible for someone outside the US to understand how Americans let this culture exist and cause such disruption to the their lives.
28
Police everywhere take note. We are watching. You are not going to get away with your bullying any longer. My only hoe is this troopers life is ruined forever. Vindictive? You bet. Some people are just evil.
17
This is America - death for failing to use a turn signal and being black. This would have never happened to a white woman. That Real House Wives of NY woman - Luann DesLesepps resisted arrest in the south, shouted she would kill the cops repeatedly while trying to kick them, and was not treated like this. The tale old narrative that only black people can be mad and scary to a police officer need to end. And the only way to end it is if prosecutors have the guts to bring charges against law enforcement who are clearly using disproportionate force on people of color.
403
@Sherry I believe that the only reason that the cop was sentenced to significant jail time in the Justine Damond killing is that she was white and he a black (and Muslim) cop
29
@Gimme A. Break
Race-specific action: Targeting and escalating (armed) harrassment of a black motorist for "failing to use the turn signal". She wasn't shot on the spot like other black motorists who had tail light problems or car breakdowns or just "looked suspicious", but being arrested and jailed for a triviality can be seen as a prerequisite for death in jail, be it suicide out of desperation or some other killing framed as suicide.
33
@Gimme A. Break
Were it not for her being terrorized by this cop--for what? a turn signal--jailed, humiliated, traumatized, she would not be dead. Reports revealed that just a few minutes earlier, this cop had interacted with a young white woman who had committed a similar traffic offense. He let her go with a warning--no ticket.
Police officials had the decency to admit that he deliberately provoked her. All he was supposed to do was write her a ticket, but he led her into a conversation in which she stood up for herself & the matter of such a minor infraction. He escalated the situation on purpose. Not calling someone a racist name does not prove you are not racist. Not using a turning signal in a timely manner is not breaking the law; it's a minor traffic infraction.
I know that still you do not understand & support the way this young woman was mistreated by this officer. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the HBO documentary on Sandra Bland. Maybe you should (but I know you won't).
31
Charles Stuart (Boston 1989) was treated like a hero by the Press and politicians alike before it was discovered that he and not a falsely accused black man killed his wife and unborn baby. How many innocent black men was rounded up and interrogated by the police based on his lie? Susan Smith (South Carolina 1994) claimed that a black man carjacked her car with her two sons still inside, there was a national uproar by the usual suspects until it was discovered that she actually drowned her own children. The many lynchings and jailing of innocent black men and women falsely accused of crimes that they didn’t commit based on the lies of some white Americans have led to every new generation of police officers to view black Americans and people of color as the bogeyman. So spare me your righteous outrage because it’s the lies of many of our fellow white Americans that cause these tragedies to continue. The police respond and act on your lies.
15
Yes, Unlikely,
I remember that night. It was Liz Walker who announced it on the news and it was so incomplete. I wondered if they checked the husband for that powder that firing a weapon leaves. And no one at the news or police station wondered why he pulled of the road on to a side road or path to stop the car in Roxbury or Dorchester (forget which), to get the job done. Geese. That was a strange news announcement. Where the car was should have been enough information to deep closer and deeper. I wonder how long that poor guy was held and how he was treated. With the dead child, you know that’s reason enough for some to be beaten up. Although, after many people called the station, the truth came out, but I really doubt by that time with egg all over the police from this, that anyone beat up the murdering husband about the wife and baby after he was arrested. That taught me a lot about my naivety and Boston police. It was really a scary thing. And now, we have it so much more. It hurts so much.
4
Retry the case and the judgment should be serious prison time for Encinia. The bad cop disease in the U.S. needs to addressed immediately.
25
In addition to being racist-light, the comments offering instruction to black Americans on how to give up (kowtow to racism) their hard-won civil rights during police encounters, are actually admitting that policing is race-based, and that black Americans are the overwhelming targets, agreeing with scholars and gleaners of police data. Yet, civic groups are castigated when they rally against police violence. These are not the actions of so-called rogue cops.
Meanwhile, under the blurring of police officer with "first responder," and the conflation of first responders as soldier/patriots, women like Sandra Bland are condemned as an enemy, and sent to their deaths in jail for failures to signal, or for not being nice to mean patriots.
19
Yet another criminal act by the police state. No surprise, agreed? The divide between the citizens and the police is widening daily. What are we to do?
6
Here in Connecticut we have the DEP. Department of Environmental protection officers. They think they are on patrol in Afghanistan while checking your fishing license. They are thugs. I fear them.
11
Watched the 40 sec video alongside the investigative piece and interview with the defendant's attorney.
Both clearly had their prejudices. One was justified - that she was being victimised and harassed, and wanted to take necessary precautions to record and communicate her rights. Both prejudices led to hostility. Sandy appeared to be calm throughout.
Suicide tends to be due to emotional deregulation, and not something that happens in one episode overnight. Sandy does not appear to be irrational or emotionally distraught - she states the facts.
The Texas DPS, the law enforcement officer and the public attorney appear to be complicit in fabricating the truth, withholding evidence along with discriminatory views and racial profiling.
This is pretty damming. I can see why, based on this and a pattern of other events, "black lives matter". I hope that justice gets served, the Texas DPS and public attorney's office gets investigated, and that the processes and requirements for this behaviour to be allowed to continue, gets overhauled.
Well done to the journalists that have uncovered this material! Don't stop!
20
Why because she's Black and insisted on being treated as a citizen with rights and dignity? I mean, how dare her? Until blonde haired white women start getting stopped and dragged out iof cars, ppl like you will continue to thrive on denial. Black Lives Matter.
4
@goldenpen
I think you’ve misread.
2
I am very saddened about what has happened to this young woman . It seems we have an abuse of power situation and I hope the family reopens the case and gets justice for their family. I think we need to hold law enforcement accountable for situations that indicate abuse of power just because they are in law enforcement. the family needs to reopen an investigation and get the Feds involved.
12
The officer feared he was losing control, which made him insecure and fear for his safety.
His heart rate was probably too stratospheric for him to behave rationally.
The rest was a coverup.
Glad he'll be held accountable
7
@H so far he hasn't been and there's no indication that he will be
3
Will he? Doubtful.
2
Cops can't deal with anything other than submission by citizens, and are on the whole too poorly trained and educated to engage in a dialogue. The majority are psychologically insecure and expect the uniform, gun and badge to intimidate the people who pay their salaries. There is no consciousness of working for the people; as a result, they have turned the people against them. This has been overwhelmingly true in minority neighborhoods for decades. It has now reached the point where many white, middle class people question the legitimacy of their authority, their judgement, and their actions.
17
This tragedy should never have happened.
A woman on her way to a new job breaks a traffic law and is stopped.
Why did this escalate?
I have no police training, but I have worked for decades with children in various emotional states.
The woman does not appear dangerous, just upset, under pressure, and resistant to the shouted demands of the officer.
In hindsight, the emotional state of this woman, under the pressure of beginning a new job, sensitive to historic abuses of power, understandably overreacts and paid the price for it.
I understand the risks and dangers that propel an officer to actions like these.
I believe in cases like this, since the officer is in no danger with a phone in the driver's hand, he must calm way down, use his training, call for back up sir he needs them o cooler minds can prevail, or just given her a ticket and call it a day.
Heartbreaking. This should never happened.
And what was she doing in a cell for two days? Didn't anyone understand what she was going through?
Manners, training and empathy would go a long way to preventing such interactions. I have learned that when tempers are lost, they need the time out not the child.
More's the pity.
A tragedy that never should have happened.
We need to do better as a nation and a people.
We need a kinder gentler nation..
10
Ms. Bland did not commit suicide she was murdered by this corrupt police department. I pray this recording reopens the entire case and find out if the medical examiner actually did there job or were paid off to keep Ms Bland quiet.
Whenever a white police officer makes contact with minorities, minorities are always murdered . The police officers are very rarely held to account for there crimes.
We are still waiting for justice surrounding the intentional murdeous choke hold that was done to Mr. Eric Gardner for selling loose cigarettes.
These police officers are always in fear of their lives till we see the videos that tell a very different story.
25
@Tony can you cite any evidence that Sandra was “murdered by this corrupt police department?” I read about the case and couldn’t find any evidence that supports this. Please, enlighten us. And just by the way the offending cop was Hispanic not white.
1
An utter tragedy.
11
Now he's working in private sector, supporting his wife & family, living a quiet life...What about Ms Sandra? She'll never see her family again, now that she's death, because she didn't signaled while making a turn....
15
Against the overwhelming liberal tide on this one. The driver was just as responsible for the "escalation". The officer was not acting improperly. Try being polite to cops. Regardless of your color or theirs.
7
Liberal tide? How about human tide? All of this for an improper turn? No doubt that had she been polite this may well have ended better, however, righteous indignation is not against the law - if it was they’d have to perp-walk every white male out of the Senate tomorrow.
13
Your response is criminal. You blame Miss Bland for losing her cool but you've lost your humanity just after watching a video in the quiet of great distance from the situation.
6
@Jim L
No, righteous indignation is not against the law. It's against the law to refuse to follow a direct police order, like "Get out of the car."
I say it time and again. Do what the officer says and save your argument for court. You are not going to settle it in the street.
1
Another racist encounter over a trivial issue, where a white police officer pursues with overt hostility a black person who has made an utterly trivial offense. In over 50 years of driving, I have NEVER EVER been pulled over by any police officer for not signaling or having a headlight or back light malfunction. However, Driving While Black seems to leave a person open to assault-by-cop over nothing. Ms. Bland is dead; the ultimate victim of white supremacy.
20
I remembered her, her story, and the reports of her sad death. Seeing this clip she shot...horrifying. She was trying desperately to protect herself. Cannot imagine her terror. Such ugliness exists in this country. Every day is a bigger nightmare than than the last.
19
I have seen that video before. Old news still sad.
Cops in California shot and killed a guy who had been leading them on a chase. He had pulled into a dead end and even though he was no where near hitting them they opened fire. Sending many bullets into a car with passengers. Again, the car was not anywhere near nor would it be the officers. How this is acceptable behaviors is beyond me. There are other cases where the cops will put themselves in front of a suspect to they can open fire. How is that right? For marijuana no less.
3
I think she was murdered in jail. Or she was so subjected to harassment and being locked up with no relief in sight, and given the wherewithal to “kill herself”, Waller County could claim she committed suicide. That the officer and others at the jail were not charged with anything more serious than perjury is immoral.
Sandra Bland died for no reason. She could have reported to her job that day and lived her life. What a loss. And no one has been held responsible.
15
I've been a 1st responder and an ER nurse with 20 + years of experience. I have been assaulted and verbally abused on the job and never killed anyone restraining them. Yes I have feared for my life but strangely, no tasers, no dogs, no cuffs, no guns and still here as well as my verbally abusive, drug and alcohol infused patients of every imaginable color and creed. Cops claiming fear as a justification to overreact have no place in the profession. It smacks of grown ups blaming children for their inability to keep their hands to themselves. Unacceptable scapegoating by cowards for cowards. Grow a spine...
46
Thank you. For your work and for you're ability to maintain perspective and humanity in a very difficult job.
3
I won't be driving through Texas anytime soon. And I'm white.
21
You know the officer had ego issues by the wearing of those space age sun glasses. The glasses, presuming they were not prescription lenses, should have been tucked inside his shirt pocket when he got to the vehicle. Eye to eye contact by both parties can sometimes help ease confrontation.
24
Excellent point.
6
The shock of this incident remains powerful and moving.Sadly, the way this particular officer treated a member of the public is hardly a rarity.There are Encinia's in every town,every city and every state in America.Unless and until the police commit to review and considerably improve their training and inter reaction with members of the public,these appalling incidents will continue and the police will continue to grossly abuse their powers.
10
This was my first time viewing any of the footage related to this case. How incredibly disturbing. The odd thing to me is that officer didn't seem to start out being overly rough or nasty. He told her why she was being stopped. He noticed that she seemed irritated and his tone didn't sound demeaning. He could easily have stopped there, said, "I understand. I'm only giving you a warning. Have a nice day." Had he done this and returned to his squad car, nothing more would have happened. I didn't hear her really escalate until he demanded that she put out her cigarette (why?) and then demanded she get out of her car (again, why?). Then he threatens to remove her from her car? If his intent, as he later claimed, was to warn her, why did he start making arbitrary demands? One can only assume that he had a need to exert power and control over her. Because she was black? Or because she was a woman? Quite possibly both.
Although technically he cannot be held responsible for her suicide, it is not hard to imagine the impact this event would have on anyone, much less someone suffering from depression. Why was she even being held in jail? Sadly, because her voice didn't count. Being black and a woman surely added to this but, once anyone is arrested, they lose credibility, even if it is an unlawful arrest. The police officer is presumed to be honest and doing his job and the accused is assumed to have done something wrong. Her sense of powerlessness must have been crushing.
17
Don't forget that Encina was patrolling the entrance to a historically Black college in the middle of summer when classes are out--not exactly a dangerous traffic situation. Why was he there? Surely there are more dangerous traffic situations which could use patrolling, including the divided highway a mile away where there are plenty of speeders in Waller County. Instead he finds someone who failed to signal when she changed lanes on a sleepy road that happens to be a historically Black college. The whole thing is pathetic.
33
Is it against the law to be "irritated" for receiving a traffic ticket?
No.
Is it against the law to be smoking in your car?
No.
So what was his justification for ordering her to get out of the car?
None.
41
Will cops stop using 'my safety' as an excuse to justify overtly aggressive behavior? How many times have I heard a cop use 'my safety' as the reason they emptied their weapon on an unarmed, harmless human being? And who trains them to behave like this? They use to be called 'brave'. Pointing weapons at unarmed people - and not just the woman in this video - is not brave. I hear of troops in war zones running towards the bullets without a single mention of 'my safety'. These are dangerous jobs - the brave cop is the one who defuses a situation without so much as reaching for a weapon. The guy in this video was out of control, in over his head and clearly scared. Not exactly cop material.
35
Wow, I just finished reading this and other linked articles about Ms Blands arrest about half an hour ago, turn on my local SF bay area abc7news and there's a segment about a Vio Rista policeman body slamming a young woman to the ground in front of her mother!
This just makes no sense?! The cop literally body slammed her into the ground and I can easily envision her getting seriously hurt.
Don't know the details yet but it just seems so brutal to do that to a young woman.
Was this really necessary?
I just feel so bad for Ms Blands family to lose a daughter for a simple tail light infraction.
What happened to being peace officers?!
17
I don't believe for a moment she committed suicide. She was lynched just like so many other African-American people before her. This was an all out clear crime committed by people who thought they could get away with it--and guess what? They did. How many of these men took part in killing her, I would like to know. I pray her family receives justice in the end.
36
When we have a proud racist in the White House, who had no scruples about spreading vicious lies about where President Obama was born, I would not be surprised if said racist now describes brian encinia as a "very fine person."
19
This is no surprise to anyone who is close to a member of a racial minority, racism is alive and well in this nation and now it is sheltered by the two bit conman in the White House.
16
This couldn't have happened without the help to cover it up by many people at many levels and all of them should be held accountable.
30
This video and the dash cam video are disturbing. That man totally overreacted to her comments. Her comments were not disrespectful, she just didn’t hold back. She voiced her disagreement with his actions, and —what he didn’t like was that— her comments were spot on. Why did he threaten her? Why did he touch her?
25
Amazing the level of anger displayed by the policeman, as if someone had just run over his dog. She asked him why she was being apprehended, a totally reasonable and understandable question...he could (and should) have just answered her, calmly, dispassionately.
Instead, he escalated it to the moon immediately, which escalation no doubt was communicated to the jail where she was most probably murdered. Suicide, no. This video makes quite clear, his safety was never in question; hers was.
This was just what we see all over the country, white policemen feeling entitled to control blacks and other people of color, treating them as less than human and becoming enraged within a split second when questioned, as any self-respecting citizen might question. The level of rage, completely out of proportion to the difficulty of the situation.
This is sad, and sickening. How white is superior, when this is how it acts, is a real question.
50
Driving while Black and Free With a Civil Rights Attitude is apparently a death sentence in Jim Crow southeast Texas. The federal government should intervene and place that police department under federal control.
25
There's two things wrong with this article. First the author is obviously trying to blame the arresting officer for Ms. Bland's suicide. The second is that the author did not mention that Ms. Bland had attempted suicide before, and was known to have bouts of depression. It was a sad and lamentable case which deserves to be fully reported with all pertinent facts so readers are properly informed.
7
I’m very disturbed by the apparent lack of empathy in your post. It’s almost as if you’re looking for a reason - any reason - to lay blame on someone other than the obvious offender. It’s pretty sick, to tel you the truth. Police are paid by the taxpayers - they are our employees- and cops like this seem to forget who they serve.
23
The writer did a good job showing how some law enforcement people are in real life here in some parts of rural Texas. I’ve seen this very often when someone is waving a taser gun at you. You panic!
2
Both individuals were disrespectful.
Both individuals were combative.
Both individuals showed poor judgment.
Both needed to be right and to have the final word.
But in the end, the trooper should have shown respect, professionalism, sound judgment, and common sense.
His actions initiated and escalated the situation to a point of no return.
I hope Ms. Bland's family are suing him in civil court.
Sincere condolences to Ms. Bland's family, loved ones and friends.
24
You nailed it. He was supposed to be a professional. He failed miserably at his job. Cops should know how to deal with hot heads without becoming one themselves.
18
Asking an officer why you are being pulled over is not hostile. Any white person- that includes myself- would have the same question when being pulled over. This woman was no threat. Her crime... being black and asking a question. So disgusting... and it happens ALL THE TIME!
22
@Marge Keller
I don't think she was disrespectful. I agree she was combative, but I think she had a RIGHT to be combative, as the cop was clearly abusive.
Furthermore, I don't think she showed poor judgment. I think she feared that if she got out of the car, she'd be in even more danger than she was obviously already in. It was very plain this guy was an angry macho white cop, and angry macho white cops are absolutely dangerous to African Americans when they are in a position of authority over them and carrying a gun. She'd have had to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know that. Perhaps all white people don't know it, but all black people do.
23
Having tried many 42 USCA 1983 legal actions against police officers, in both federal and state courts, my view of this video is probably different than others commenting here. My instructions to my teenage children, my husband, and my friends: if you are stopped in your car by a police officer, say yes sir, no sir or yes ma'am, no ma'am; follow the demands made and cooperate fully. Do not make smart remarks, talk back or comment-at all! Keep your mouth shut!
The legality of the stop must be questioned later in court and not at the time of the traffic stop and not on the street. It is a question of fact as is the use of excessive force. This was a very sad incident.
11
@Kathryn. You are right. For most people, an encounter with a police officer on the side of the road is the most dangerous situation they will ever be in. Isn't that something?
6
The worst crime here is the cover up between police officers and the district attorney office who concealed this video to support their 'fear for his life' defense.
17
You forgot to mention that Ms Bland was being tailgated by the police car, and she pulled over to let him pass. He then cited her for changing lanes without using her indicator. Absolutely trumped up.
29
@RMH
Thank you. I remembered that and I commented on it further down but was getting very frustrated that this information didn't seem to be out there.
Too many people are insisting Sandra Bland was unreasonable. She absolutely knew from the beginning that she had been set up, she had not done anything unreasonable, she had been pulled over to be harassed, at best - possibly worst. And indeed the end was much worse.
14
@RMH
You forgot to mention that she ran a stop sigh in front of the officer before he turned around to follow her and pull her over.
@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus
Well, where I come from running a stop sign gets you a ticket, and rightly so (though she was new in town, may not have totally known her way around or understood the traffic patterns, and often a cop will let you off with a warning in such a case). It doesn't get you dragged from your car or tased or threatened and it doesn't get you three days in jail and quite possibly murdered.
11
This is why they kneel
22
Sandra Bland taught me one thing I was not sure about before her sad and useless death. To America, Black Lives really do not matter. Not even a little.
13
"I will light you up", is statement enough. And now Sandra Bland is dead and he is living the quiet live in the private sector (read: security) taking care of his family. He should be doing hard time and providing back-breaking labor for the country for the rest of his life. It's a travesty and he should be held accountable for her death. It's another indictment of the police enforcement system in this country - untrained, unskilled, undereducated and overwhelmingly white men who believe it is their God-given right to exert power and dominance over other. It is a farce of a system.
56
Dreadful. Should never have been a cop.
14
The full dash cam video released by the police department is available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAZ3umt7v0
The officer's retelling begins at 23:00.
3
@MidAtlantic Reader - that video clearly has been doctored - the tow truck river emerges from his truck repeatedly (look at time 25:10 ff) without re-entering.
Another viewed correctly noted this:
Strange alien car vanishes at 32:37 and the same again at 33:04
Then he laughs about something he thought was funny at 33:18
then the same scene keeps playing back over and over again...
Video is definitely edited and the voice was added later, his call to his superior was not "in the middle of the traffic stop" like he said it was, or at least was not live or they cut some undesirable comments.
FBI should investigate if this video is really "Raw and Uncut."
@MidAtlantic Reader - that video clearly has been doctored - the tow truck river emerges from his truck repeatedly (look at time 25:10 ff) without re-entering.
Another viewed correctly noted this:
Strange alien car vanishes at 32:37 and the same again at 33:04
Then he laughs about something he thought was funny at 33:18
then the same scene keeps playing back over and over again...
Video is definitely edited and the voice was added later, his call to his superior was not "in the middle of the traffic stop" like he said it was, or at least was not live or they cut some undesirable comments.
FBI should investigate if this video is really "Raw and Uncut."
The suicide is a matter unrelated to the stop. The woman should have been interviewed to determine why she was resistant under the circumstances. It would have cost a lot, but the bizarre behavior should a have caused concerns.
2
There was no "bizarre behaviour" - there was anguish, frustration and desperation from being abused.
I'm sure if you were chased, abused, beaten, falsely accused and deprived of your liberty due to no earthly reason, you would be "totally cool, calm and collected" because... oh yeah because a a white dude you don't fear for your life at every encounter with police officers... right?
6
@Casual Observer
If you think she was behaving bizarrely, I'm afraid you have some work to do to learn and understand exactly what happened here. Please inform yourself.
7
"A Houston lawyer who represented Mr. Encinia in the investigation said his client was in a new career 'wholly unrelated' to law enforcement, but he offered few details. 'He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life."
Motivational speaking?
3
We are all Sandra.
I can't say that I would have reacted any differently had I been in her situation. Can you? Getting pulled over for failure to signal, when it's in direct response to his tailgating, would have been enough for me to react with the same frustration and retort that she exhibited.
And, I don't think that's a completely unreasonable reaction either.
The fact that a strange man then opened her door and threatened to "pull her out", that she was threatened with a gun, that she was manhandled and then hauled off to jail should be enough to make anyone's blood run cold, regardless of who you are.
That could have easily been you, or me, or one of our sisters, mothers, fathers, brothers or friends. We are all Sandra in this case. And we should all demand justice for Sandra now. This case needs to be reopened.
58
Sadly, we are not all Sandra. Most of us are not the same color as Ms. Bland.
4
Sandra Bland says, "sorry" near the end of the video.
Even in her fear, her fundamental respect shows through.
Feared for his safety?
26
@Karl Gauss, I don’t see any respect on her part. That “sorry” may have been her attempt to backtrack, too late. Her combative behavior toward the officer was entirely inappropriate. His behavior was horrible, but she made it worse.
When that predator/prey instinct kicks in for law enforcement the situation can erode into the ridiculous. This lady died from grief inflicted due to an unwarranted arrest from a malfunctioning turn signal? Is it really any wonder that folks are losing respect for police? Being pulled over for a MINOR traffic violation now means jail for some in the community. We hope that better training for police will help. And to the folks at large in the nation: try to have a modicum of respect for your part. If you don't, it'll escalate, you'll die, and the perps will get paid leave from their jobs. Nothing more, nothing less. So what's the point of getting all high and mighty ?Better to use your vote, your voice to your local and state and federal representatives. And keep your life.
5
Police Officer is one example. As a person of color, there is NO ROOM for mistakes in the corporate world for me. I make one mistake and my white colleagues chew me up, but when they themselves do it or other whites, they don't say anything. It's a racial power struggle.
11
That’s your fine, brave Texas law enforcement at their finest.
19
This is interesting. The officer is not acting unreasonably. When anyone resists lawful requests during an investigation, police focus upon controlling the situation, that is all he is doing. However, his voice expresses frustration and that projects a negative feeling to the listeners. The subject of the stop, Bland, is disregarding the officer, repeating assertions that mean that the officer has no right to request anything from her that she has not decided to provide, and really is refusing to cooperate. But her voice is even and not excited so the feeling conveyed is that she is behaving normally, but she's not. If all of this was written down, just the words, anyone could see that she was not complying as the law requires and he was reacting as he was expected.
10
I trust you are joking
21
>>> "If all of this was written down, just the words . . ."
. . . it would reveal nothing of the reality of the situation, which is a pretty good description of your post, also, Casual Observer.
13
Actually, the first part of the stop is written down, from the dash video transcript. It’s clear he was in the wrong. She has a right to be irritated while he writes a ticket. She also has a right to remain silent. He escalated the encounter, actually picking a fight with her, when as a law enforcement officer it’s his responsibility to de-escalate. And she had a right to be supremely irritated about that.
Officer Brian Encina (while writing ticket): You seem very irritated.
Sandra Bland: I am, I really am…..(something slightly unintelligible, about how she was just “getting out of your way”)
Encina: Are you done?
Bland: You asked me what was wrong and I told you….
Encina: Mind putting out your cigarette please?
Bland: I’m in my car, why do I have to put out my cigarette?
Encina: You can step on out now.
Bland: I don’t have to step out of my car.
Encina: Step out of the car….
Bland: You do not have the right….
Encina: Now step out or I will remove you…I’m giving you a lawful order get out of the car now or I’m gonna remove you…
Bland: I’m calling my lawyer.
Encina: I’m gonna yank you out of here….
Bland: Don’t touch me, I’m not under arrest.
Encina: You are under arrest.
Bland: I’m under arrest for what ? For what?…
Encina: Get out of the car now!
28
Every time there is this kind of incident with police, someone will say, “It’s the victim’s fault. He/she did not obey the officer.”
It is the JOB of the officer to deal with people who are having issues: mentally/physically ill, intoxicated, senile, handicapped (autistic/epileptic, etc.), or traumatized people are the norm, and officers should expect to use highly sensitive communication and/or de-escalation tactics. That is the nature of police work.
What part of "protect and serve" don't these officers get?
It is not the job of the police to arrest or assassinate people because they are annoying.
40
I am a mental health professional with over 20 years experience. This was NOT a suicide. This was a modern day Lynching with a Texas sized cover up.
47
I’m sure the cellphone video was referred to multiple times during the police investigation; they had to be sure they were lying in ways that could not be disproven later.
8
In all other developed nations, de-escalation isn’t an afterthought, it’s the central focus of the job. This officer clearly felt entitled to bully and threaten a woman he felt wasn’t showing him enough respect. It has everything to do with an individual interpersonal dynamic. But in fact we should expect police officers to rise above personal insult/hurt feelings and act in the best interests of the public they are paid to protect. That includes Sandra Bland.
17
I'm so glad that this gross miscarriage of justice in SE Texas has FINALLY gotten some attention. Ms. Bland appears to have paid the ultimate price for driving while black in that area in a nice car to her new job at a nearby college. It appears to me that she was targeted and set-up by a rogue police officer (or was he just a typical example of local law enforcement in that area) and then placed in jail where her legal rights were essentially ignored and her subsequent death three days later was attributed to "suicide"? Really?????
What actually happened to Sandra Bland during that three day period? This extreme travesty of justice cries out for serious, professional, criminal investigation..
21
In the videos of her arrest (heard on the officer’s audio feed and seen in the bystander’s version), Sandra Bland’s statements regarding the officer’s gender and about him overpowering her were striking to me. It’s easy to forget, in an era when women have (kind of) equal rights with men, men have been culturally and physically dominant in most cultures for as long as we can remember. When a woman is being overpowered by a man—pulled from a car, wrestled to the ground—it will generate an overwhelming series of hormonal responses known as “fight or flight.” When this happens, basic biology takes over and reason falls to the wayside. It’s now wonder Bland was struggling with her “captor.” Male police officers must be trained to understand how gender dynamics will affect a woman’s responses to emotional and physical dominance. It doesn’t surprise me in the bystander’s video, when we see the female officer taking over and the male officer, Encina, walking away, that Bland starts to calm down.
11
So sorry. This should never have happened.
9
To me this is obviously a white male holding it over a woman, and one of color. He will prevail, that is how he was raised. In my opinion those who become cops are the least qualified emotionally and intellectually. These cops are dangerous and shouldn't be off the streets away from the people
9
American society is one that scantly values human life. One can see it all around this country, from mass shootings like the one today in Colorado, police shootings, brutality, and misconduct concerning unarmed citizens (think Philando Castille, Sandra Bland, Justine Ruszczyk to name a few), and everyday thuggish street violence by the boys in white sheets, brown shirts, and every variety in between (think the terror campaign waged against African Americans via lynchings for decades; won't go into genocidal tendencies of past settler colonials in the US). A sick society indeed and a conspiratorial silence that accompanies it.
8
It's her first day at a new job, and she's pulled over "for failure to signal a lane change." People will be agitated in that kind of situation. The police officer sounded like he had taken a course in how to escalate a conflict.
The only slightly bright spot in the story was the officer's lawyer's report that "...his client (Mr. Encinia) was in a new career “wholly unrelated” to law enforcement,"
10
@Jerry Sturdivant
Thank you for your service as an officer of the law. While I agree that it's best to comply fully with an a officer of law in these situations and police officers have very tough job. You have no way of knowing if this was a "nice" officer and I take umbrage for such a narrow minded comment. This is Amercia and the suspect may have initiated a confrontation, but it's the police officers sworn duty and obligation to uphold the constitution and see that a simple traffic does not escalate into an armed confrontation of this magnitude. "Feared for my life". Cry me a river! I guarantee you Sandra Bland had much more to fear than the officer in question.
16
A cops job is to deal with difficult people. if you want to deal with the best and brightest, then go work at Harvard. There was not excuse for the officers behavior and end result in a loss life. He belongs in jail. And her estate deserved a larger payment to send a message regarding accountiblity
13
@Milton C
I'm sure you mean well, but it's a little insulting to imply that she wasn't among "the best and brightest."
I'm also irked by people implying she was "difficult." Do you understand the stop was unreasonable, she was pulled over on a pretext, and she understood from the beginning not only that she was being harassed but also that she was probably in danger? She wasn't being "difficult" - she was resisting, in an effort to save her life.
She was scared. I don't know how that isn't obvious, honestly. She KNEW that if she got out of that car, she was in even more trouble. The guy was clearly unhinged and he had found a victim.
Black lives matter. It more than likely was not the first such experience she had had in her life.
15
"He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life,” Mr. Lewis said.
Wow. What a lovely life he's living. Sandra Blad should be so lucky. The "trooper" should be in jail.
Black Lives Matter. Even if they don't to the Brian Encinia, and police forces across the country. Sickening.
18
when this came out the people in the community see a disgrace for the police because of this man anger because two people lost there lives a man(who was driving) and the girl who recorded this.
to the police who made these two lose their live tell me this. why? what were you thinking? and have you thought it through before???
It is extremely upsetting and difficult to watch an angry white man confronting a young black woman. It is extremely disturbing to imagine how the young well educated black woman felt being confronted by the empower-by-the-gun white man.
9
Let me get this straight. A state trooper in Texas feared for his life performing a traffic stop of an alleged failure to use a turn signal by an unarmed 28 year old woman. What is prerequisite to be a state trooper in Texas? Have the ability to display less bravery than the average field mouse. SAD! I fear for my country.
27
Feared for his safety really? It sure does not look like that. Looks more like he was showing her this is what happens to a person who forgets their place and dares to show any form of sass.
21
This cop was acting like a madman with a gun. I would have done whatever he told me to do just to not be shot. He shouldn’t have been given a gun, he didn’t appear to be mentally balanced in that video. I don’t know if he was racist or mentally ill, all I know is policing was not a profession for him. A woman died because of his decision to escalate a turn signal violation. I see people turn without blinkers all the time and no one notices. Why point a gun at a woman who didn’t put hers on? I hope he has minimal public contact and no gun.
14
This story still has the power to shock and disgust and break your heart. This cop got off way too lightly. How dare he try to bully and intimidate this woman and then go berzerk when she didn't behave in a suitably cowed fashion. I feel sorry for any woman who has ever had anything to do wtih him, a poster boy for toxic masculinity.
19
These type of videos always seem to start at a point that is most advantageous to the person doing the filming. I do not believe this cop walked up to the car and pulled out his taser right away. More that likely he asked for her information and she refused and escalated the stop to a point where she was told to get out of the car and was refusing. I do not believe race had anything to do it.
3
More than likely ... What an assumption. If you had seen the video from the cops perspective which the Department released you would know that race was the issue.
8
Taxpayers need to pay the family $1.9MM?? Why? This sets a dangerous precedent.
3
@Russell
I wonder how much you think YOUR family should be paid if YOU died in this fashion. What do you suppose a person's life is worth?
3
@Russell
1.9 MM??? It certainly isn't enough for the loss of Sandra Bland's life. What if that was your sister????
1
The Texas Department of Public Safety discriminates not only against civilians of color but their own Troopers of color.
DPS routinely issues discipline to African American or Hispanic Troopers for conduct not issued to their Anglo counterparts.
Additionally, a common phenomena in their Office of Inspector General [OIG] investigation is the investigator interjecting opinions about what the evidence shows. Then, the OIG investigator makes additional assumptions based upon the opinion. Thus, nothing is supported by objective evidence. However, DPS is notorious for issuing discipline on C1 investigations that are wholly conclusory.
The current DPS Director seems more concerned about building an empire of machine gun boats and helicopters to place on the Rio Grande than in knowing what his Troopers are doing and knowing that discipline is imposed based upon facts and not upon whether a Trooper is part of the good ol’ boys club.
So it’s no wonder the public did not know about the camera video. Noteworthy, Tex. Penal Code Section 18.15(d) states: It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the interruption, disruption, impediment, or interference alleged consisted of speech only.
Filming with a phone is speech; thus, there was no basis for the Trooper to make an arrest based upon the use of the phone.
8
We'll also never know what happened before this traffic stop. How aggressively did this unprofessional, hotheaded cop pull her over? She says, at the beginning of the video, "I was getting out of your way. You were speeding up tailing me so I move over..."
Perhaps her initial frustration with him was entirely warranted. Certainly the fragility of his ego is on clear display. He begins the interaction defensively: "You seem irritated." Was this cop looking for a reason to pull Bland over, and did he do so in a way intentionally designed to rattle her nerves? We will never know, because he's been safely whisked away from the court of public opinion.
16
@Jason, that is all speculation.
1
What a truly amazing coincidence that the video chosen for release in order “to be transparent because of the concern everyone had with her arrest and subsequent suicide” happened to be the video that most accorded with the officer's story.
2
The video appears to show two things: Sandra Bland was disrespected by the officer from the outset becuase of her gender and her race, and the officer is nothing more than a coward who acts like a big shot becuase he gets to carry a gun.
17
When is the law enforcement community going to start doing a better job of psychologically screening job applicants? There are still far too many cops that get a case of "bigshotitis" when given a badge and a gun and can't accept any resistance - even when that resistance is someone insisting on their civil rights. The Blue curtain needs to come down too.. anyone caught lying to support another officer should be automatic termination and lifetime ban from law enforcement.
8
I’ve been watching the new live police action on Friday and Saturday nights. More than once I’ve found myself saying...”this doesn’t seem right” when the police escalate their encounters with the public.
I know they are at risk, some of these police on TV pull their guns multiple times over the course of a 3 hour episode. But not everybody has a criminal past and may not know how to react, i.e used to get out of your car when pulled over.....you can get shot now doing that.
Wild world, but scenes like this put doubt in my mind that ALL police behave properly when cameras are off.
1
So how come her now-so-righteous family didn't bail her out? The bail was a mere $500.
3
@MIKEinNYC wonder how righteous you would be if your family member wound up dead for not signaling that they were pulling over to let a police car pass, oh right it wouldn't happen to you, hmm wonder why.
6
@MIKEinNYC - Have you ever been arrested? Did you ever think that a person might be ashamed and reluctant to call family for help getting bailed out? Or not wanting to impose a financial burden on them? Your lack of empathy suggests, at best, insensitivity but given the situation racist motives.
4
@MIKEinNYC a mere $500??? Now it's the family's fault?
How do you know they weren't attempting to get that money? I guess you always have a mere $500 in your pocket at all times should something like this occur
2
All this for a traffic signal. Disgusting man. This attitude doesn’t go away off duty. Hate to think how he treats his wife and family.
18
this certainly matches my experience of tx police authority... honestly just sad at how we've lost any sense of proportionality
sad
8
Watching this video made my stomach turn. It speaks volumes that people of color now feel that they must tape encounters with the police to establish an authentic record of the event.
8
There was literally no reason for any of this. Simple traffic stop at best. Failure to signal for pities' sake- which it is my recollection she disputed. Just walk away, write up the citation hand it to her. Done and done. Last I checked, people often get upset when they get tickets. That's the way it rolls. Stun guns, jail cells and death...when all she did was argue (and I contend that we have the right to argue with cops, sorry if you feel we all have to obey without comment or question like zombies) and video him.
14
Sandra Bland life mattered, she was sick and tired of a corrupt, unjust society who relegated her as a black woman to a second class position. She didn't deserve to die, just got so sick and tired and lost her will to live. Black people have been telling white people that they are tired of being treated like this, Sandra Bland had a massive impact on the Black Lives Matter movement. Respect to her life and courage, she should be here today, and a racist system locked her up and treated her like garbage and no one could help her find $500 bail, so she bailed on this life. So tragic. Shame on the police for treating African American people like this, especially a sassy woman with an attitude who is going to stand up for herself, the officer clearly didn't like or could deal with her "blackness". Respect Sandra Bland. Be you, be Black and be proud.
15
Your word are moving & beautifully said.
2
Can't really blame the cop - after all Ms. Bland wasn't blonde and wearing a pink shirt.
7
Well in Minnesota the Australian woman was blonde and in her jammies. She was shot anyway.
11
@Kate Garretson
Well in Minnesota it was also night. The cop who shot her could not tell her race or gender.
1
Armed to the teeth traffic cops, equipped with pepper spray, tasers and guns, yelling at a woman "get out of the car" because she forgot to turn her signal light on changing lanes.
Only in America, that Land of the not so free, and the supposedly brave law and order super macho guys being afraid of a black young woman sitting in her car.
18
I'm pretty mild-mannered (older woman) who used to think this kind of angry, in-your-face intimidation happened to other people. Until two months ago. Since then, I've had four men—in varying, non-emotional situations (carwash, recovery meetings)—completely lose it in a matter of moments, become verbally abusive, and in each case used physical intimidation by coming too close and shouting angrily. I felt completely helpless. Seeing this officer of the law act like that reminded me how much a simmeringly angry man hates being challenged and will use any kind of force available to master the other person.
19
Honestly, many men are just so darned fragile. I almost feel sorry for them, but I don't appreciate when they make their fragility someone else's problem. Especially when it has lethal consequences. I mean, that's reasonable.
4
When law enforcement officers finally tire of "fearing for my safety", getting shot at and getting killed - then gun laws will finally change. I wouldn't be a cop for anything. The NRA pumps money to politicians who then won't do anything to tighten up guns regulations. Who is on the front line of this madness? Police officers. Why would anyone sign up for that?
3
Imagine the fear, humiliation, and outrage anyone would understandably feel being subjected to this kind of treatment over a minor traffic infraction. This woman was handcuffed, taken to jail, arrested, her clothes and belongings taken away, and left in despair for days in a jail cell. For "failure to signal." I didn't find her behavior reprehensible - she was responding to a traumatizing situation - a stun gun in her face, a screaming policeman, everything out of proportion to what was called for in this situation. This officer is out of control and it is terrifying. As the mother of a 26-year-old son, I shudder to think how he might respond to this - indeed, how well I might respond. I wonder: Are we not within our rights to record what's happening? It's a small bit of justice for this video to emerge - but far too late for that young woman. Thanks to the reporter for bringing it out.
21
The minute the officer asked Ms. Bland to put out her cigarette he was instigating a confrontation. He wanted an opportunity to exert power of her, most likely out of resentment that she wasn't cowering in her response to him. Why is it that police officers feel they have the right to cry "fear for my safety" over any situation they choose? In what other job does that excuse work? For teachers- who encounter far worse, much of the time? Nurses? Mental health workers? It's disgusting and a travesty of justice.
19
@Maia Brumberg-Kraus
He couldn’t do the job. I know good cops who’ve been working for decades who’d shake their heads at this young fool’s folly. This young woman is dead. This guy is alive. Something needs to be addressed, now.
8
@Maia Brumberg-Kraus, a lit cigarette could be used aggressively. I think it was a perfectly reasonable request to ask her to put it out. Ms. Bland was entirely inappropriate in her exchange with the officer. Yes, he acted unprofessionally and dangerously, but she was not helping the situation.
2
@Passion for Peaches
So in your opinion, if a police officer behaves unprofessionally and dangerously, it is the citizen's duty to mollify him? To kow-tow and say "Yessir" to a dangerous lunatic, just because, yeah, he has a gun.
I bet you can understand why for black people especially, being forced to "Yessir" the angry white man with a gun, when they've done nothing to deserve such humiliation, is anathema. Rightly so.
She was resisting police abuse and I support her. Or I would if she weren't dead.
11
Hideous abuse of power. And it happens every day, all over the United States.
19
US American police officers come across in the news as being the worst trained, worldwide. They are like an indicator of how far the US population has changed and fallen.
9
@twefthfret
An indicator of the population? Plus c'est change...
If you don't believe the officer feared for his safety, you've never made a traffic stop.
4
@Mark
That's a hoot. I might be mistaken but the video seemed to show that HE was carrying the tazer.
I think he's way too emotional for this line of work.
20
@Mark, that's no excuse. As if the public doesn't fear for their safety with any contact with a cop.
12
Then there's really something wrong if the police are that fearful. If cops have guns, the tasers, the backup, and the driver only has her phone?
14
Is it not telling that I, an educated middle-aged white female, am fearful of police and the inordinate amount of power they now seem to have over the population? The overall IQ of the force has dropped, it's no longer seen as a job taken out of pride, but rather as a desperate resort for uneducated people who have few other job options. Our cops are out of shape, poorly trained, cover for each other, lie, have no true 'values' beyond values for cops as a whole, and can say/write whatever they please in their 'reports', with no recourse.
12
@Lisa my mom is a tiny little woman in her eighties and she's terrified of police. People laugh when I tell them that but look at all the. examples of people that the police have killed or maimed for no reason.
2
This story is inaccurate unless my memory is wrong. I remember that the traffic offense was for changing lanes without signaling, not for making a turn. And she did that as a courtesy to the cop car behind her, because she assumed he wanted to pass her. I also recall that he stopped a white woman shortly before (according to his dashboard cam) was very polite to her, and let her off. Sandra's life and hope for the future was destroyed for nothing. It makes me sick.
34
Curious to see the white woman's reaction to being pulled over,vis a vis Ms Bland.
The cop didn't shoot the woman. She killed herself three days later. The cop has already quit the force, or was fired. What are they after now? People are required to listen to an officer's instructions, including getting out of a car if so instructed. She was combative, argumentative. It was her that decided to kill herself. The arresting officer had nothing to do with that.
6
@Aristotle Gluteus Maximus - she was arrested for failing to use a signal. He could have let her go with a ticket. There is no law against arguing with a cop. He most certainly had everything to do with her death. Had Ms. Bland been white, she would still be alive.
10
And if the police officer is wrong or you have cause to fear for your safety? I was dragged from my car by a state trooper for a speeding offense. Why? Because I didn’t roll my window down all the way. Let’s get over the notion that those in authority are always correct and have the right to violate a persons rights and dignity.
8
He could have let her go with a warning or he could have simply ignored her supposed transgression. Either way she’d still be alive.
6
Far from being threatened, this officer displayed unwarranted anger and emotion. He failed to treat the person being stopped with respect and she responded accordingly. For someone, anyone, to be stopped and jailed for a trivial traffic offense is an outrage. This is 180 degrees opposite of what the public demands and deserves from law enforcement.
18
On the question of whether the trooper had a reason to make the stop in the first place: Isn't that Sandra Bland going through a stop sign at 1:16 of the dashcam video? (The stop sign is visible later.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAZ3umt7v0
I think that the trooper needlessly goaded Ms. Bland with his questions and order to put out the cigarette, creating a situation when there probably didn't have to be one in the first place. Possibly there is a reason why the police try to engage people in conversation: to get a sense of whether something more serious is wrong. I don't know; in this case, it seemed to create more problems. In any event, when he asked her to get out of the car, I think she should have complied. Unless I'm mixing her up with someone else, she posted confrontational videos prior to this incident, so she did seem to have an appetite for confrontation and for publishing it. Tragic.
3
......and her family (whom she couldn't contact despite repeated calls) collected ;$2 million (-attorney fees).
2
@Mark - What is a State Police officer doing patrolling a historically black college campus during the summer season and low traffic conditions? Is that a rational deployment? NO. Racist from the get go.
2
The solution does not seem to be de-escalation training if the the common denominator of all these tragic cases points to officers single-handedly escalating the conflict in the first place.
It's terrifying to me that a lot of officers tend to join the force because they are excited about earning a kind of hall-pass to behave authoritatively towards their fellow citizens with a gun strapped to their side. I have a sneaking suspicion that what's seen as 'cool' for young recruits can transform into an unchecked, deadly ego for a choice few if it's not tempered by the police force's management.
3
My son is applying to be a county police officer. And he is being trained to AVOID behaving like this, which is typical of those in the military who return from service with undiagnosed PTSD.
9
When you interact with people with guns, stay calm and focused. Do not agitate them. Do not say things that will inflame them. Do not argue with them. Follow their instructions as best as you can. Hope for a quick resolution of the encounter. This applies to encounters with law enforcement and criminals alike.
The US is like a low intensity war zone and the unarmed public has to adopt patterns of behavior that are appropriate for life in a low intensity war zone that is full of people with guns, people who will use them for a very minor reason if they are given a pretext. This applies to law enforcement and criminals alike.
Be smart and stay safe.
13
And this, sadly, is a statement on life in this country in 2019.
5
@reader
That your advice applies equally well to both criminals and cops says all you need to know about cops.
4
good advice....oh and we need to clear out the ranks of our police until they actually value serving the public....all the public
3
I once was stopped at 9 pm after making a u-turn to avoid a bad jam in front. This policeman strode up, all chest-puffed-up and decided he would talk to me arrogantly and bully me just because he could. When I stood up to him, he berated me more. My 12-yo daughter was beside me and the next day was a school day. In the end I drove off, after giving him a piece of my mind. In the week following that, I learnt that I had been charged with running away from the law. I went to the police station with a lawyer and asked to meet the chief. The assistant chief of police apologised for that underling’s behaviour and tore up the charge papers in front of me. But then I’m a teacher in Malaysia (people respect education there) and our police do not wield such power. American law-enforcers, Homeland Security personnel and the like should not be given such over-riding powers here.
11
@Standing up to a Cop
Next time don't break the law by making an illegal U-turn. Simple.
5
@Frank J Haydn
I know and I had acknowledged that and apologised from the start. Even the assistant police chief admitted it was a minor infraction. I was prepared to get a summons and pay the fine. But no, that cop was very rude and I wasn’t going to take rude. This kind of bad-cop action happens all the time in Malaysia particularly to illegal (yes, they are illegal but still human) immigrants who get blackmailed and robbed by policemen. My point is in Malaysia I can because police powers are not absolute and rightly so.
5
This is just indicative of the American criminal justice system. Basically racist at its core, it incarcerates a quarter of the worlds prisoners despite having only 5% of the world population. We lock up 716 people per 100,000 while the average for other developed countries is about 122 per 100,000. Sell loosies in front of a bodega and expect to have your life choked out of you in broad daylight by a swarm of cops. Support and defend death squads by Central American dictators and expect to be appointed as Special Envoy to Venezuela. U.S. cops shoot and kill more citizens in one day than most police kill in one year in other countries. We have a very sick and disturbed criminal justice system in this country.
16
I hated this from the day it happened.
What is wrong with American cops that they act as if they are grenades and almost begging anybody they talk to to pull the pin. Why wouldn't he have said at the get-go. Hi Maam; I just noticed that you didn't use your turn signal. It's ok right now as traffic is very very light, but 'round here we worry that it could cause an accident... so while you're in these parts, please remember, we like to see a turn signal when a turn is being made. Have a nice day, and enjoy the sun!
13
Black citizens are always at risk of being harmed in this country. If you are not aware of that then take your head out of the sand.
I sincerely hope that the Bland family also sues Mr. Encinia personally along with the commission that allowed him to walk scott free. Enough is enough.
3
That racist officer should be fired immediately. Disgrace to the badge of the men and women who serve.
3
Don't forget that she was driving while black with Illinois license plates. In Texas. She was irresistable bait.
10
De-escalation training should be mandatory for all police forces and should be ongoing throughout one's career, like recertifying for marksmanship.
I've been following the whole issue of police profiling since the mid-1980s. It always seems to me police will stop black people for the flimsiest of reasons. A tag light out. Failure to signal. And often, they'll just make up reasons. All to go on a fishing expedition. Does anyone think an elderly white couple would have been pulled over for failure to signal?
12
@Joe Bastrimovich
Or ordered to get out of the car right now, or ordered belligerently to put out their cigarettes?
1
Oh please. If she had been a white woman, this would not have happened, period. Pure racism at work, and poor police training. I I might have been argumentative if I encountered that kind of aggression on a traffic stop, I probably have been despite deep black and white fever (fear of cops). The organization itself is encouraging aggression and paranoia. Sandra Bland was not a suicide, she was "death by cop".
12
My theory is that Ms Bland could not reach a relative to post her $500 bond. That, in turn, led to her despondency and suicide.
Family collected 2$mill.
1
@Shanalat - so if police or sailors kill you under outrageous circumstance like this, would your family be satisfied with $1.9 million? (not $2.0)
Citizens are sovereign in America, not the police. When a government servant come up to a citizen, it is the government servant’s obligation to be respectful.
Police officers don’t get to complain when people are “disrespectful” or (horrors!) assert their rights.
There was no emergency here. There was no crisis. There was just an angry cop who wasn’t getting servility at a traffic stop for a turn signal. So he dragged her out of the car. Assaulted her. Threatened her. And jailed her.
I’m a white, upper middle class, prosperous looking lawyer and I would probably never have stood up for myself like Ms Bland did.
I’m ashamed of that, but I have a good reason... as a lawyer, I know the statistics.
Cops kill hundreds of innocent, unarmed people every year, black and white, mostly men. And almost none of the police are prosecuted and even fewer are jailed. How many people just catch a good beating - never recorded, never mind prosecuted- for not saying “Yessir!” fast enough?
American freedom is in a sickly state. And judging from the number of people who say Ms Bland should have been “Ohyessir!” to a bully cop at a bogus traffic stop, it’s unlikely that Americans will get up off their bellies and stand up for themselves anytime soon.
Land of the free and home of the brave? Hardly.
27
This was a sad and unnecessary event, based on what I saw and heard from both videos. It started out amicably enough, but very quickly escalated into a power struggle between the policeman and Ms. Bland. Yes, she did use some inappropriate language and she was very argumentative with him, which is not the best way to handle encounters with the police, but he should have picked up on the fact that she was really over-reacting, which would indicate that she might have some emotional problems. The power struggle seemed to me to be a power struggle between a male and a female, a power struggle between an authority figure and someone who felt powerless, and yes, I wonder if it was also a racial power struggle between a white person and a black person. I know that policemen have very dangerous and difficult jobs and they need to be the one in charge during encounters with others, but they also have a responsibility to try to de-escalate rather than escalate situations.
336
@Sophie
>she did use some inappropriate language and she was very argumentative with him
Under the First Amendment, we the People have no obligation either to be respectful towards or to confine ourselves to using "respectful" language in speaking with the police.
85
@Sophie How many friends of yours have been stopped over not using a turning signal? Do you use your turning signal when changing lanes?
Mr. Encinia was showing this lady who challenged his macho approach who was boss. Now!
39
@Sophie-Wasn’t Officer Brian Encinia Hispanic? If so, how was this a white vs. black issue? Or is it only convenient to consider Hispanics “White” when situations like these arise?
9
The trooper "feared for his safety"?
DOGGONE IT! I always thought police are in charge of OUR SAFETY.
If he wanted a job without "fearing for his safety" he shouldn't have taken this one.
10
These videos are horrific. The police officer never should have taken the bait. In my youth in California, I was routinely stopped in my car when I was 16 and 17 because I looked like I was too young to drive.
Non-the-less, I knew enough to be polite to the officers and not start a confrontation.
This does not excuse the officer's behavior that seems to make him an angry man who might have done this to prove his manhood. Ms. Bland presented no clear and present danger, only provocative language. The officer should have known that you walk away, to fight another day.
7
@Creighton Goldsmith You had a reasonable expectation that upon determining your age you would be sent on your way. This is not the case when you are Black in America. The Law has never treated Black Americans fairly. The Law said Black people could be enslaved. The Law said Blacks had to ride the back of the bus. The Law said Blacks were not humans. Black people have no reason to expect the law to ever be reasonable or fair since it never has been. So all that polite stuff your talking is all white privilege. Your just to privileged to even know it.
2
Go back to your comfort pet
1
I don't understand the double standard at work in some of the defenses of this officer and officers like him.
Because some officers have died before in routine stops, we're supposed to understand why an officer might treat every as a potentially deadly confrontation and act with fearful aggression.
At the same time, even though African Americans have been killed in routine traffic stops, we're supposed to believe they have a responsibility to be calm, cool, and collected and treat the encounter like its no big deal.
For a change, how about we assume the trained, armed, official representative of state authority should carry the burden of setting the tenor of these encounters?
12
It's been almost four years, but this is one BLM death that still haunts me. Often, while switching lanes, I am reminded of Sandra Bland. RIP, Sandra. There are many in this nation who still grieve for you.
7
As a black person I'll be sitting the 2020 Election out and I ask every black person reading this to do the same. This country us not for us, and no politician is serious about addressing these issues. It's like we stand in line to vote for issues that benefit everyone else, why bother?
3
@M
Sadly, you are right. All you can do is vote for the party that is less hateful. Curious to know: what did you think of Mr. Obama?
1
@M
Please don't sit this one out, or any of them. That is what they want. Why do you think they try so hard to take away your right to vote. If nothing else, think of what our ancestors went through for you to exercise your right to vote. Please vote!
3
In my fifty years on this planet, I’ve never been asked to exit my vehicle at a traffic stop.
Perhaps that’s because I’m white and privileged.
7
Not being forced out of your car in a routine traffic stop does not make you privileged. Get over this tone-deaf language. It is your RIGHT to be treated respectfully. America needs to raise the level of human rights of all its citizens, but especially those blatantly discriminated against, not drag down white people as if they're somehow "privileged" for being accorded basic human rights (and in any case, plenty of innocent whites also get shot and/ or beaten by cops).
3
With all due respect, if you’re unaware of the privilege you have as a white body vs the daily discrimination faced by brown bodies you are living under a rock and probably have no diversity your friends and family. I encourage you to broaden your social group so that you can hear what it’s like to live in a brown body everyday.
1
@Crusty The Clown
Ridiculous to attribute every injustice to one thing when many are involved. White privilege as the necessary result of racially disparate outcomes is both illogical and false. There are more poor and left behind white people in this country than people in historically discriminated against minorities. The racism affecting poverty, crime, and lack of opportunities to prosper is real but it is reflected by disproportionate outcomes correlated with race. People who are not privileged do not become so just to support someone's hyperbolic comment about white supremacy.
1
why does anyone believe anything that police officers say anymore? Why are we supposed to trust these people and respect them? all they do is lie and cover things up for each other.
3
Wow. I sure am thankful that Officer Encinia doesn't patrol AM drop-off at my daughter's elementary school. He'd be busy all day long for citing parents for failure to signal.
On second thought, there aren't but a few African-Americans that live in my town. He'd be able to hit the breakfast spot straightaway.
3
The minute the officer lost his cool due to confronting an agitated driver who has just been pulled for a relatively minor traffic stop is the time he should turn in his badge and look for a new profession. Police officers are training to stay cool and to de-escalate much worse situations. Clearly this officer was not trained properly and may not have the appropriate temperament for a very difficult and dangerous profession.
635
@DWC Evidently, whatever training Officer Encina received went in one ear and out the other. There are many police officers who are polite and stand their ground. Officer Encina isn't one of those police officers. Regardless, any officer who abuses the power vested in them must pay the consequences.
36
This happens so often to people of color I wonder if training is the problem. What would solve it? Totally changing the rules of engagement, and taking away a traffic cop's ability to do harm. These police should not merely de-escalate, they should avoid ultimatums (do this, or else). Ultimatums are what cause escalation in many cases.
We also need to disarm the police. That would go a long way to changing the rules of engagement.The easily-scared violence prone individuals would quit, as they should.
28
@John Krumm
"We also need to disarm the police."
So if someone pulls a gun on them and starts shooting the cop will have no way to defend themselves.
I guess police can be taught martial arts. Become Kung Fu masters.
8
In 2014 I was followed by a police car in Austin, TX, while driving home in Austin.
I probably had made a U-turn which they didn't like, or something. I never figured out why they started following me in the first place.
When I noticed there was a police car behind me, I slowed down, preparing to stop. But they didn't ask me to stop. So I was driving slower than the traffic, for several miles, with the police car right behind me.
Then we both got on a bridge on I-35. In the middle of the bridge, they asked me to pull over. I complied. I'm not sure why they picked the top of a bridge to ask me to stop.
2 cops came over to my car, with windows pulled down. They looked me over and looked inside my immaculate Honda Civic interior with their flashlight. (I probably had the cleanest car interior they had ever seen.)
They asked me a bunch of questions about where I was from (I'm Iranian-American), what I was doing in this country, etc. Then they told me that I was driving dangerously because I was driving slower than the traffic. That surprised me because the reason I was driving slowly was because they started tailing me and I didn't want the police to think I was trying to get away.
I was scared but managed to convince them that I was a US citizen, a PhD student at UT, and just driving home. They let me go.
I think that things could have turned out differently had I made the slightest wrong move or argued with the cops. I graduated and left Austin as fast as I could.
12
I never believed for one moment she took her own life. Her family's settlement seemed to have ended the case but I think her life was worth quite a bit more.
369
@Z
I don't believe it, either, frankly. The whole thing was a travesty. Let's not forget she should never have been pulled over for failing to signal a lane change in the first place. He had put his siren on, and she pulled to the side to let him pass, thinking he was in route to an emergency. It was a setup.
41
So it’s all about “believing”. No evidence needed.
3
@Michelew
Do I understand you to say you are "glad" a young woman took her own life because you believe she was unstable and therefore "would you want her working at a university?"
If I'm reading this correctly, I am deeply shocked and saddened.
4
It's the American way. The last thing on American cops' mind is deescalation or preventing harm. The first thing on most of their minds is being a thug, asserting their authority, and enjoying their dominance.
24
Glad Officer Encina is working to forget this incident. He was thrust into a hot spotlight by the subject who was being argumentative, yelling, and refusing to follow commands. She was given an appropriate and firm amount of warning, that's clear in the video. She didn't have to create that situation at all and now she's dead. That stop could've lasted no more than 10 minutes and off she goes.
In jail, her decision got the best of her and she realized the gravity of her mistake and killed herself. This is something that the community didn't want, something that Officer Encina didn't want, etc. Unfortunate sequence of events. You don't have to escalate the most minor of situations just to get attention or to hopefully catch an officer in a mistake. Encina kept his cool, luckily.
11
@Chris. Encinia did NOT keep his cool.
8
"Kept his cool"
3
>>> "Encina kept his cool, luckily."
Another comment by a reader who must have seen a different video than the rest of us.
11
Oh my god!! The police officer is clearly out of line here.. What right do they have to use this kind of force? Wonder if a white driver would ever face similar treatment at the hands of the cop. I feel for the family of the Ms
Bland. Equal and dignified treatment seems more like a privilege of the few rather than right of all. So disheartening!
14
White drivers face this sort of abuse also. It’s police mentality. They feel that they can do no wrong and will never be held accountable. It must change.
4
“He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life..."
I wonder if anyone else saw the footage that I did, a hotheaded screamer yelling about everything.
Quiet life? He might have a new job, he might live in a new place, he might even have a new name, but hothead screamers are hothead screamers, that rage doesn't just go away.
14
@cp If she had merely done what he asked of her she would have got a warning. She is gone and the lives of families on both sides have been changed forever. There were no winners in this situation.
5
Cop went rogue as soon as she questioned his "order" to put out her cigarette. I've seen cops have more patience dealing with criminals and sovereign citizens.
11
It was ruled a homicide because she killed herself. Stop pretending like the officers actions caused her death.
10
There's another angle on this worth exploring -- the infiltration of the police, military, legal profession, and other areas of society, inc. the WH and executive branch at this point -- by white supremacists, people who figured out in the 80s that the skinhead type approach wouldn't work so they transitioned to gaining access via mainstream channels. Feels like a covert civil war...and not just momentary bad judgment but an ongoing onslaught.
8
The criminal justice system failed.
Hopefully the civil justice system will impose a huge verdict on the town and the police officer personally.
4
Pay attention! It settled for $1.9M.
Many comments proceed from deplorable instances of police wrongs to hatred of police in general. In a nation of 300 million, with many violent criminals, enough stories to fill a book are inevitable.
Yet the same commenters would demand that any person drawing similar conclusions about young Black men from instances of violent crime be condemned and suppressed.
2
That cop should do 10 years in jail for his behavior. I am a white male and once I got pulled over for no seatbelt, The cop was so angry that I feared for my life. I was not aggressive at all.
18
@shakedown
Arguing with a police officer is not punishable by death.
4
I've never understood why folks argue with cops. You aren't going to win. Youd think folks would know that by now.
14
@James I agree. It is such a simple thing to do.
5
Racism is part of the problem for sure but I am a middle aged white woman and I have encountered this attitude from cops before. They’re no longer there to “serve and protect”- they’re there to collect fines for incredibly minor offences to pay for their grossly inflated wages and pensions here in Canada. You can bet your bottom dollar I will be recording if I ever get pulled over again.
My sincere condolences to Sandra Bland’s family. She looks terrified and hopeless in the jail footage.
8
Two things going on here:
1. Police officer lost his cool when the lady would not obey with his commands. Losing his cool in a non-threatening situation was totally uncalled for. He should have detained her while she sat in her car and called for a female police officer as back up to help defuse the situation. I could even see letting her go telling her that the police will be coming to her house later when things cool down.
2. The lady in car didn’t seem to be following the officers directions and seemed to be challenging his authority. She seemed to have a bad attitude although the full incident isn’t on the video.
The officer probably should be suspend and required to take some confrontation training or be let go as he can’t seem to deescalate a tense situation which is mandatory for an effective police officer. His ego seemed to get out-of-control. I say this as a person that supports the police and their difficult job that in this instance the officer over reacted to a very non-threatening minor offense.
3
@DWC
The police officer was upset but he was doing what police are supposed to do when someone refuses lawful commands during a lawful investigation. The lady was defying the officer and so preventing him from completing the investigation in to the violation for which she was stopped. Her behavior guided what happened.
Every person who violates that law and seeks to escape the justice system, tries to find anyway to not go to jail. The police can enforce the law and look rigid and inflexible or they can let the violators violate with impunity. Do you want to deal with nasty behavior all alone or rely upon vigilantes to intervene instead of police?
Detaining means handcuffing the person to prevent escaping.
2
You should have read the complete article. The cop wasn’t charged in return for promising to never work as a policeman again.
I respect the police but they are human and you get all kinds. Let’s face it, it takes a certain person to want to be a police officer in the first place. Sometimes it’s an ego boost. They just want plain power over other people. Others I think legitimately want to serve and protect but the job wears them down. Regardless, we don’t live in a police state and the police should not exert their authority as if we do. That’s often the problem. They have to stop treating everyone as s potential criminal and threat. And if they can’t then they shouldn’t be police officers.
5
I was born in the US to foreign parents attending NYU on student visas in the 60s. Both my parents, as many Caribbean people are, were mixed race. My parents decided to live and work in Florida (as it is closer to their island) after graduating NYU. We became US citizens, though we moved to the Caribbean in the early 80’s. I was 14. After I graduated high school, I returned to the US for university. I returned to the Caribbean after graduation and have not lived in the US since. I have been asked by colleagues and friends many times over the past 30-odd years, why I didn’t stay in the US after university, and after a total of 18 years living there. The reason is, in a nutshell, racism. The daily micro aggressions. The being followed around in stores by staff. The disrespect in restaurants. The white women clutching their purses while standing in line at a super market! I’ve endured it all. Also, there were 4 times during my childhood and young adulthood in Florida, that I was afraid of a white policeman. Each time, it was over something simple. Playing with a BB gun in my suburban front yard as a kid, a white cop pulled over, walked up with his hand on his holstered gun, grabbed my toy from my hand, then drove away. I was terrified. The 3 times were during minor traffic stops as an adult. As an educated, law abiding person, I should not be terrified of white policemen. But I am. And I will never live in the US again as a result. I’d rather live my life without fear.
15
The Trooper’s behavior is clearly wrong, but Ms. Bland’s failure to comply and her argumentative, goading words are also egregious. You can’t behave like that when stopped by law enforcement, and expect to be treated well. Age, race and gender do not matter in that regard: you keep your hands on the steering wheel and answer all questions respectfully. Respect encourages respect. I’ve been yelled at by cops (even by one who had her hand on her gun at the time), and stopped (and cited) for trivial mistakes. I keep my anger to myself. The officers have the power. The only time I ever spoke sharply to an officer was when he and his partner turned on the lights and siren and put me in a dangerous position for pulling over, all for a burned-out brake light. That officer apologized and told me that his newbie partner had gotten too excited.
I am sorry for the loss suffered by Ms. Bland’s family and friends. I have no idea what happened in her jail cell, and it is not for me to speculate. But publishing this encounter does not make a good case for Sandra Bland. She was looking for a fight.
12
Your comments were thoughtful and carefully constructed with no political agenda. Thank you.
I'm curious why smoking a cigarette in your car during a traffic stop is something a police officer cares about.
It wasn't until the office told Ms. Bland to put out her cigarette that things went bad. She asked, indignantly, why she had to. Instead of telling her why, he just repeated the command. All he had to do was explain to her why and she probably would have complied if it was a reasonable explanation.
But no - it was the "I gave you a command and when I do you jump and then ask how high" approach we see the police engage in all too often. Not good policing. Not a good outcome for either of them.
14
Quotas are real. I was stopped once for speeding. Sure I was maybe 5 mph over the limit: like everyone else on that road. I arrived at my friend's place and told him the story. "What do you expect?" he said. "Out of state plates and it's the last day of the month." Thanks Indiana.
6
I have been pulled over more than several times in my lifetime (I am not very whippy when it comes to putting the sticker on my tag that says I've renewed it for the year, and every couple of years, I get pulled over for this).
In general, the police who pulled me over were polite; once, when it was the day after my mom's funeral, and I burst into tears, even kind. However, only once I was actually in fear; I was asked to get out of the car, and the policeman proceeded to deliver a 30 minute, red-faced, yelling/spitting rant about my hairstyle (really; it was downright creepy). It wasn't even a weird hairstyle, just a nice short bob with bangs. For many years afterwards, I felt fear just upon seeing a police car, when previously, seeing the police felt safe.
I am white. The policeman was white. I called the police to complain, I never heard back from anyone. Seriously, can't we get these horrible people out of the force? Those that get away with this just get worse, and then they get violent. And it makes the good ones look bad, too, because how do you tell them apart?
8
@SQUEE
You have to do more than make a phone call. Twice, I have nearly been killed by troopers who decided to 'practice' their high speed driving techniques on major connector roads. They turn on their lights but not the siren and put the pedal to the metal. The first time, I only called and actually talked to the guilty trooper, who said that 'Yes, I (meaning the trooper) was driving that direction on that road at that time, but it wasn't me." Uh-huh. Years later, a similar incident occurred. I marched into the troopers office and filed a report. (If I had been smarter, I would have taken a picture of the report with my phone, as it later mysteriously vanished). But it did get the attention of the duty officer, who went to the trouble of pulling the trooper's dash cam and reviewing it. Which showed that he blew through a red light at 90+ mph while I had a green left turn arrow and almost pulled out right in front of him.
Neither trooper was responding to any sort of emergency, they both stated that they were responding to reports of 'stalled cars' on subdivision roads. Go figure. (And then there's the actual high speed chases which endanger so many motorists. . .)
2
The focus of this story is on the police stop - but what about the Judge and the fact that Ms. Bland was detained in jail for 3 days for a traffic violation that resulted in an obviously trumped up charge of resisting arrest?
Why was she detained instead of being immediately released on her own recognizance?
What about the facts about her jail experience and alleged suicide? (especially given the fact that the police had a reason to kill her, e.g. to avoid a lawsuit and/or filing of charges for racist false arrest?)
Give us the whole story - and why aren't commenters demanding the whole story?
5
@Bill Wolfe
She had a 10-year record of arrests and not paying court fines in Illinois and in Texas. Her charges resulted in a $500 bail which she couldn't pay and no family/friends would put out for her again, as they'd done since she was 18 and began a non-stop cycle of drugs, alcohol and getting arrested several times per year.
5
The released video is about as explanatory and exculpatory as the surveillance camera footage of Jamal Kashoggi walking INTO the Saudi consulate.
How does this even tend to prove that this suspicious death was not police murder rather than a claimed "suicide" (suicides in jails are always pretty suspect IMHO).
1
It could have been worst, the policeman could have lost control and shot her.
Refusing to follow officer's directives, arguing and contradicting with a police officer is always a bad idea, no matter the color you are. A citizen is supposed to obey directives of a police officer. If you want to contest, you do in court in front of a judge. Not in the street.
5
He feared for his safety? How? What were the tangible signs he was in fear...he had a taser, a gun and a radio. I would be in fear of him.
4
The police are mostly EVIL when it comes to black people, ALL OF US black people, of course she filmed the incident, and it's Texas, of course they're just releasing the video, of the unwarranted traffic stop....ugh.
8
@Kim
I don't understand why POC (People-Of-Color) will not face the reality of this plantation we call "America". African Americans have an almost "genetic" aversion to police officers and this is why ...
"Slavery was not only an economic and industrial system," one scholar noted, "but more than that, it was a gigantic police system. Everyone in the South knew the story of the Stono Rebellion; it was the largest and best known of the slave insurrections. It was not, however, the only slave rebellion. One researcher identified about 250 rebellions or conspiracies involving at least ten slaves.
Over time the South developed an elaborate system of slave control. The basic instrument of control was the slave patrol, armed groups of white men who made regular rounds. The patrols made sure that blacks were not wandering where they did not belong, gathering in groups, or engaging in other suspicious activity (like reading or writing). The basic strategy was to ensure and impress upon the slaves that whites were armed, watchful, and ready to respond to insurrectionist activity at all times. The state required white men and female plantation owners to participate in the patrols and to provide their own arms and equipment .... THUS THE MILITA. Virtually all able-bodied white men were part of the militia, which primarily meant that they had slave control duties under the direction and discipline of the local militia officers.
As a middle aged white male I've seen the double standard cops have. They behave *very* differently with people they perceive to be "above" vs "beneath" them.
I'm generally not a fan of the gun crowd, but they organized a very interesting "open carry" experiment where they staged a white man carrying a soldered AR-15 while walking down the street. Cops checked him out but did it *very* courteously and fully respecting all the guy's constitutional rights.
Then they put a black man, same age, same build, on the same street carry the same gun in the same way. Let's just say there were some minor but important differences int the police response...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whMxztJjhAA
24
This remains a very very disturbing case of racial profiling.There was no reason for the police officer to take the actions he took. How can anyone wonder why Black Lives Matter exists?
20
This triggers everything that I've witnessed, and experienced in interactions with cops. And I'm not even black.
I don't believe Ms Bland hung herself. Never did.
19
As a white conservative I have long believed and seen too many police with the "God with a gun" syndrome. This officer did not act professionally and a little bit of common sense would have helped resolve this issue.
Then again, I did get thrown in jail almost 38 years ago when I back talked a policeman. Drunk and young at the time, I learned my lesson. Keep your mouth shut, do what you are told and get out of the situation as fast as possible.
10
@Jon Galt, don’t agree with paragraph 1, do agree with paragraph 2 of your response. Myself, I got pulled over once for driving too slow, anfter recently having been givien two different speeding tickets. I almost blew my top since I was indeed trying to stay under the speed limit, and I got pulled over for doing 40 in a 45 zone. The cop said I was “tying up traffic”.
When I saw him start getting his dander up at my back talk (he told me to calm down or he would cite me for talking back; otherwise it was just a caution), I did calm down and started being overly polite and apologetic. He let me go with a warning. He did make me get out of the car.
The lesson is always be polite, say “yes sir” a lot, and argue about it in court if necessary.
7
Protect and serve?
6
@jack
Citizens everywhere are required to obey traffic laws, jack. Most sane people know it's dumb to taunt parents, teachers, cops, judges, strangers...
Don't like that, well, there's always a remote island somewhere.
3
Never ask why your are being pulled over. They always tell you. If they ask "do you know why I pulled you over?" Always say no. And then they tell you .
15
@PaulyRat, I think it’s okay to ask if you do so politely and you really don’t know. Just don’t do it in a confrontational or defensive manner. And keep your hands on the steering wheel until the officer tells you to retrieve your license and registration. And then, when you comply with that direction, move slowly, keep your hands visible, and warn the officer if you have to reach into the glove box or under the seat. I dislike cops as much as anyone else (anyone else who isn’t a cop, or related to one), but I always remember that they can be scared as well. It’s a difficult and dangerous job.
If you made a mistake and know it, why backtalk? You can always protest a ticket after the fact. Or file a complaint about an officer acting inappropriately. (i know that the complaints often go nowhere, but they do go on the record.)
4
I've never believed that Sandra Bland committed suicide.
This makes me believe it even less.
15
Sandra Bland did not commit suicide. She's a fighter and had her wits about her. There is no evidence or reason to think she would kill herself over this, or anything. What on earth happened to her? How could she die in that bare cell? The evidence looks much more like a conspiracy on multiple levels to silence her and protect the system. Justice must be done.
12
@Barbara K
Sandra did commit suicide - just like this video showing that the officer committed perjury, there is video of her cell door, shows the officer interacting with her, she is fine, then some time later, no loss of signal, she is found, dead.
Look at the evidence - video cuts both ways on this case. Her family wouldn't bail her out, her new job was gone if she didn't get bailed out, they stopped taking her calls, and that happened.
Follow the evidence - this isn't a Hollywood story with designated bad guys and good guys where all is light or dark. It's a muddled mix that is reality instead.
6
@Barbara K That was my first thought.
@SusanStoHelit, there is so much conflicting information. From what I’ve read in a range of reporting on this (different sources), the jail allowed her more phone calls than one would usually get, because they wanted to help her get bail. That doesn’t sound like the people working there were out to get her. And it seems that her local friend may have avoided her calls, so something was wrong there. That is a strange detail. It’s outlandish, though, that she is so often referred to a s a “fragile” woman. The argumentative, stroppy woman I see in that video is not fragile. This truly is a muddled case.
2
Unfortunately, our police a very poorly trained and most of them have no idea how to de-escalate a confrontation. Even their physical appearance screams aggression. Throw in tension and prejudice, and you have the ingredients for poor outcomes.
11
I'm an aged, white male liberal who understands that police officers sometimes target minorities, plant evidence, and lie about it afterwards. But in this case the officer did nothing wrong in dealing with an obviously belligerent driver who repeatedly challenges his authority. It was just stupid for him to pull his stun gun or to then attempt to justify his conduct by saying he was in fear for his safety. But how much abuse is an officer required to take from a person who refuses to follow his instructions delivered in a reasonable tone before things escalated? Every officer who makes even the most routine traffic stop at some level must be concerned about what he or she might face when approaching the driver. Whether or not the fear is "reasonable" depends on the tension in the air at that moment and there is no doubt that the driver here escalated the tension by refusing to get out of her car. Race does not appear to be a factor; the driver simply acted unreasonable in refusing to obey a lawful instruction. It does not follow that the suicide was because of events during the arrest. This is not a global defense of law enforcement, or of this officer, but it is time for us to stop automatically blaming the police every time a confrontation with a minority develops.
6
@dlthorpe
We have yet to see the police take responsibility for the unjustified and totally avoidable deaths they cause. There cannot be sympathy for the accused when they do not take responsibility for their actions.
2
>>> "But how much abuse is an officer required to take from a person who refuses to follow his instructions delivered in a reasonable tone before things escalated?"
How much verbal "abuse" before totally losing it and escalating the confrontation to a physical one, including drawing a weapon and making angry, out-of-control threats? All of it, that's how much.
>>> ". . . it is time for us to stop automatically blaming the police every time a confrontation with a minority develops."
Automatically? You must have seen a different video than most of the rest of us. This cop richly deserves all of the blame he's receiving.
3
Ms. Bland was, in my opinion, murdered. There should multiple indictments.
11
This is HEART BREAKING. My God, when will this stop? Why are Americans so willing to accept flagrant abuse of power and authority. People whose salaries are paid for by you, and by me, and who carry guns, must be held to a higher standard. There is a something deeply, systemically, and profoundly rotten about the US law enforcement community. No, they're not all bad. But the culture is profoundly rotten. Stop this now.
16
Hold these loose "authoritarian" cannons, and those who hire them, accountable. The liability should come from their pockets first. A long jail sentence should be in their near future.
Then,...... less good folks will die from their choke holds, stun guns, revolvers, etc
6
Poor woman, I feel so bad for her and her family. That should never happen to anyone.
9
Cops are folks
1) Who either don't have the smarts or appetite for college
2) Feel the need to dominate other humans
3) Have no sense of accountability
8
Ph.D. Here. And a cop. And licensed in two states.
7
@FedGod, and when someone breaks into your home and you need help, or you are assaulted by a guy with a knife, or carjacked, or held hostage...who ya’ gonna call? Ghostbusters?
3
Good lord people, doesn’t everyone know to NEVER argue with the cop?? Just be polite, answer the questions, accept the ticket and argue about it in court. Half the time the traffic cop will not bother to show up in court, and the ticket gets dismissed if you show up and contest it. It doesn’t matter what sex or color or whoever you are, don’t argue with the cop. And especially don’t start yelling, screaming, and cursing up a storm. Watch the 7 minute dashcam video found further down in this article, then put what you saw in the phone video into that context. Bland should have calmly got out of the car and accepted the traffic ticket instead of fighting, yelling, screaming and cursing. She was at fault, not the cop. It’s terrible that she died in jail, but that was due to her mental illness, which the cop could have no knowledge of when he arrested her. It’s also terrible that this man lost his career over this incident. That 7 minute dashcam video, plus the testimony of what sounds like a female cop also on the scene, heard off camera, should have been enough to exonerate him completely. Political correctness run amok.
12
@Ann
Are you serious? Just because one argues with the policeofficer is not a reason to go to jail-that is call dictatorship not a democracy!
4
@pc, failure to comply is, in fact, adequate reason to arrest a person. The cop was wrong here, but so was Sandra Bland. You do not fight with a police officer.
5
The only person I saw in the video with a justifiable reason to fear for safety was Ms. Bland. She was holding a cell phone. The officer was pointing a taser at her. The officer plainly perjured himself when he claimed during the investigation he had a reason to fear for his safety. This is why so many people simply don't trust law enforcement anymore.
25
I am a white guy. A few summers ago I was speeding along the mass pike at a cozy 85 mph with my sons in the car. I was pulled over by a state trooper. He was black. As he approached my car, I did what I was taught to do; both hands on the top of the steering wheel and all windows open. He took my license and registration. He came back to me after five or ten minutes in his car and asked me where I was going. I told him I was heading to the Cape for a week with my sons. He said I was looking at a $400.00 ticket but that he would issue a warning if I promised to spend the money on my sons, both of who were at that hyper-cute phase (5 and 7). I did so promise and I drove away, feeling very lucky to have run into this class act of a state trooper. I never sped on the pike again. To this day.
29
One of the most vulnerable situations a police officer can face is a routine traffic stop. The cop is out in the open while the driver is at least partially obscured from the cop's view by the car itself. A significant portion of the killings of police officers happen in this very situation. Cops are right to fear for their safety in any traffic stop in which the driver who has broken traffic laws refuses belligerently to exit the vehicle when commanded to do so.
The video filmed by Sandra Bland offers nothing new. It confirms what the official police video already showed us, namely, that she repeatedly refused to obey the police officer's lawful command to get out of the vehicle.
9
It goes almost without saying the arresting officer's conduct was egregiously bad. Yet it was not a fatal encounter. The woman's death in custody after such an encounter, allegedly by suicide, was screaming for an external investigation which, as far as I know, never happened.
We already know a pull-over for a minor traffic infraction escalated into a toxic situation, but both survived it. Whether the cop reasonably believed his life was in danger is hardly relevant. If the video prompts an investigation into her death then that's good but it doesn't enlighten us in any way about why it occured.
5
Salaries of police officers need to be high enough to attract the very best, who should have the maturity that would come with a required 4 year college degree. Officers should undergo regular retraining on how to handle chronic stress and on how to not shoot unless truly necessary.
5
For as much as I would like to believe that the primary mission of most (if not all) police to is to, say, protect, serve, keep the peace, etc. (and, as a child I believed they were inherently good and I was taught to find one if I ever believed I was in trouble), my own experience with the police - more than once - as an educated, white, upper income, law abiding male - is that they are too often on a power high and looking for a problem where none exists. A individual - in or out of uniform - whose high comes from asserting authority over another person often does becomes a "grenade." Arm the power-high individual and the combo is toxic.
Sandra Bland's video is terrifying to watch and further proof of a widespread serious problem with law enforcement.
9
Rest assured, the degrading, disrespectful choice of words, and then for good measure, the erupting tone of voice aimed at Ms. Bland, from this obviously deeply troubled Officer Encinia, happens similarly and much more frequently to many females driving in solo vehicles than you would imagine. It's happened to me too, and, trust me, you never forget it.
Ms. Bland should, would be alive today, HAD this officer done the right thing to begin with by respectfully telling her what he believed he witnessed her doing illegally, telling her she had the right to fight the misdemeanor charge in court and then hand her the paper ticket explaining it and asking if she understood her rights.
This former Officer needs to be brought to true justice. For Sandra's family and anyone who has quietly been subjected to extremely poor behavior by poorly trained traffic officers.
6
He should have called for backup. Poorly trained.
5
It's very apparent that the Federal Government needs to step in and have police accountability at the federal level. The driver in an apparent suicide, wasn't around to defend herself, the police, prosecutors, and others decided that this officer's "promise" not to work in law enforcement was good enough, and oh sorry about your daughter, sister, mother.
Who's to prevent this "officer" from working in law enforcement, clearly lying seems to come to him pretty easily, and you would think that since the prosecutors dropped perjury charges, why would they accept his promise "not to work" in law enforcement. By the way, it's common knowledge that cops that get fired, just move somewhere else, and pin on a badge. Because for people like this "officer" no other job can proved him with authority over people, like being a cop can, cops like him get some sort of perverse pleasure from having authority over people.
But until we as nation, are willing to not only arrest, but prosecute officers like this that diminish what being a police officer is supposed to mean. When I was a kid, SPD here in Seattle has what was known as "Officer Friendly" I don't think "officer friendly" exists, I think that, like the American dream, is just that, a dream....
5
As a white man, my experience with law enforcement in this country incites fear when I see the police. One thing that is never discussed is the fact that many police take steroids for muscle enhancement. It should be illegal since it incites rage into men who take them. In my experience the police treat everyone as if they are approaching armed and dangerous criminals. I’ve been baited by the police many times. They need to understand that they will be treated as they treat others. The police in this country have earned a bad reputation and watching their bad behavior on TV paints a bad picture for all of them. Mouthing off to a cop isn’t a crime. Attorneys will tell you the police are out of control.
9
I still think of her and I don’t believe she committed suicide.
The cop put her in untenable situation and he knew it. I am sure that he is not living quietly.
We must tread very carefully when we are around cops and judge each situation carefully before we call them. I often wonder if this always going on only we didn’t have cellphones and onsite cameras to show us the truth.
6
It's easy to say Ms. Bland should have obeyed the police but the officer's manner was immediately, needlessly aggressive and violent which is non condusive to compliance. Police officers need to be trained to de-esculate as most probably do. This encounter went from zero to 100 far too quickly, unreasonably and to such tragic results.
12
I'm the most law-abiding person you can imagine. Sure, I've had a couple of traffic tickets but I've grown very afraid of the police. I don't trust them. I avoid any contact with them. They scare the bejesus out of me. Back, when I was a kid, the police were far less intimidating than today. In 21st century America they have become de-facto paramilitary forces with firepower that is truly dangerous. They seem to be immune to scrutiny and, quite often, they basically get away with murder. They have become judge, jury and executioner and there's really very little law-abiding citizens can to except to stay clear of them. Very sad indeed.
23
It has nothing to do with race or color and everything to do with those cops who feed off the fear they invoke in others. Give them a badge and a gun and their ego rages beyond the usual boundaries. We called them rubber-hose cops back in the day, and no one was immune. Unfortunately, this is a desired trait in many law enforcement agencies. Until the police chief is held accountable, nothing will change.
4
The officer provoked this from the beginning. His second sentence was "you seem very irritated." Well, duh. When you gets pulled over by a cop, the most natural reaction is to jump with joy, yeah right. Then after she explains her reasons for pulling over without signaling, he asks "are you done?" How many movies, how many TV shows have we seen where a character in the middle of an argument asks that question, only to have that argument escalate? We all know it's a rhetorical device that really means "bring it on." I would give him a pass on asking her to put her cigarette, only it's clear that by that time, he's looking for some way to establish dominance over the situation. And to then ask her then to step out of the car? Totally unnecessary.
What is really sad, however, is sad that the prosecutors dropped this case. Clearly, whatever danger there was -- and I don't see any -- was created by the officer himself. He is clearly picking a fight, looking for an opportunity to arrest her. And if they felt there was "no certainty" of conviction, isn't that for a jury to decide?
I've written this looking only at the police video, not hers.
I'm sure glad I got outta Texas 30 years ago. Been through DFW a few times to change planes, that's all, and don't really care to go back.
9
If you choose to escalate the situation then you are going to risk whatever outcome. Pulling out a cellphone and recording instead of following the request of a police officer is choosing to escalate the situation. What is the proper response when a citizen refuses to exit a vehicle and instead decides to start recording? It was her choice of how to respond to the request. Escalating the situation was cause for immediate arrest. Her subsequent death is probably due to the fact that she started to feel guilty about her choices.
5
@Tex
Recording with a cell phone is NOT escalating the situation. Everyone has a right to do so. Screaming at an unarmed woman that you're going to "light her up" unless she grovels the way you want her to IS.
14
@Tex
"Escalating the situation was cause for immediate arrest."
LOL citation needed.
5
What about the officer’s duty to de-escalate ? Why didn’t he act in a more civil and courteous manner? He’s the one who is trained to handle this type of situation.
What exactly would you do if an officer screamed at you and held a taser in your face for failing to indicate ? Nobody indicates in Texas ! You know that very well. This guy was out of control.
Lastly officer’s agreement to never act as a law enforcement official again in return for a “no indictment” outcome speaks volumes doesn’t it? Why was the video cam released but not the cell phone video ? Again, it speaks volumes about Waller County law enforcement (suburban Houston).
5
My reaction to the dashcam video was one of concern for Ms. Bland, partly because the officer failed to de-escalate the encounter, but also because she seemed so agitated from the very beginning. All of her reactions seem out of proportion and almost calculated to elicit more and more extreme behavior from the officer. That does NOT excuse him. He himself noted that she seemed "annoyed" from the very first, so he clearly perceived something was bothering her besides the traffic stop. That's when he should have just written the ticket or issued the warning and walked away. I wonder if something had happened earlier, prior to the encounter with the officer, that had so upset and agitated her? Perhaps the interview had not gone well? She mentioned having epilepsy. Patients with epilepsy often also suffer from depression and anxiety, which can cause unstable moods. Phenobarbital, often prescribed for epilepsy to control seizures, can worsen those conditions. I wonder if her medical condition was noted and evaluated when she was taken into custody or if she may have recently skipped a dose? It's hard to imagine why no one, even if unaware of her epilepsy, didn't wonder at her disproportionate reaction and consider that it might be a symptom of emotional distress or a medical condition. Had anyone done so, she might not have been left alone in a cell to take her own life. It's hard to believe that someone thinking clearly would commit suicide over a traffic stop.
9
There was absolutely nothing ‘disproportionate’ about her reaction.
7
@A. Cleary
Until she calmed down, she probably would not sign the ticket. Until she calmed down, she would have been at risk of having an accident if she drove away. Once people get into that state, an officer cannot just walk away and hope that all will be well.
5
@A. Cleary, doesn't everyone get annoyed when they get stopped for a traffic ticket, especially a minor one like this? She did explain that she thought he was in a hurry to get by so she just moved over. IMO, the trooper's actions are WAY over the top. It's none of his business if she is smoking, he should have let her vent, and then given her the warning.
10
Traffic stops are high risk encounters for both sides. But Much of the unknown is resolved by running the driver’s license to determine vital information, including the driver’s criminal record.
If the license were made available before there was any verbal exchange, then the cop would be charged with knowledge of who he is dealing with. If he knows the driver has a clean record, the exchange seen here would clearly be illegal. If, by contrast, he learns that the driver is a violent criminal, it is a whole different story. It is unreasonable to have all this information at hand and not to access it right from the start.
2
If cities could actually be held accountable, financially and constitutionally accountable, for the misdeeds of their officers, they'd be a lot pickier about who gets the privilege of wearing that badge and weapon. But they're not really, are they? As long as the average citizen is considered the enemy and this violent roid rage police response is deemed appropriate, then we citizens are under siege, not "served and protected."
21
What's striking is that the settlement for the death of a black woman in Texas is about one tenth that of the settlement for a white woman shot by a black Minneapolis officer.
33
This is sickening. On so many levels.
9
I remember in the abnormal psychology course I took in college the professor saying that (most) policemen's thinking is "black and white." It's either good or bad, nothing in between.
6
After viewing the video, no reasonable person can come to the conclusion that Ms. Bland was a threat to the officer. Rather, the officer grossly escalated the situation and demonstrated his unprofessional temperament. Furthermore, he lied. He should be terminated.
28
He should be sued for violating her civil rights and abusing his authority and he should be investigated for murder.
4
Agreed.
1
Policing in America needs work. I don’t have all the answers, but that won’t stop me from trying to make a difference and working to inform myself. I appreciate the efforts of the New York Times to keep us updated. All power to all the people.
3
I do not believe it was suicide - not for an instant.
This civilian's video shows a macho he-man with a gun too amped up on testosterone furious that someone would invoke their rights rather than roll over and grovel to him.
Like the cops who murder citizens with the get out of jail and responsibility card of yelling drop the gun while instantly pulling the trigger - never giving the victim a chance to do anything, let alone comply.
I thought cops are supposed to be trained to take the heat, take the risk on behalf of the citizenry, not the other way around; not cowardly shoot first and cover up afterwards - let the citizens take the risk on behalf of cops.
Yes, MOST cops are good and take the risk on behalf of the rest of us - too bad the few cowards or the itchy trigger fingers lusting to kill are ruining it for everyone.
10
I don’t think most cops are good. I think most are mediocre and will cover for their colleagues.
5
This video clip is horrifying. I remember thinking, after her death, that if it was indeed suicide (which is an enormous IF), it might have been that her treatment by law enforcement, both in this video and in jail, was completely destructive to her sense of self.
7
Yet bias often works in many ugly ways. I was standing in front of a friend's house in Costa Mesa, CA, and her neighbor, an African American LA County police officer and I started talking. I mentioned that it was a pretty diverse neighborhood and city. Dale offered, "Yea, but you can't trust Chinese or the Jews." I responded, "Thank you, Dale. I will keep a close watch on my grand daughter who is half Chinese (decent) and half Jewish." I don't think we have spoken since. If this is "whataboutism" then what about it?
9
Forget about do called law, not obeying the officer etc, what happened to humanity.? This officer behaves like an animal because of the directional wrong signal? Something is wrong with our country, terribly wrong.
12
It’s infuriating. This guy needs to be more than fired. He should do time. I feel sick to my stomach watching this.
9
I used to respect and admire cops. Thought they were the good guys. Some are awful. And if the good ones defend the bad ones, then they're awful, too.
13
What we need to change is the situation where police officers demand respect. We really should not be obliged to respect them. They need to learn to accept behavior that challenges them, unless protecting life and limb.
12
I'm sorry, Sandra Bland and others who have complained about the police have to learn to LISTEN to the officer and complain later. However, she just "HAD" to give attitude because we assume that she has no control over herself.
8
I wish the policeman would have been able to stay calm, professional and de-escalate when facing a person who goes from un-cooperative to offensive.
I wish the motorist would have shown some elementary respect for authority, instead of going from believing that she can make no mistake to trying to intimidate and offend the policeman.
The policeman lost it and overreacted, but there was no indication whatsoever of racial-motivated bias. As a white man, I was stopped by police for similar traffic violations, and I have no doubt whatsoever that if I would have shown this kind of disrespect, I would have suffered similar consequences, if not worse - insults from a man are even more difficult to swallow for a police officer.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, and it’s really sad that most comments here want to see things only in black and white - literally.
It’s also regrettable that the article’s author chooses ambiguity, by stating that the motorist “was found dead in her cell”. If there are reasons to suspect foul play, evidence should be mentioned, instead of equivocation.
4
I am so thankful that I live in an area where relatively few people have guns, and thus police officers are less likely to assume their lives are on the line in traffic stops.
If we got rid of the guns, we would all be safer. Isn't it the case that some countries still don't give their law enforcement personnel guns?
Yes, I know I am either preaching to the choir on here, or preaching to the studiously deaf.
6
He didn’t think she had a gun. Not for a second. She had her phone in her hands.
4
Was there really a traffic violation? Ms. Bland says to Officer Encinia at the start she moved to the other lane because he drove up behind her so she felt obligated to move over. He clearly was fishing to get her to do something so he could stop her on an extremely minor infraction that everybody does almost every day. The only time I have received a moving violation was when I was in Oklahoma moving at the speed of all the other cars around me and an officer pulled me over for speeding because he saw my out of state New York plates. There was no way I could stay to fight the ticket because I was not staying in Oklahoma long.
6
Anyone in a position of power is susceptible to overreacting when their ego bruises when someone challenges their power.
Anyone who actively wants a position of power (cop, politician, judge... and to an extent, priests, doctors, lawyers...) should be disqualified for the simple fact that they want it. No matter how much they kid themselves that they are doing benevolent work, eventually someone will challenge their power and they will react. Or eventually they will abuse that power for self-service. It's only a matter of time, because ultimately, we are all self-serving. Even when we think we're being selfless, we're doing it for the warm fuzzies. To make ourselves feel better. Which is even more ammunition to overreact when someone challenges them.
1
There is also a video of Ms. Bland being dragged into the police station hogtied by the officer. Why were there no violation of her civil rights charges filed by Federal authorities at the time?
10
Wow! That’s important. The Times should have included that in addition to the cop cam, her brief phone video, and the silent one of her being booked and then entering her single occupancy cell. Really! That’s a major omission in this story.
Being hogtied is a very big deal. There would be no justification for that unless she was acting violently as she was being transported to jail. Had I seen that, I might have been more sympathetic to Ms. Bland’s situation.
In viewing both videos of the altercation for the first time, I am left feeling befuddled and sickened by the cop’s aggressive treatment of Ms. Bland. The ferocity of his insistence that she exit her car, and his bone chilling threat to “light her up,” are sickening abuses of power. To see how easily she went from failing to signal to being thrown in jail is extraordinarily disturbing, and in Ms. Bland’s tragic case, lethal. I hope her family succeeds in reopening this matter and that justice is actually served.
12
Unfortunately the complete video from his dash cam was taken down quickly after the incident, and now an edited one is the only one available. If you were one of the few who saw it, you would have seen that she was profiled. He was finishing a stop in the opposite direction on a divided highway when you see her drive pass at a normal speed, he then jumps in his car, drives to the next crossover and hurriedly gets on her tail. She tries to move over and allow him to pass, he then turns his lights on and pulls in behind her. You then see her completely comply with all his disrespectful demands. Yes she does question him because she never did anything that warranted being stopped or arrested. It is hideous this still occurs. Thankfully Texas DPS immediately fired him, but they need to make the complete video available again because it also shows him lying to his supervisor when he calls in about the arrest.
16
@Cynda
Thanks, I couldn't remember it so exactly, but only knew what I had concluded.
This was so upsetting; and it's more upsetting to see people blaming her for being "mouthy."
I have been stopped a couple of times without provocation, as had my significant other, and know that I was upset and had to struggle to hold my tongue. And being white, I had a lot less to fear. OTOH.
4
This is insane. The policeman should have asked for her license and registration. Then gone back to his vehicle, checked for any violations, written a ticket and handed it to her. That's all that he needed to do. Instead, he started in with questions, insisted that she put out her cigarette when all he needed was to walk away. Police should have no discretion in handling trivial matters like traffic/parking tickets. Just get the information needed for the citation and go on about other police matters. Period.
10
Unbelievable.
I recall viewing the original footage. The police car was coming at a high rate of speed behind Ms. Bland. If I had been driving and saw the police vehicle in my rear view mirror approaching so rapidly, I would also have moved over assuming the police car was answering a call somewhere in front of me. What was the purpose of such high speed?
It looked to me like she was moving out of the way of a first responder, as one would do for any police vehicle, fire truck, or ambulance.
What was this guy thinking? Sorry, but this appears to be a vicious bullying incident with a horrific outcome.
What is going on in this world?
15
Bland took out her phone after the encounter had become adversarial. Before being horrified by the portion recorded on the cell phone, we need to know what preceded it. Typically police officers only reach the intensity shown after they have experienced resistance to their requests. May be this was not the case, but we cannot tell.
4
You raise a fair point, but it does not justify the officer’s behavior and, indeed, does not explain pulling her over for changing lanes without signaling. At the very least, let’s remember: this started with a woman not signaling a change of lanes and ended up with her committing suicide in jail. Something was very wrong here.
I am not black so I cannot imagine what it must be like to be pulled over time after time again for infractions minor or imagined. I would be fed up too. I would pull out my phone too. I would have a hard time keeping my cool. I used to think that having a phone in your hand when pulled over was not a good idea. I now understand it.
It cannot be too much to ask that police officers are, indeed, the finest and adequately trained to do their important work. That they know how to de-escalate situations, that they treat everyone with respect, that they are able to leave their biases at home. I want to trust them but it is increasingly difficult, and it makes me feel bad for those officers that, I know, do a great job. Also, we need to be able to ask more of our police officers. Saying that we don’t know how it started is fine, but how it ended is more the responsibility of the officer than the civilian’s: with power comes responsibility.
There is racism in America, folks, and there is a systemic tendency to cover up episodes like these (how else to explain the history of this video, as explained in the article?). It needs to end.
7
@José
Just because the outcomes of investigations do not satisfy one's preferences, if the reasons given are rationally sound, that's what we must accept. Did Bland deserve jail for a minor traffic violation? Did she deserve to die? Would it have been so bad to just let her break the law with impunity? These are moral questions but they do not indicate that the police violated their oaths to uphold the law. Just that justice can sometimes not correspond to what is legal.
Yes, you can tell. Scroll further down in the article and watch the entire 7 minute dashcam recording from the officer’s car. You will see that Bland was vigorously refusing to comply with the officer’s standard, firm but polite requests to exit the vehicle and respond to questioning. Bland escalated the situation to the point that the officer had no choice. Bland’s phone video does nothing to change the fact that this officer did nothing wrong. Fit her video into the context of the dashcam video and the result is the same. Bland actively disobeyed the officer and resisted arrest, the entire time cursing and screaming, while the officer did not curse, but did strongly counter the resistance in order to control the situation. While off camera Bland screamed and yelled about being forced to the ground and having her head slammed into the ground, the help-responding female officer’s voice can be heard telling Bland that she (the female officer) saw everything and that none of those things had happened.
Everybody should know that you don’t argue with the cop. Be polite, answer the questions, accept the traffic ticket, and argue about the ticket in court. Acting the way Bland did gets you arrested for interfering with officer giving you a ticket, and continuing to act out gets you charged with resisting arrest. While it is terrible that Bland’s mental illness caused her to take her life in the jail cell, this male officer did nothing wrong, and did not overstep boundaries.
8
Sick to my stomach doesn’t begin to express my feelings about this. How about sick to our collective, American, nationwide SOUL?
9
Remind me not to drive through rural Texas ever - and I am a Caucasian of Scandinavian descent. That state scares the heck out of me.
22
If anyone has mental health concerns, it is the short tempered and emotionally dysregulated officer in the video.
39
This is a simple case of driving while black. This officer should be in jail. He wants us to believe that he was so in fear for his own safety that he ripped open her door to drag her out with one arm while holding a taser with the other? The fact that this woman then lost her life because of this incident should send him to jail for involuntary manslaughter at the very least.
22
A black woman in a car pulled over because she failed to use a signal? A white police officer is in fear of his life, feels unsafe? Really? Since when are police above the law? If they don't have the "guts" to do the job while protecting people's civil and constitutional rights then they should find other work. Oh yeah, we need to pay them more, a lot more that way we can get a higher caliber of folks. Not one's that just have high school diplomas.
8
Sandra should be alive today. Period. Unconscionable policing.
14
That boy never should have been allowed on the force in the first place.
Failure to signal is a traffic ticket. The officer should be saying "License and registration, please." If the check on the license comes up negative, the officer should write a ticket and move on.
12
“He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life,”
"Living" is the key word. He's living. Sandra Bland is not.
28
me - She should never have been sent to jail in the first place. The clearly unhinged cop should have written her a ticket and walked away.
9
There are some people, wonderful people to those whose humanity is visible to them, who will never admit or acknowledge that there has been a historical and still remaining breach of human rights in this country based on race and perpetuated by our law enforcement apparatus. No matter the command or how far it strayed from standards set by that officers own department; no matter the evidence; no matter the loss of life. It is a safer activity for a white man to take an assault weapon and kill multiple children at a school or the elderly at a church than it is for black people in some places to shop and drive their cars. Shameful, and deeply American.
7
@me but the FBI only counted instances where one person did the shooting and one person was killed which leaves 17% of murders accounted for. When you consider that white men are the primary agents of domestic terrorism (killing and targeting minorities in multiples) the FBI's numbers are ambiguous at best (consider that Charlotte was not counted). In the data I saw, blacks killed about 500 whites and whites killed about 250 for the year. Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with race but also socioeconomic and accessibility issues,
Pulling over a black man or woman for failing to signal a lane change happens across Texas many times every day. The video shows the lack of traffic on the road - a factor courts have found to be reason to suppress the detention and subsequent arrest.
As a criminal lawyer in Fort Worth for 22 years (prosecutor 13 years and now defense attorney for nine), I have witnessed this abuse of authority hundreds of times. Other methods used to detain black drivers: failing to signal 100 feet before an intersection, back license plate not illuminate 50 feet (though later shown to be properly illuminated), failing to stop before the white line at a red light, etc. etc. Then the car is searched (sometimes torn apart) without probable cause. For the past several years in Tarrant County, the officers have begun to allege they smell marijuana when they approach the driver. Yet the thorough search of the vehicle too often finds no marijuana.
In 39 years, I’ve never been pulled over for such alleged traffic violations. My white friends tell me they have not either. On traffic stops, I’ve never been told to step out out the car. I’ve never had my car searched. Black clients of all ages have told me of the many times each has been pulled over for such allegations. I can’t help but believe the mindset for too many officers is that the driver is black so he/she must be up to no good. The officer’s hostile tone in talking to Ms. Bland demonstrates his racism perspective.
34
I’m white. I’ve never been pulled over for any of the alleged infractions you mentioned. Neither has any member of my family or my husband’s family.
2
@Equal Protection For All
Biased sampling leads to stereotyping. Biased upbringing leads to stereotyping. Whichever the case, the result is the same. It's just a misapplication of human judgment resulting in unjust enforcement practices.
1
@Equal Protection For All, I've seen police officers fail to signal several times where I live. They don't even follow the law.
2
It's sad to say the police officer was just doing his job, but that is exactly what happened in this case. It all depends on how you see the police, as they are advertised or how they really came into being.
The phrase "the thin blue line" was never a reference to having police being the bulwark against anarchy, it was a quote from William Parker about how they are what kept Los Angeles segregated. Police departments are a new thing, they used to just be slave patrols and strike breakers, eventually they re-branded and began to occasionally try to solve homicides and direct traffic. When one looks into their history you see a very obvious pattern and realize that this violence is a feature not a bug.
The fact is all these videos exhibit Standard Operating Procedure and it's the real reason why there's never a conviction. They're just doing their jobs, they're the thin blue line.
8
@Bo
That is NOT standard operating procedure. You are WRONG.
5
@Kurt
It does seem like a stretch that this behavior is in anyway condoned or considered just part of the job, unless of course you observe every single one of these cases and judge all the actions taken in each and every one. Look at the approval ratings of the police, those on whose behalf they serve rate them very highly, in fact it goes even higher whenever one of the incidences occurs, because they're doing exactly what they should be doing.
The 'natural order of things' as seen through the eyes of the elites in this country often needs to be maintained by force.
3
This video is another example of someone who should never have been a police officer. Why Ms. Bland, was was pulled over for failing to signal while changing lanes(!), was forced out of her car and physically assaulted on the ground is outrageous.
Her death by hanging in an unmonitored cell should never have happened. The fact her cell phone video has only now surfaced sounds like a cover-up.
9
If McDonald was one of "team of five special prosecutors" assigned to case - yet, claims "he was not involved in the decision to drop" charges against officer, then it begs question who/who was involved in decision and were they aware of Ms Bland's cellphone video?
This article does to answer these questions????
Besides, seems to me, if prosecutors continued with perjury charges, then Ms Bland's video would have need to be released - drop charges and, Voila, video remains hidden.
3
Police crime and violence exists because of who we select to become police. The only difference between the police and criminals is that police have uniforms and badges. They both share the same bullying, antisocial behaviors. We need to hire individuals with personalities suitable for the job and weed out the corrupt, bullying, antisocial, and cowardly individuals.
3
When failure to use a turn signal results in death, something is very wrong. There is no justifying what should never have happened in the first place.
10
I remember the Sandra Bland case very well when it was first reported, and I thought at the time that the story didn’t add up.
I pray that this will be pursued now.
It is heartbreaking.
What have we become?
We must have a moral revolution in this country, one that prioritizes kindness, respect and basic decency.
We are lost.
19
I often wonder in these cases where the officers are primed and ready for action at the slightest push-back against their authority, how much caffeine and/or energy drinks did they consume in the hours before the incident? Does anyone ever look into this? These are serious questions.
3
@Billy Baynew
why is there any push-back at all? I was a punk. I grew up disliking uniforms and authority, but I don't see any justification for any push-back. I've been pulled over for speeding. When I don't speed, I don't get pulled over. i wish the speed limit were a lot higher, but it's not.
The term "push-back" is very chic, but I don't truly know what it means. Does it mean testing authority? does it mean using such interactions as a chance to express displeasure with American history? Exactly what benefit arises from testing a cop's authority?
2
@Anti-Marx
“Push-back” means standing up for your rights. It means speaking your mind when you know your rights are being violated. It means calling out a bully. It means questioning authority. All of which is legal under the law and completely normal behavior.
I’m glad you’ve lived a charmed life, but many of us have had unwarranted encounters with police. I was a military policeman and I’ve seen MPs abuse their authority by beating prisoners, among other things. Some are quite simply nasty people who think they can do as they please because they have the power of the government behind them.
The same happens on the civilian side. I live a law abiding life and have, a few times, had some police officer who was having a bad day harass me for no good reason, when I was doing nothing wrong. I’ve seen a policeman chemically mace a young woman despite her immediately following his command to leave a particular area. He did it because he could. I’ve seen a policeman threaten a person with tasing and arrest if he filed a complaint about the way the officer was behaving during a traffic stop. Rarely have I seen a policeman apologize. (In fact, I once apologized to a prisoner and was roundly condemned by my colleagues for doing so.) There is an “I am in control” mentality that, in some officers, doesn’t ever get switched off. By the way, I am not anti-cop by any means. I happily work with lots of them; I know how difficult their jobs can be.
1
Makes me sick that she's dead. The officer said he felt his life was threatened? By what? Police have a tough job, but this guy should have never been given a badge. What kind of training did they give him? Just sickening.
17
It’s not just lack of training, it’s also lack of (or resistance to) support and guidance while on the job.
1
At a minimum, all police officers should be required to have body camera operating for every interaction. There are just too many crazies that hide behind a badge. Especially in these podunk towns where the kid who used to get bullied is suddenly the big bad lawman and he's going to serve up his own kind of justice.
4
The video of Sandra Bland going to her holding cell seems to show a cell with nothing in it except her blankets.
How did she hang herself? Wasn't there a weird huge garbage can in there? It looks very suspicious for this jail when it is clear from this photo there was nothing in the cell at the time she was put there.
This is very suspicious.
7
@RJ
It was with the garbage bag. And there's video to show that no one else went in the cell, as you know. She wasn't in a suicide watch cell - nor should she have been (other than in 20/20 hindsight).
Why isn't deescalation taught to police officers? If a police officer instantly goes for gun or taser, that person should not be a police officer. If they're scared of every non-white person they encounter, they shouldn't be a police officer.
The police are becoming more and more militaristic and getting more and more military weapons every day.
Creeping fascism, creeping police state. Give us another twenty years? I hate to think about it unless things change for the better, which I don't see happening.
13
A college professor died after having been pulled over for allegedly failing to signal a turn. The obscuration of evidence and lack of any motive for suicide should terrify everyone who has been following this case. The officer pulled over a black woman on the flimsiest of charges and approached her with his weapon drawn. Justice was not served.
17
it's about time there is some justice for what used to be known as police brutality but is now called what it is, murder. I do believe Bland was troubled and did kill herself, but obviously had she been white she wouldn't have been locked up in the first place. Tangentially, do female cops kill people in the same proportion?
This is horrible!
Ms Bland was pushed to the point of taking her life.
She was arrested for Resisting and for Assault on a Peace Officer!
She had to feel that her world was coming to an end, her new job, gone!
Her reputation gone!
A criminal record for life?
This is sickening, the video should have been released four years ago with the dashboard camera footage. That is real transparency!!
3
How many times do we need to read that African Americans inexplicably hang themselves in prison cells? I will never believe that a woman who had the presence of mind to record her harassment by the police then suddenly killed herself. Clearly, there is more to this fabricated story.
16
"Get out of the car!"
Why?? If it is a traffic violation stop. you do not need the offender to get out of the car. I've been stopped for traffic violation several times over the years. The officer usually will state what I did wrong, give me a warning not to do it again and sometimes write me a ticket if it is a major violation. Period. ( I have a lead right foot 😁)
For failure to signal?
Then again, I am NOT black.
19
“Feared for his life.” Unbelievable.
I strongly suspect that this young woman was murdered by one of the police officers at that precinct. I shudder to think what her last moments must have been like.
8
@Ellen
There's video of her holding cell. It is established that this was a suicide.
1
Why was she arrested in the first place? For filming the encounter? For not using a turn signal? This whole thing is so absurd and absolutely stinks of corruption. That cop should be in jail for making a false arrest, period.
6
What do you think Afro-Americans feel like, after watching such videos and knowing the more intricate details!
If a police office cannot de-escalate a situation, and there will be argumentative people, call for backup! You have lost control. Accept it.
On one hand police officers need to be taught de-escalation of a situation, not be so fast at zapping out that stun gun!
On the other hand, everyone and not just black folks, need to be taught how to behave when approached by an officer. Getting defensive doesn’t help, does it?
And maybe, everyone in this country should be subjected to unconscious bias training.
2
I think motorists should be required to take a class about following police officer orders promptly during a traffic stop. Evidently, a lot of people don't know how to keep their mouths shut and their hands on the wheel.
8
OK, she opened her mouth at the wrong time and got in the guy's face. But so what? This cop was a walking hand grenade, ready to explode at the slightest perceived infraction. Textbook example how law enforcement ought NEVER to conduct itself. Layer onto all this the history of black-police interactions and - boom! I'd like to know how a guy like this was ever accepted into the police force. He's incompetent and dangerous.
4
I am white and middle aged and was driving a van, when I inadvertently slightly blocked the view of a State Trooper, waiting to exit at an intersection. I broke no law, just inconvenienced the cop in the most minor way. His disgusting rant at me was utterly unwarranted, vile and ignorant. I will never feel the same way again about law enforcement personnel.
14
When people do not simply respond directly to police and do as they request, the police respond in a policy of increasing force until they receive compliance. They do not back down when somebody decides that the police have no right to interfere with what they are doing. Police have some discretion but when one resists, they do not back down. In that respect, they treat all encounters alike.
There are other factors that come into play which may be wrong. Police may use racial profiling or act to punish people they suspect of having committed crimes. They may make errors which can invalid proof of crimes and try to cover up the mistakes. They can think someone guilty of a crime when the evidence clearly shows they are not but try to conceal that evidence.
But what we see in a majority of the controversial cases involving alleged police brutality is prejudgments of police actions as being illegal or unjustified only to be later found once all the evidence has been confirmed to be justified under the circumstances know by the officers at the time. While this is frustrating to those who are trying to fight against the disproportional involvement of racial minorities in the criminal justice system, it needs to be appreciated as likely reliable. Exaggerated mistrust of law enforcement leads to resistance in encounters with officers and more force being applied by officers to achieve compliance. The fear of unfair treatment leading to a more rough treatment.
6
Not with my tax dollars
1
Casual Observer, maybe the police policy of meeting every challenge, including citizens merely asserting legal rights, with increasing force until compliance is achieved is just plain stupid.
Actually, no maybe about it.
Citizens are the sovereigns in the US, not the police.
Police should be approaching citizens with respect, not demanding respect from citizens. It’s OUR laws they are enforcing and it’s OUR taxes they are being paid with.
This nonsense that citizens must comply with every whim of a police officer, legal or not, is the logic of a police state, not a free society.
1
@Serrated Thoughts
Police officers act for society not the individuals in society. When individuals violate laws, they violate the rules required by society acting for everyone. Laws are not always right, society is not always right. In our past, society has been controlled by elites and by racist majorities, and laws used to oppress. But the fact is that unless police enforce the law, the law is without affect and may as well not exist. So we demand that police enforce laws that some individuals do not want them to enforce.
She made it into a confrontation. All she had to do was comply. Instead, the contested everything. She showed extreme disrespect for his authority. I'm not arguing that he's a great officer. But there's an unspoken contract that a civilian respects a police offcier's authority. She protested everything. All he asked her to do, as I gather, is get out of her car. She's the one who turned it into a huge issue.
As a driver, I think signaling is very important. As a driver, I routinely find myself angry with people who don't signal when changing lanes. It can be dangerous. The same with broken taillights. This is a very unfortunate interaction, but I'm happy that the police stop people for not signaling and having broken lights. It truly improves road safety.
11
@Anti-Marx the situation escalated when he asked her to simply put her cigarette out. She let him know she was in her car and could do whatever she wanted in her car. Then and only then did he ask her to get out of the car to which she told him she did not have to do that either. Maybe he didn't like being bent down at her car window inhaling second hand smoke nor should he have to. Then she self determined what the officer did and did not have a right to ask of her and became completely defiant, illogical and disrespectful.
3
The officer lost his job and his career for misrepresenting the truth. That would have been the only wrongful act that was asserted or proved by anyone. What else should have happened to achieve justice?
Should there be a law which makes criminal anything which makes the public feel unjustly treated by police grounds for loss of job and perhaps criminal penalties? Well the law considers that possibility and has determined that in the course of investigating possible crimes all police will make lots of innocent people upset and demanding punishment for the police officers, so they provide civil immunity for the police officers from legal actions from their good faith efforts which happened to affect innocent people.
Bland's suicide was not okay but how was it the fault of the police?
1
All that for a failure to signal? How did such a minor infraction escalate in to this? How did someone who failed to turn on a turn blinker end up behind bars? What has the world come to?
6
I am a 68 year old Armenian and a lawyer for almost 40 years. In my lifetime, the majority of my encounters with local police reflects the same disrespectful, provocative and demeaning treatment shown in these videos. We have a culture of punitive, controlling and abusive behavior by “authorities” all the way from individual incidents like this right up to our over aggressive, might makes right foreign policy.
7
Seriously, we should just ignore patterns of misconduct that undermine confidence in law enforcement? Wait until it happens to you or a loved one.
1
I had not viewed the dashcam video until now. How clever of the police officer to move Ms. Bland out of camera range when he apparently roughed her up.
I would find it easy to believe that she did not hang herself.
10
The sunglasses have to go.
We made a point of taking off sunglasses when deployed to Afghanistan and Africa when speaking with the local residents.
Sunglasses inspired distrust and ditching them made it easier to establish connections and communicate better.
14
Actually, the main reason this went so viral was her later suicide. The police released the dashcam video because there were so many unhinged conspiracy theories about her death floating around the internet (for example she was dead in the mugshot but propped up). Even in the comment section here you can see several people implying it wasnt a suicide.
In fact most of the initial hysteria around the police abuse cases dont focus on the actual police abuse in each of the deaths but on unverified claims and outright lies about what happened. Hands up dont shoot, for example. But the conspiracy theories tend to originate in a more melaninated slice of social media so they are never much examined.
3
“He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life.”
Quiet?! Having seen the video, somehow I doubt that.
This type of abusive behavior is not an isolated event. I fear for his wife, his children, and his pets. They all need help.
10
Agreed. People with fuses this short don’t stop abusing until they get nailed.
Always record your interactions with police whenever possible.
Sandra Bland was arrested under false pretenses, and then was likely killed by police in jail.
Justice and accountability are slow to appear, if they ever will.
From the president all the way to local law enforcement, this country appears to be a lawless, predatory zone, as long as you're part of the group that gets a pass when it breaks the law.
8
This case should be reopened.
This video is a game changer, and should have been revealed as evidence on the case.
Sandra Bland might not have killed herself.
Anyone who knew of this tape and withheld it should be sued and removed immediately from their position.
10
I was pulled over by a cop the other day, apparently he was sitting next to me at a red stop light and I took a moment to look at my phone, then put it down on the passenger seat when the light changed, then drove through the light. I’m actually v careful not to use my phone while driving but I didn’t know it’s not legal to look at it at a stop light. Informing me of that would have been appropriate. Instead he ordered me to give him my license and registration and I had to ask what I’d done wrong. He took my question apparently as some additional offense and I could feel the rage and threat from this guy — with a gun — in a dark street at night. I’m a petite woman I was driving alone. He’d seen me sitting calmly reading, so no his rage and behavior was his to answer for. Luckily it didn’t escalate but I could see how it could. He also never showed me his badge so they really should be trained to read a situation and understand their responsibilities. Or maybe that’s not what some of these guys are really in it for... Scary indeed.
23
I thought everyone knew even looking at your phone while operating a vehicle is a citation. I know plenty of drivers in Illinois who found out the hard way.
The police video filmed from his car, taken from behind hers, which was online when this occurred had him first tell her to put out her cigarette. There was heat then when she refused. Whether she was right or wrong about it, when an officer says to anyone to get out of the car, the driver is stuck doing it. A cop isn't going to beg someone to listen to him.
6
We currently live in an era of unprecedented safety and low violent crime rates. The officer is either lying about fearing for his safety or he is wholly unfit for the job, based on his behavior in the videos.
10
This business of police "fearing for their safety" is used as an excuse for all kinds of police misconduct. Not only the misconduct exemplified in both these videos, where the policeman is clearly disrespectful, but also, it is used as an excuse to shoot people in the back and to smother people. If police persons are so "fearful for their lives" they should find other employment. I have been in a car stopped by police in Canada, where they took a tone of helpfulness, and by police in the USA where they took a nasty, accusatory tone. Somewhere the training and the screening of these police people in the USA is missing the point. Where is the "policeman is my friend" notion gone to these days? Police should be helpers, not accusers. Clearly, Ms. Bland was distraught in both films. Why did the policeman insist on escalating this to the point of extraction of Ms. Bland from her car and his screaming at her. In no case does his life seem to be in danger, but she has a great deal of fear in her voice. It is time we in the USA do something about the problem with the way policing is done in this country.
8
@chichimax
Civility should be provided by police in every encounter. However, asserting that police by choosing to be police should accept the risks of harm by doing nothing to protect themselves until they are harmed so that they do not offend anyone, is misguided. Threats to life occur too fast for human response times to be effective to rely upon such a standard. To survive violence, people need to act before it takes place, when all circumstances perceived indicate that it might be about to occur.
1
@Casual Observer
People who are trigger happy, edgy and fearful should not be police. Of course they should protect themselves, but their job is to protect the public; to go on the offense against the most defenseless of our citizens is a monumental breech of trust. Sandra Bland's rights as a citizen and as a human being were clearly violated. She is the victim here, the policeman is the violator. Ms. Bland was victimized unnecessarily as have been so many who have either been shot in the back or beaten to death simply because they have become emotionally upset. Many with mental illness have been killed due to willful aggression on the part of police. Children have been shot. These trigger happy police should be punished and police training and screening needs to change. A man who is doing traffic checks should never pull his taser on an innocent woman. He had no reason to do this. It was probably near the end of his shift and he wanted to get one more ticket in. Shameful.
@chichimax
The argument is that Bland should be allowed to act as she pleased because police are instruments of political oppression by local and federal governments controlled by a power elite, not by any government by, for, and of the people. It's just a lot of venting about issues which people find very frustrating. It's about disproportionate attention upon minorities by the criminal justice system which suffer the greatest bad results of inequities and have for a very long time. In this perspective, Bland's refusal to cooperate with police was justified and their attempts to enforce the law not.
Police treat every person who goes off on them the same. They use the means they have at hand to regain control. They use criminal laws against such refusals to behave cooperatively to deter others from creating scenes. These rules and policies are given to them to follow, they do not make them up on the spot because of how they feel about any particular person.
After being stopped both in vehicles and on a motorcycle for various reasons, I have survived every time with nothing more than a ticket. My rule in these incidents is one that all should adopt when dealing with cops and that is to comply with all commands without argument. If the cop is out of line, his badge number will enable a complaint to be filed at a later time. Botom line: White or Black, all of those who have lost their lives would still be alive today if they had simply complied with commands. There is a diffrence between being right and being smart.
8
This is reprehensible but I didn’t need to see this. The prior video said it all.
In that video, I had seen a woman who had merely changed lanes without signaling, confused and indignant at the unwarranted and inexcusable way she was being treated. I also saw an excuse for a man getting more and more irate because of what I’m sure he thought was “uppity” behavior from someone he didn’t seem to think was human - he certainly didn’t treat her like she deserved basic human dignity.
He caused the encounter and he kept escalating until she was forced on to the ground and into handcuffs.
I’ve thought about her a lot since I saw that video. Thinking that she reacted how I would have. But knowing that that excuse for a police officer probably wouldn’t have stopped me for the same “offense.”
The injustice is breath taking.
13
“For him to come back three years later is frankly quite ridiculous,” said Mr. McDonald, who added that he was “proud” of the investigation into the case.
‘Mr. McDonald said he first saw Ms. Bland’s video more than three years ago.’
Wow.
Can we look into disbarring this guy?
This is what is broken, a lawyer that saw evidence and put it away.
Lock him up!
14
We can’t just tsk tsk and say oh what a shame. It is up to those of us who are less likely to be targeted to speak up for black and brown people.
When they ask for our votes, we must ask our candidates what they are doing about this. We must witness, record, speak up, and keep speaking up.
4
He needn't worry about prosecution. If convicted, trump would pardon under his White Makes Right policy.
7
Letting the officer off the hook just with being fired and no longer able to work as a police officer is a travesty - police should have to fear a perjury charge.
So should everyone else - I've seen way too many times blatant lies are ignored, allowed, and no perjury charge - not only police, but family members lying to cover or provide an alibi, someone lying about a crime. Being threatened with a perjury charge if you are lying is meaningless if they do not charge for it!
What he does during the stop is inappropriate, rude, escalating, irrational, but I'm not sure if any of it rises to criminal behavior. He uses physical force to get her out of the car, but you are required to obey a police officer's orders, so it might be hard to get that as assault.
And sad as the result is - it still was simply a suicide. The family refused to bail her out, which I understand, as she had made mistakes, I'm sure they were aiming merely for tough love - and she made a bad choice.
1
The entire idea of just complying with whatever officers ask you to do, without ever contradicting them or getting angry or refusing, suggests that you should follow along with everything even if you end up in a holding cell or at a station, and only then try to contact your lawyer or get out of said situation. Ridiculous.
Why are law enforcement officers considered some sort of perfect, all-knowing patronizing group of people? Totally apart from Bland's suicide, we need the right to get upset or angry when officers interfere in our lives unnecessarily. Not signaling? Seriously? If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone fail to signal I'd be rich enough to leave this country for Europe.
5
I remember this case and followed it. I was so crushed by it. Sandra was coming from hard times and excited to be going to a new job, a new beginning. She pulled to the right for an approaching emergency police vehicle. Then the same officer (I believe this is true) came back and pulled her over for not using her right turn blinker when moving aside for the car. This whole event should have stopped right there with a warning and a good bye. He told her to put out her cigarette which he has no right to ask. There were other orders, but i do not remember. After he got her out of the car he took her around back out of camera range of his car. Then the arrest and 3 full days (why didn’t the police seniors cut in on this) later she was dead. She needed support, visitors, representatives, helps. This went way overboard and there is no part of this that is her fault. Presuming she lost her job...i imagine each day was terrifyingly feeling like there would be no end of job waiting for her. Not even a slap on the wrist of the officer.
If I remember right, he was giving a ticket to a female just before her. She passed on the side driving in the other direction. The film showed him close out his ticket making (or it could have already been finished) and made a u turn behind Sandra. She was coming from a long distance to her new job. And the rest is above. I never heard anything about this latest phone video until today.
6
What happened to Sandra Bland is unacceptable -- period, full-stop -- and justice has not been served. But guess what? This has been and will continue to be repeated (and unrecorded) many times, for a long, long time to come, until and unless there is real change in the culture of law enforcement. Despite the recent growth in awareness and outrage among the public, I don't see real change on the horizon.
The Unites States is basically "you pays your money, you take your chance." Greatest nation on Earth? Greatest among "first-world nations" at injustice.
4
The police will more likely pull over cars with just a driver---i.e. no passengers that may act as witnesses.
5
My question has been and still is, why didn't the family go the $500.00 bail? This all could have just been gone if they would have helped Miss Bland. I'm sure she was completely desperate sitting in that hole of a jail. Instead of posting her bail bail her family is all grief stricken and taking advantage of the media.
Miss bland was not treated fairly by law enforcement, nor was she treated fairly by her family.
7
@Jan McElvain
Look at you assuming everyone can just come up with $500 like that.
9
Amazingly, not everyone has 500 dollars lying around.
9
@Jan McElvain
You seem to have missed the news that a sizable portion of our fellow citizens don’t have $400 they need for unanticipated expenses. Maybe $500 for this family was beyond their means?
10
This video raises bigger questions for me than whether the officer perjured himself (although it appears obvious he was the aggressor and not in danger). Hearing Ms. Bland's coherent and legal resistance and strength of character just makes me wonder whether her death was a suicide. I have not been following the case closely, so maybe someone can shed light on the circumstances of her death. However she does not sound depressed or defeated. Was her defiance in this encounter, recorded on her cell phone, related to her death? Will we ever know?
15
@Teri Williams
Her death was a suicide. There were cameras on the cell door. No one goes in or out. She had had some trouble in the past, was on her way to a new job in a new town, got arrested, knew or believed that if she couldn't be there on Monday she would lose the job and the new life - and her family would not bail her out nor take her calls.
2
Everything about the case of Sandra Bland appears to be a case of "The Authority" overstepping its role & being abusive of this woman who by all accounts was looking forward to her new position & resettling in Texas.
What else about this case have we not gotten all of the facts? It seems the only "facts" the public have been spoon fed are what "The Authorities" want us to have. The phone camera video flies in the face of the "official report".
We must question whether or not Sandra Bland took her own life of if that too was staged to look that way.
What did the officer have to fear? He was the one causing fear & terror to Sandra Bland. He abused his power over a very minor traffic infraction, one it seems he caused Ms Bland to do by way of abusing his authority. First he bullied her into pulling over. Then he continued to bully her with abusive language & pointing his Taser at Ms Bland. Finally he physically abused her when he forced her out of her car.
Minorities in this country grew up understanding exactly who & what they are with full knowledge that those in power & even those who identify with those in power are able to get away with bullying & worse just because of they are white & male (for the most part).
Ms Bland was & continues to be a victim of a system set up to abuse anyone who doesn't meet the criteria of being white or acquiescent to the power of the majority.
3
Maybe people need body or dash cams that automatically upload to the cloud. Or signs claiming that they are doing it (like fake security cameras). Is that what it will take for police to stop harassing and even killing black people with impunity? Is that what it will take to get accurate evidence? It's shocking that we even have to consider this question.
We need to change the dial on "fearing for my safety" as a defense for police officers. Clearly this defense is being abused. If they are never held accountable this will never change.
More evidence that protests like football players kneeling is not only needed, it's probably way too mild.
4
I respect law enforcement, but no one has to take abuse from a police officer.
I was pulled over once by a rural cop who did not know the law. (I was riding my bicycle and he did not know the law as it applied to bicycles.) Knowing he was in the wrong, I respectfully asked why he pulled me over. He became agitated and started to stammer, but I calmly held my ground. There was nothing he could charge me with and eventually he left me alone. I reported him the next day, but the experience left me a bit shaken. I am a 6’1” white man who was 37-year-old Army officer at the time.
What I experienced was a trifle. I cannot fathom how frightening this experience must have been for young Ms. Bland. She was trying to calmly hold her ground. She knew her rights and was determined to not let Mr. Encina push her around. When Ms. Bland rightfully refused to put out her cigarette, you can almost see a switch flip in Mr. Encina; it looks like he wanted things to escalate and would use any excuse. For black parents and motorists in general, this must be absolutely terrifying.
The violence depicted in these videos is sickening. And it sickens me that there are so many privileged white Americans who push back against any mention of systemic racism or racial inequality and perversely try to conflate the protest of injustice with disrespect for law enforcement. I can think of nothing more disrespectful towards law enforcement than Mr. Encina’s conduct in these videos.
23
The followers in this nation blindly believe cops are just doing their jobs.
The older generations question nothing.
5
My impression is that she was giving him a harder time than described here. What did his recorder say. Was is more than hers.
What was the total conversation before he ordered her out of the car ?
Did his recorder show a longer conversation between the two.
One must know that before making a judgement on this case.
The police are supposed to stop you if if your rear light is not working. You are not supposed to commit suicide because of a police stop. Even if it seems unfair.
Something is wrong here. Has the entire story been told ?
2
@M.W. Endres
Given that LEOs are one arm of gov’t in a position to make an on the spot decision that deprives us of our life and liberty, in the ultimate sense, they should be presumed guilty and required to prove otherwise. This standard would motivate them to behave better.
3
Looks like a Federal case, now. The selective releasing of evidence (in order to be "transparent"?!?), ignoring obvious perjury, and the misconduct on the stop itself were all violations of Ms. Bland's right to due process.
5
Police will continue to act like this because they know they can get away with it. Any judgements against them will be paid off by the cities insurance. If you want the police to act like more like "protect and serve" instead of "shut up and do what I say" then get the insurance companies to stop covering these incidents. If police officers know they would personally be on the hook for their actions you'd see these incidents drop dramatically. But the "cowboy with a gun" mentality is drilled into police during training so these bad cops will keep doing it anyways.
8
Not only am I disappointed that this happened and uncalled for but why authorities didn't release sandra's phone recorded video to the public when releasing the dashboard video?
2
It's evident that Ms. Bland took the precautions she felt were necessary (i.e. filming) when the armed officer approached her car. How and why did she end up dead after being detained and arrested? This is beyond outrageous!
6
If you are rich and white, like say, William Barr or Steve Mnuchin, you can decide for yourself whether you will comply with a law. However for the rest you must follow commands or you can be expect to be dead.
The law and order party wants to pick and choose the laws it decides to obey while requiring others to comply. On the penalty death. That's how they justify police killings: they didn't comply. Yet they applaud when the likes of Trump and Bundy flaunt the law.
10
At this point I don't know why I'm still surprised at the comments section full of people blaming Sandra Bland for her own hanging. The mental gymnastics that one has to do to believe that people of color always caused their own abuse and even murder and that law enforcement is always justified is truly unbelievable, a real blemish in the American character.
11
Unfortunately, when it comes to institutionalized racism against African-Americans, 21st century America still carries strong echoes of the America of 19th century.
Law enforcement personnel get away with murder much too often when the murdered one is an African-American. And it almost always IS an African-American!
Shame!
8
I’m sick to my stomach.....
......this is something right out of a movie about dystopia.
6
Please,follow police commands and keep quiet while doing so...
Don’t like the result, then don’t get mad, get a lawyer!
11
@Moe: If they shoot you to death, there's not much you can do about getting a lawyer. This happened to me in March. I'm a senior citizen who spent my mother's 90th birthday at a rehab place she was in after falling down. It was dark and pouring rain as I started home. I took the wrong turn and started back to the freeway. Pulled over by two terrifying policemen who menaced me, accused me of DUI (I don't drink), asked me all kinds of questions, wanted to search the car, etc. They did every thing but draw on me. They said when I tried to correct my course back to the freeway that I was evading them. A truly terrifying experience.
4
That sounds very, very fishy! Do as the cops say do. Don’t argue. Educate yourself by watching COPS and learn what a tough job they have to do...for us and our safety!
What a tragedy!! One turning light problem turns into a confrontation, jail and eventually death for this woman. All because an overly aggressive and most likely racist police offficer. You cannot turn a life back but this case should be reopened. The officer deserve to be sentenced and the city paid a stiff fine for it.
5
Almost all these arguments saying there's racial bias by police could be UNDONE if media simply divided use of force incidents by arrest incidents by race and published the data in an HONEST way. The media has repeatedly failed to do.
3 years ago, the New York Times published a study by the left-leaning research group called the Center for Policing Equity. The article was titled “Study Supports Suspicion That Police Are More Likely to Use Force on Blacks” (July 7, 2016). It came right around the time 5 police were killed in Dallas by a black militant upset by police killings of African Americans. Buried deep into the story was this single stat: "For those who were arrested, the mean rate of use of force against blacks was 46 for every 1,000 arrests, compared with 36 per 1,000 for whites."
Now consider that data contextualized another way (which The New York Times nor the Center for Policing Equity did): 21 out 22 times there's “use of force” for blacks, and 27 out of 28 times it’s the same results for whites. The difference is force being used in 3.6% (white) vs. 4.6% (black) of arrests, with NO contextualizing the TYPES of arrests.
Now buried in the study itself, is this line on P. 17 of the Center for Policing Equity report that “Table 5 shows that benchmarking to violent Part I arrests **reverses** the direction of the Black-White gap.” They also mention a study in passing that blacks injure police more often than non-black suspects.
Why does media bury this truth?
3
@David
That is an important element. While the police need to respond evenhandedly to all people - all people don't behave the same to everyone. The assumption of racism and hostility can lead to an initially hostile response, which feeds another hostile response, which continues to escalate. Statistics have to be carefully read.
But there is solid statistical proof of places where traffic tickets are used to keep black people out of the white side of town, and other issues. To see this problem correctly, you have to avoid both sides - you can't assume police and policing are unbiased nor that they are biased.
1
@David
While you've got valid points - the police officer still was out of line here. Statistics don't apply to a single case, and in this case there's a recording showing perjury and unecessary force.
2
Thanks for responding. And I wish more people could see this thread. I'm curious about that research about "keeping black people out of the white side of town" with tickets. I've never heard of it.
First, I agree with you that the police officer escalated things and was out of line. But so was Sandra Bland in escalating the situation on her end. It's been said by several in law enforcement that people smoking cigarettes is a way to hide marijuana smoke. He can’t read her mind, only her actions.
Any honest person knows why we’re talking about Bland. There are hundreds of people killing themselves in prison. There are possibly thousands of stops that escalate to an arrest when that's unnecessary.
Black Lives DO Matter. I often say: If black lives didn't matter, why is it Americans know only the names of black individuals killed?
Who knows the name of any of the of the 750 out of 1000 people killed by cops annually who are non-black, as well as two-thirds of the handful of unarmed deaths by law enforcement? Worth noting that blacks are more than 40% of the people who kill police, according to FBI data of cop killings. 270 out of 1000 people arrested are black, but 250 out of 1000 people killed by police are black. Yet we're constantly told blacks are treated significantly worse?
Instead, we only know black names: Rekia Boyd, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Stephon Clark, Alton Sterling, Yvette Smith.
Can we name a white name easily?
1
His "safety was in jeopardy?" What a cynical liar.
13
"the trooper said she failed to signal a turn"
It was for less than that. She saw a police car speeding up in her rear view mirror, so she moved over to the right lane. She was stopped by the cop in that police car for changing lanes without signalling. Her arrest and incarceration stemmed from that.
IMO, $1.9M lawsuit is not enough.
15
No doubt there are major problems between white officers and minorites in the U.S.
But a very important detail is being overlooked here though...
Encicinia is Latino-America.
3
@TruthTeller
To be clear - and fair, the issue is w/ police (generally) and the minority community. There are countless incidents of black officers using heavy handed tactics against black citizens.
2
@TruthTeller
So is George Ramos, so what?
It looks like a civil and human rights violation was committed against an American woman regardless. An act of tyranny.
1
@TruthTeller it doesnt matter.
1
Please let us know when members of law enforcement who concealed this cell phone video are charged with crimes and tried in a court of law. #shame
10
The whole premise that the 200lb cop was afraid for his life while at the same time reaching inside the car to pull a woman out just because she was smoking a cigarette can happen only in America. Any reasonable prosecutor, judge or jury in any of civilized countries would not buy this. I understand that many cops are very cautious and sometimes edgy during the traffic stops because the general availability of guns in the US, but this was certainly not the case. He should have written her a ticket, say goodbye and leave.
So the epilogue is that an educated black woman is 6 feet under, while an overreaching, racist cop lives peacefully with his family in a Texas suburb.
Well done, Texas
9
@zumzar
It's quite clear the danger this officer felt was for an injury to is ego and his feeling of power as a police officer. He couldn't take that she would not obey him, so he forced her to, escalating a very minor traffic ticket into an arrest. Legally she had to comply, but realistically this was entirely out of proportion.
2
As a physician, I have been given necessary but privileged access into the lives of patients I treat. Any misapplication of the patient's trust carry consequences that are not just fireable but appropriately criminal.
Likewise, we as a society empower our police officers and government officials with certain rights to be able to do their jobs effectively. Any abuse of such privileges should be punishable, not just for the offending action, but also account for the additional erosion of public trust. To skirt that responsibility but feel entitled to the power would make the police no different from armed bullies.
11
Curious to know if Sandra could have posted bail herself Or does it have to be someone else? 3 days seems a long time to be in jail for a traffic violation.
2
The state trooper pulled over Ms. Bland for illegal lane change. In a later voice msg. to her sister wherein she asks for bail money, she admits to the traffic violation.
He let her off with just a warning - didn't even give her a ticket. Why on earth couldn't she just button it and be on her way? Instead, she had to escalate it to a battle royale, using nonstop verbal abuse and even her cigarette as a civil rights line in the sand.
Whenever any cop pulls you over, no matter how minor the traffic offense, it is never wise nor bright to presume law enforcement are not human, that they can't be angered or perhaps just encountered a drunk, a mouthy low life, an accident with fatalities, a felon more than willing to endanger or end a cop's life. Ms. Bland had 10 prior arrests, so she knew purposefully antagonizing law enforcement was playing with fire...and had an axe to grind.
7
@Maggie
Nope, sorry, we have rights in this country. You have the right to be disrespectful to a police officer. You have the right to smoke, to be rude, to film the encounter, and to know why you are being asked to exit your vehicle. A cop must act within the law, and can only arrest you if there is evidence you've committed an actual crime, no matter how mad he might feel inside.
3
@Maggie Agree 100%. I couldn't have said it better. My only issue with Encina is his pulling and pointing the Taser at her. That is when he put his job in jeopardy.
1
@Maggie
Dear Maggie,
You are in every way on the wrong side of this.
At no point was this officer in any sense in danger. This was a minor traffic offense. Write the ticket, ignore her arguments. I was told at an early age not to argue with cops. But then I have only been pulled over a couple of times in my long life. She was arguing with his reason for pulling her over. That is not a crime, that is not in any fashion a threat to this officer. Is it pleasant for the man? No. But it is absurd to argue that he had no choice other then to arrest her. And now she is dead.
3
Police Bullying is a major problem in Boston as in many other cities. For too long, Police have gotten away with their bullying tactics. This poor woman died as a result of it. Hopefully her family will make the Police involved pay dearly for what happened.
7
This disgusts me.I can't imagine having a taser pointed at me. Sandra was brave and was simply standing up for herself. She had every right to ask why she was being treated the way she was. Her death is not a suicide. This police officer should be held accountable - both police officers. The second one is just as negligent. She lied too. Being a white woman, I am pretty sure this would not happen to me and that says so much about our society. This is shameful. I can't help being white but I can try to do everything possible to help minorities, especially African American/Black people in this country. We as a society need to realize that while all lives matter - BLACK LIVES MATTER ! we need to check our inherent racism EVERY DAY! Police officers need to go through some serious bias training on a regular basis instead of a once a year requirement. Maybe if they could feel what it is like to be discriminated against and treated like Sandra Bland was, they would have a different outlook. Have the training by an all black team training a few white police officers at a time -maybe they would understand then what it is like. Put them in real life situations and turn the tables on them - simulated racism so to speak. You can train someone all you want but until they understand how it feels on the other side it isn't really going to stick. Empathy isn't inherent in everyone.
7
@mary
You are kind of misunderstanding the problem. It's not just white officers treating people of color this way; it's black, latino and even some Asian officers engaging in extremely egregious conduct against the citizenry. So don't put all the bad eggs in one basket. There's enough of them to go around unfortunately.
2
@Doug
Yeah, they learned well from their European trainers/masters the past few decades, public abuse 101, the I feared for my safety/life ruse, better to be judged by 12 rather than carried by 6 nonsense. If you fear the people you are supposed to serve, why become an armed authority? Or, do you really want to bully the 1st amendment protected public?
This looks like civil and human rights abuse and tyranny. She could have gone into a time machine and been a religious minority in 1930s fascist Europe and had the same result.
2
Brian Encinia needs to suffer the appropriate consequences. His police department needs to be cleared of any one involved. They all go to jail.
6
Sandra would be alive today had it not been for this harassment.
5
If you haven't seen the HBO documentary on Sandra Bland, by all means please do. This is a most troubling situation. Nothing points to this woman wanting to kill herself. She had no plausible reason to commit suicide. I believe she was driving to a new city to accept a new job. By this video footage, it is clear that the level of anxiety and anger of this police officer had escalated to the point of wanting to inflict violence. We live in a society where many, many citizens continue to have marked distaste and hatred for POC. Why? Why does society continue to foment race hatred, particularly hatred by whites for POC. Will it ever change?
5
@Odehyah Gough-Israel
Bland had a troubled history with 10 arrests, drug and alcohol and relationship problems. Her family in Chicago was fed up and had stopped bailing her out, after she decided to become a social justice warrior and bait police into arresting her so she could post it online. She loved to Texas to get a fresh start, but was still a drug addict and had mental health issues. The jail video confirms that no one entered the cell block during the early morning hours when Ms. Bland hung herself with a large plastic bag. The coroner and the toxicology confirm she had what appeared to be signs of prior suicide attempts and a large amount of THC in her system - 3 days after arrest, so she was a long time heavy user. This would be in keeping with a mentally ill individual who flares up easily and has a troubled history in every corner of her life. The biggest clues are the pathological anger issues, rootlessness, inability to maintain relationships and that her family and friends did not want to bail her out of jail...yet again. It would be interesting for the NYT to obtain records of her prior 10 arrests to see how those went down and why.
3
Well... the cop may have been a control freak (“Put out that cigarette please”) but at least he was polite and reasonable until she started making a fuss, refused to follow orders and actually, positively kicked him! nobody seems to mention that, yet it’s there, at 1:29.
4
I’m a white female immigrant from Europe living in the US, for now, 11yrs and have NEVER EVER felt comfortable around an American police officer. And if that doesn’t bother the apparently only a few good apples that are out there to demand any changes, they ought not to be trusted either.
It makes me sick to my stomach to read/see this in addition to all the comments from people who experienced similar encounters. But am I surprised? No, not really which makes this even worse.
It doesn’t matter which state those cases appear in, there is a clear misunderstanding of what it means to be a police officer in this country and severe lack of training and screening. And to put the cherry on top of the ice cream, they just keep getting away with it. Just sickening!
5
Police officers are not robocops, but flesh and blood. Almost every incident involving an African American being injured or killed by a cop began with that person failing to comply with the officer’s lawful demand. This in turn causes the officer to have reasonable fear for his safety and to see the person as a threat. Sitting in your car filming a cop who has pulled you over and then responding to his lawful commands with resistance is stupid, plain and simple. She escalated a situation and so shared much of the blame for what ultimately occurred. Consider, how many people this office pulled over in his career without the tragic outcome here. Blaming him alone is wrong.
5
@ehillesum You would have us give up our rights as Americans to live freely and with liberty so that a hothead cop can violate our rights with anger and impunity. Here, for standing up for her rights (and for suffering from a mental illness) she was killed because of the insecurity of this person with a weapon.
I am not black (I'm white), but the country you describe is one marked by despotism, fear, and oppression.
8
I’m not surprised after reading the full comment that its another blame the victim defense. African Americans are systematically pulled over for no other reason then driving while black. Then their treated with hostility and contempt on a scale that few of us white folk ever experience. Often we only know about the abuse of authority when there are bystanders or the victims record the interaction themselves. This is especially true of the old south and rural areas where few people of color rarely go. Some American police forces have an attitude problem, they are often composed of large males who exhibit domination behavior and expect compliance regardless of how unlawful the demands. They and the people who support this behavior forget this is not a police state. It important to note that where community policing is the norm this problem is less common. We give these officers a great deal of authority, reasonable pay and pensions many public employees no longer get. Its not a lot to expect a higher level of professionalism and accountability than we are now getting. Making excuses and blaming the victims is dishonest at best.
4
@ehillesum
"This in turn causes the officer to have reasonable fear for his safety and to see the person as a threat. "
You really need to examine this assumption further. You're basically stating that a cop is justified in fearing for his safety (and therefore, killing or harming someone) simply because they didn't obey a command. This does not make any logical sense.
Moreover, I don't think that someone with so little mental and emotional fortitude should be authorized to carry a gun and detain citizens.
Let's pretend I get stopped on the street because a cop suspects me of something, say, shop lifting. He orders me to show him the contents of my purse. I say no, and, confused, say "why do you think I shop lifted?" I look around and say, "I just came out of that gyro place on the corner," and turn and motion to said gyro place. Do you think the cop is justified in fearing for his safety? Why or why not? Can he shoot me? Why or why not? What about tackling me to the ground?
3
I am very suspicious of the ruling that Ms. Bland committed suicide.
8
@Martha Shelley
It's always sad when someone is in that level of mental pain. However, jail video proves no one entered or exited during the time period Ms. Bland hung herself. Plus, the coroner's report was quite specific and extensive.
She seems to have been a manic depressive most of her life or, at the very least, exhibited many of the same self-destructive symptoms: self-medicating with drugs, irrational and erratic behaviors, doomed short lived relationships, unstable work history. That kind of roman candle can go off at will, lashing out at anyone.
It still seems an overraction for the officer to pull a taser on her, unless one's job is 8+ hours a day dealing with crazies, dummies, drunks and druggies, rapists, murderers, domestic violence - none of whom care about the welfare of society or cops.
Missing body cam footage should invalidate verbal police testimony and a 360° view car cam should be standard car equipment.
The only people that should be in jail are those who pose imminent danger to others or are a credible flight risk.
I am heartbroken anew about what happened to Sandra Bland. America has some serious problems and racism is consistently one of them.
5
Nothing here explains why Texas authorities could withhold this video for 4 years, or why the video is just now coming out. What happened? How could the police and/or prosecutors keep this from the family and media for 4 years?
14
With every police-citizen encounter video and there have been many, I am convinced we are living in a police state. Particularly if you are a person of color or a native. When the President of our country gives a wink and nod toward racial hatred, it's no wonder that the police will be the first to take up the cause. The lack of ethical behavior is appalling.
6
Some of my ancestors played roles in establishing independence of the American colonies from an abusive king. They didn't risk life and limb to create THIS.
The State-controlled vassal revealed in this video is recorded in the act of criminal abuse of its "authority". The moment it began criminally menacing this woman with its primitive bellicose vocalizations and brandishing a deadly weapon it became eligible for a sudden, precipitous decline in the prevalence of its phenotype in whatever taxonomic category it would be properly classified.
The taxpayer-fed public employee threatening the citizen in the video is ineligible to clean public toilets in a truck stop. The honorable people who do that job wouldn't accept this lowly example of carbon-based chemistry in their midst, and they would wisely never turn their backs on it. They would either resign, or acquire the implements to exercise their right to self protection and personal safety. Which would be totally understandable step. The release of this predator into a public area would provoke a state of constant anxiety among the work force which would constitute a hostile work environment, not to mention the potential for harm to unaware truck stop customers.
The legions of vicious criminals The State deploys against us on our publicly-funded roads and highways can only be regarded as a gross violation of the Constitutional rights of ALL of us, and a public hazard. This abuse of our fellow citizens must stop.
4
He obviously assaults her without provocation. Unless simply asking for an explanation should be expected to provoke violence.
Seems to me, based on the video, an easy case for criminal assault and potential civil rights charges as well.
8
When will people realize that the situation is hopeless? Regardless how much video there is showing police abuse of citizens, the abuse will absolutely continue.
Cops have enormous power in nearly every encounter they have with citizens. Many of them do not resist the nearly universal human tendency to allow their emotions to take advantage of their power and abuse citizens who do not instantly show a demeaning total submission to and deference to them.
Cops know that a segment of the public strongly supports cops abusing members of the public....so long as the abused persons are from a portion of the public that does not include them.
Cops have always viewed themselves as under threat from the public. In their minds, that justifies them covering up or lying to protect each other.
Police department supervisory personnel cover up or lie to protect cops when they abuse people.
Prosecutors cover up for cops who abuse citizens by refusing to prosecute them.
When cops are rarely prosecuted, judges protect them by applying a double standard for judging their behavior which effectively enables cops to kill people by simply falsely claiming they feared for their lives regardless how unreasonable such claim may be under the circumstances.
When cops are rarely prosecuted, juries usually refuse to convict because there are usually at least some jury members who want cops to abuse those "other people".
Only Pollyanna fools believe that the situation will ever change.
4
Shawn McDonald says criticism of the investigation is ridiculous. Let’s see, the white cop who we can watch from multiple angles behaving appallingly is free to enjoy life with his family. The black woman, who did nothing wrong, is dead. I think we now know everything we need to know about his “investigation.”
10
To all the supporters of this aggressive behavior, could you be quite certain the LEO's reaction would have been different had Ms. Bland been a similarly aged white woman? How can you not judge that this was likely a racially motivated act of contempt?
The "I feared for my life/safety" tripe often used by authorities and stand your ground gunslingers when they routinely violate American citizens civil and human rights should going forward in our courts, be seen for the cynical and dishonest ruse that it is, as an excuse to abuse. This was a bullying and threatening of a young woman from Chicago on her way to a potential new job in Texas. Was it the cigarette and back-sass? She may have been tired after a long drive. Otherwise, justifying the physical abuse of Americans by the state may just be mean and nasty enabling of, being an accessory to, an all-American form of state sanctioned tyranny? This looks like a case of a bored official looking for someone's backside to kick, preferably an uppity out-of-stater's?
Our foreign diplomats used to chide foreign government officials when they mistreated their citizens human rights like this. Maybe in the age of Trumpism abusers will get a pardon, maybe even a medal when they violate civil and human rights of Americans or foreigners? Either that or they tend to pay the abused off after the fact when caught, but as is often the case here the payoff is too late for the deceased victim.
Where are the Bland thoughts and prayers?
5
"the video had been in the hands of law investigators until it was obtained by his news organization" So the cops buried crucial evidence? Isnt that a crime?
5
Why was she in jail three days after a traffic stop?
10
This case should be reopened. Period.
How did she die? The fact that there seem to have been attempts to bury this video suggests there may be more to this story.
3
What I find incredible is how undisciplined and fearful this guy is.
When you are a police, you can take your time and back off when you want to because, seriously, what's going to happen if you do? The person you pulled over would have to be an idiot to just drive off, so really if their behavior causes the officer to back off the driver is just creating more of a hassle for themself by prolonging the encounter.
If you are so undisciplined and proud that you cannot take a breath and back off, you have absolutely no business being in policing.
8
So saddened to see this, makes me angry as well. For not just a trooper but a man to do this to a woman who was epileptic. He could have used other tactics instead of restraint and pinning her down. From the beginning you can tell it was a confrontation from his end and he could have deescalated the situation instead of using excessive force for a just a simple traffic violation. Just imagine if it was a male. Retraining and criteria of hiring must be modified and rectified as soon as possible. Enough is enough of this form of abuse or authority.
5
If the driver of the vehicle was a white male, failed to signal when he changed lanes and explained that he assumed the police vehicle behind him was trying to immediately pass him, in all likelihood he would never have been issued a citation. He would never have been taken into custody. He’d still be alive.
Sickening.
9
@Regards, LC
How is that so many didn't follow this story when it occurred in 2015?
The state trooper DID let her off with a warning for the illegal lane change. Ms. Bland began verbally attacking the cop and then escalated it into a battle, instead of just going on her way.
I’m a white guy, but if I were black I would totally avoid any of the former slave states. If I lived there, I would move.
6
My question is: did Trooper Brian Encinia have access to Sandra Bland once she was incarcerated?
4
How are we only finding out about this now
Come on
3
Trooper violence goes on all the time.
2
One aspect I have not heard addressed is the strong possibility that the officer forced Ms. Bland into a traffic error (failing to signal) by running up behind her, getting her to change lanes so he, a police officer, could pass. Encino had done this earlier in the day (that same day) to a white, female motorist.
20
When I come across these articles on police arrests and the hundreds of comments about the need for deescalation training....I always have the same thought...What deescalation training? Why do we have millions dying around the world from war or road rage shootouts, if all they needed was the experience the magic of "deescalation training."
The reality is that we have a shortage of applicants for police positions around the US (Europe as well). The wonderful city of Austin, Texas is offering salary that reaches 6-figures, flies in hundreds of applicants from top CJ universities, and pays over the training period but still comes up hundreds short on officer recruits. Why, largely because of self-selection. Those who are more reflective and better performers in training (though keep in mind the Stanford Prison experiments suggest no less quick to anger or torture), increasingly avoid law enforcement work. They realize that its 90% arguing with people over traffic stops or taking the sixth 911 call from a grandmother that cannot handle the 14-years old they are raising. Instead, police recruits remain largely confined to those that have a very strong (and stubborn) attachment to what is right or wrong. Regardless of race or gender, they are typical in handling stress relatively better than the alternatives but they also are more likely to react to anyone not seen as towing the line and behaving as expected in interacting with the police.
4
The officer never should have made the stop for such a frivolous oversight. He knew already she was from out of town and likely unfamiliar with the environment. He should have turned it over to admin, to issue a letter of caution. The police need to be held accountable for jailing a person likely to act out while enclosed in a cell. As to the THC, may well be false positive.
6
What a horror story. Headed off to a new job, wonderful future potential. The town was lucky to have someone adding so much to the local economy and providing service to the college. She was a VIP in every sense of the word. It is so sad that she never had the opportunity to let them know why she was driving that road.
11
This is near where I live. As soon be as we heard Waller, we knew it was a driving while black situation. Very backward and predjudice town.
10
Unfortunately, not everyone who is in law enforcement should be in law enforcement. There are too many racist, power hungry bullies, and cowards hired by police forces across this country. Better vetting by law enforcement agencies would help prevent situations like this. Sandra Bland's misfortune was encountering the wrong law enforcement officer.
5
This shocking video simmers with the racial hatred and sense of entitlement this police officer felt as he confronted a black woman. This encounter would have been very different with a wealthy white man, or never happened at all. This is the racial pecking order in action. There are many recent examples:a black woman jailed for daring to want a better education for her kids in Ohio; a black woman who voted by mistake on probation in Texas. Lives stunted, smothered, or in this case, ended. These women should not have to run a gauntlet to live a good life.
7
One can also hear Officer Friendly, aka Officer Enrico, saying to a concerned citizen who stops "You need to leave. You need to leave."
He, and the other officer, knew full well that they were committing an egregious violation of the law when they assaulted Sandra Bland and they didn't want any evidence of it to surface.
8
Nothing can excuse this clear-cut example of racism and overt abuse of the powers of Texas law enforcement.
4
Every American who supports our constitutional rights and the rule of law needs to go to the ACLU website and review what his/her civil rights are during a police encounter if they don't know them already. This alleged "officer" and his organization obviously did not and seemingly did not care about them
2
Still saddened that this woman is now dead because of a traffic violation smh...Criminal Justice systems needs an overhaul if such minor offenses can lead someone to commit suicide and cause such a blatant abuse of power. If this is what cops are like over traffic violations, my God, what happens when there's actually a serious problem??
3
A woman does not signal. The cop pulls her over. He opens her door. He asks her to get out while threatening her with a stun gun.
The copis over the top insane and should be dismissed and investigated.
If he is so afraid of this scenario he has no business being a cop. If he is rightfully afraid, he should have called for backup.
9
This death was a murder by many not one.
7
Thank God for cameras. It may not due any good in the near term, but I have faith it will help bend the arc of justice Dr. King spike of.
3
This is so outrageous, disgusting and unbelievably sad, tragic and unacceptable
Why do we as a nation not hold all citizens to the same level of accountability?
4
He had ALL the power. She had an angry mouth. You can only just IMAGINE what went on for this poor woman while she was jailed - that resulted in her taking her own life. The patriarchy doesn't like to be challenged... ESPECIALLY when it's a black woman charging a white man. The whole thing is nauseating. I can't bear it. And I'm amazed that black women regularly withstand these injustices with their heads held high.
9
Racism is real. With SM things are coming out. Within a decade massive changes will come in ruling regime.
3
This is the outrageous "advice" that some commenters are insisting that teenage drivers all be taught:
When you are driving slowly and a police car rushing up behind you on its way to a crime, do NOT move over to let the police car pass. Keep driving at your slow speed and put on your turn signal for a full 10 seconds to make sure the police car driver sees it and THEN it is okay to move lanes to let the police car go by.
Of course, if you are African-American and do this, the white policeman will stop you for not moving over to let him by quickly enough.
Get it? Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid being arrested if white police officer wants to get you. Wait to use your turn signal and you are arrested for not allowing a police car to go by. Move over quickly and you are arrested for not using your turn signal.
I wonder if African-American police officers started doing this to white drivers how fast the same posters would blame the police officers.
9
Ex-officer Encinia belongs in jail.
5
I can’t even read this articles anymore, they make me so angry. Our police have become a violent force out of control with no checks.
The only pushback is when a police officer of color kills a white person.
Does anyone think this way of our firemen or medics? No. Our nations police forces are a disgrace.
3
Many of these " officers " are hired BECAUSE they are large, white Males with aggression and rage " issues ". It's either the Police Force, Corrections or Security Jobs. All brawn, no brains.
Seriously.
2
This is absolutely shameful! We all need to acknowledge, as a society, that behavior like this on the part of those who represent the law is unacceptable. Come on! An agitated driver is not that difficult of a challenge to resist! And what's this business of "put out your cigarette"? You issue the citation and leave, unless, that is, you mistrust people because of the color of their skin.
All Americans should find this episode to be absolutely shameful... unless, that is, we have lost the ability to feel shame.
1
Courtesy. Respect. Professionalism.
2
People have a first amendment right to express anger, talk back to an officer and record. And officers have a professional obligation not to let themselves become provoked when people exercise their rights.
There is a clear distinction between someone physically resisting arrest and expressing anger and recording. The woman was doing the latter, as is her right.
The lesson here is that police must be trained to uphold the constitution first and put their emotions in check. That is an integral part of their job.
11
@World Traveler
It's probably time to consider SERIOUS consequences for officers who fail to do this. It's happening too often to hope that training alone will handle this.
3
There is a culture of false policing widespread in the country: The cops waiting by the side of the road to pull drivers off. And these officers have statistically higher tendency to pull drivers of color, among other minority groups for minor traffic violations that has no safety concerns whatsoever because their jobs has evolved more into citing people and cashing, than public safety. Is that really an appropriate way of ensuring traffic safety?
Ms. Bland was argumentative in this incident, but not disrespecting. Is raising a voice a threat in a country where every citizens have the right to bear and carry firearms?
10
The fact that the police department hid this evidence from the family, the public, and apparently the prosecutor's office is extremely worrisome. The arrestee died. The ruling of suicide is now clearly tainted.
Given the history of violence by police toward black citizens, especially egregious in Texas, and given the shocking violence shown in this video, no reasonable American can have confidence that Ms. Bland was responsible for her own death. It is deeply suspicious.
10
Justice may just come from the grave this time. With her phone and his words.
Let's hope so for her sake and for those who loved her.
5
"I will light you up." The officer's tone is not unusual and it's not reserved just for black people. It's been used on me by various men, at various points in my life as a woman (white, as it happens). A woman who doesn't jump just because men tell her to jump.
So I suggest that this problem isn't just racial, it's also a gender issue for many men who feel their dominance over the everyday world is less secure than it once was. In short, they're being asked to endure a very small slice of what women have endured since their lives began.
14
This might seem "racist", but I hope the point can still be made. But first let me say Sandra Bland's story is a tragedy, & almost certainly a case of terrible abuse of power by the police, with likely an element of racism, even quite arguably racist violence. That said...
Years ago I was in a car with my friend & his girlfriend, who happened to be black, & was driving. We were going around our integrated, probably 60% black, neighborhood for some reason or other, but it was leisurely & casual, maybe purely recreational. I noticed that she wasn't signaling, & after a few such turns, goodnaturedly, in a thoroughly pleasant (there truly was no animus-- we both liked each other & were on very good terms) tone, mentioned she was forgetting to signal. What followed (again, purely casual & friendly in tone, & as before, absolutely no undercurrent of animus) was a hint that not signaling was intentional, a kind of deliberate "in the neighborhood informality." It was "homey" to dispense with the formality of signaling when traffic conditions permitted it.
So at least in that context, it was hinted to me that signaling was considered excessively robotically compliant, & there was a kind of "transgressive expression" in not doing so, a defiant laxity opposing imposed mechanical conformity.
So in that case, not signaling was to an extent a kind of habituated gesture, affirming racial identity & solidarity against "white authority." If my understanding is correct, it may be relevant.
On 2nd viewing, I'm scaling back my apperent reluctance to out-and-out condemn the officer's violently aggressive tactics: He was very, very clearly in the wrong. Hostile outbursts and threats of violence toward one posing no physical threat is inexcusable.
However, what about my suspicion that not signaling is political on some level, a kind of habituated gesture of deliberate defiance: a kind of "micro-aggression" against what may be called "white standards of propriety"? Treatment of a requirement like signaling as a dispensible "formality" to affirm black informality, in one's own neighborhood?
There was another episode my own example reminds me of. I was in a college library at a cluster of computers, & an obviously multiracial student (19ish) was chewing her gum with apparently deliberate loudness. I considered that rude in a library study environment whatever the race of the gum chewer. I flashed her a quizzical, but non-confrontational, look implicitly asking if she could quiet down. The behavior persisted, and, with no reference whatsoever to race, asked if she could chew quietly. She then retorted angrily, "Well, if you want to be a RACIST!"
Thus, I think the gum episode was acually a kind of counter-micro-aggression against perceived "white propriety standards" such as library decorum aspiring to make people and physicality invisible and unobstrusive, to create an environment of only cognition & culture. Chewing loudly gestured "black" visibility & physicality.
60610: It actually was in Chicago!
I agree. Although it seems the moderators are declining to post it, I submitted a follow-up to my own comment, clarifying my suspicion that some black drivers in some conditions may be deliberately not signaling as a kind of counter-micro-aggression in the form of defiant informality to counter (perceived) "white standards" of formal propriety.
Again, I hate that my observation may appear to be racist in some way, but from that driving experience I reported, I became convinced that there was some sort of deliberate "cultural" or "political" basis of not signaling, as if to say "on 'our' own neighborhood streets, we're *informal,* we dispense with the "formality" of signaling.
@Andrew, I suppose not driving the car into a ditch is a rather robotic habit too, but a preferable one. It's very arrogant not to signal and as far as I'm concerned who ditches were meant for.
1
Never again work in law enforcement?
He will just move to some rural location in the nation as just start again.
He belongs in jail.
5
Pseudo-competence strikes again. An appalling and loathsome example of irrational persecution in the guise of law enforcement. He's emotional and dogmatic about his assessment of reality, and arguably commits a crime and certainly an injustice against an innocent citizen. Who will guard the guards?
2
None of the Democratic presidential candidates offer any specific policies to stop police officers from slaughtering unarmed blacks or to punish those who do. But these politicians expect black people, black women in particular, to turn out in record numbers and vote for them while promising us NOTHING.
2
I am a 64 year old retired white male, well groomed and respectable looking. Two days ago as we entered the front gate of Anza-Borrego CA state park campground a ranger immediately stopped me and angrily accused me of crossing a double yellow line and failure to to stop at the gate. The idea of either of those violations was ridiculous especially in the context of quietly entering the park which was almost completely empty and devoid of any traffic whatsoever. My wife and a passenger were astounded and affirmed my denial of either of those violations yet this aggressive and authoritarian ranger continued with a disrespectful and demeaning attitude towards me.
I have not had a ticket in 30 years or so, in the end he did not write one so I let it go but it was unconscionable treatment from an overbearing LE official, furthermore it defies any understanding of what he was trying to accomplish. I had to hold myself in check when dealing with that young fool and it left me feeling humiliated and violated.
There are arrogant police that are equal opportunity offenders but try to imagine being a black person and going through this scenario over and over again. Police officers can not be allowed to act in this manner and make excuses, it's time to hold them to a higher standard.
17
@RoadRunner In the past five years or so, I have noticed an increasing number of young, cocky, bulletproof-vested rangers employed by CA State Parks. It's jarring.
Police officers really can get away with pretty much anything. Kill someone? They get away with it. Brutality? They get away with it. Threatening someone they pulled over who was not dangerous? They get away with it. Our legal system does not give justice despite what we like to believe
4
If this woman had been pleasant and agreeable with the cop there's a good chance he would have let her go with a warning, at worst she would have received a ticket. Challenging a cop's authority is needlessly asking for trouble, regardless of race. At any rate, the traffic cop is not responsible for her apparent suicide later in jail.
3
Ah, the "look what you made me do" defense, loved by abusive people everywhere.
7
@Patrick
The tempers of both those people collided that day. It's difficult to see why the state trooper thought a taser was needed. However, the state trooper DID let Bland off with a warning, instead of giving her a ticket for illegal lane change. But she wanted to antagonize and fight with him.
Sparking angry confrontation with cops was pretty much Bland's history in Chicago and Texas, as a race activist often filming encounters and posting online. She had 10 arrests and still owed more than $7500 in fines to Chicago and the state of Texas. She remained in jail because her family refused to bail her out again. Bland had drug and mental health issues. After her suicide in jail, hanging herself with a large plastic bag, the coroner and the toxicologist found very high accumulated levels of THC from long term drug use and 20 to 30 scars on her forearms where she'd been cutting herself for years. The unaltered, unedited video of the jail shows no one entering or exiting, so Ms. Bland did kill herself. Sadly, when someone is in their late 20s, family and friends cannot have them committed against their will for either rehab or sanity wellness.
I believe its time police officer standards are raised to ensure we have quality officers in service. Low standards of recruitment often results in scenarios like this. Its harder to be a firefighter than it is to be a police officer. Where are the interpersonal skills required to De-escalate people who are stopped for traffic violations? are they even doing this type of training?
477
@BL
In a state like Texas with little to no taxes of course the police departments run close to the bottom line.
But really that's the problem with all of America...we want everything on the cheap.
No investment in our society
75
@BL
Well, ironically, state trooper Brian Encinia had been a firefighter. By your standard, he had even more skills to be a cop and was a good hire.
4
@BL
I fear the "new" police trainee is being instructed as if for the military; shoot first, ask questions later. It certainly seems that too many police officers are hot headed and full of power over people.
23
Social science has known since at least the 1940s that cops and criminals possess the same personality traits, and the proof of that observation is found on the front pages on a daily basis.
Those with the misfortune to be caught in the middle can't expect much in the way of fairness or deliberation.
2
This can't be said enough:
10 Rules of Survival if Stopped by the Police
1. Be polite and respectful when stopped by the police. Keep your mouth closed.
2. Remember that your goal is to get home safely. If you feel that your rights have been violated, you have the right to file a formal complaint with your local police jurisdiction.
3. Don’t, under any circumstance, get into an argument with the police.
4. Always remember that anything you say or do can be used against you in court.
5. Keep your hands in plain sight and make sure the police can see your hands at all times.
6. Avoid physical contact with the police. No sudden movements, and keep hands out of your pockets.
7. Do not run, even if you are afraid of the police.
8. Even if you believe that you are innocent, do not resist arrest.
9. Don’t make any statements about the incident until you are able to meet with a lawyer or public defender.
10. Stay calm and remain in control. Watch your words, body language and emotions.
23
@Molly Bloom
The naivete of this is almost comical. Almost. I'm a good Catholic girl. Soft spoken. Shy. Girl Scout. Honors student. Extremely respectful of authority. I am also black. Your list looks nice and must have felt good to write but please, talk to more black people about the nature of their reality. You seem like a nice person so be nice and do yourself some civic service. Learn what it's like for the rest of us.
179
@kim & @C's daughter: perhaps Molly Bloom is a worn-down pragmatist who is tired of seeing people getting killed by cops who shoot first and rationalize their actions later. She might even be black.
While it is an outrage that a person should have more to fear from a cop pulling them over than fear of the traffic itself, her advice is geared towards getting people home safely, and should not be mocked.
We should of course be working towards people being able to see cops as a resource, and not just a threat, and there are many factors which lead to cops abusing their power.
I just wonder how Molly Bloom came to her perspective.
21
@Molly Bloom There are numerous incidences were your suggested top ten does not work. I will not laundry list them for you, you seem fairly well educated, however, I will point out the most recent example of "When Cops Attack". Police shot a black couple (unarmed) near Yale. There are many more incidents like this which the victim has no controlled of the police reactions, as in this case. The recent empowerment of local law enforcement has emboldened these wannabe militia to act out in a foreign government, militia manner. You cannot think following that list will protect you. You will be deluded in the process.
37
The officer clearly knew she was holding a phone, not a weapon. How was he in danger?
Her family has always suspected that her so called suicide was something more. Given the incidents of police misconduct that have come to light in recent years I can understand their doubts. There probably will never be definitive answers to their questions but it’s clear that many police departments have a few bad actors and until they move to get rid of cops who have multiple complaints against them there will be more people injured or killed and more lawsuits taxpayers have to pay.
2
Everybody that resists any officers on the streets are playing a potentially lethal game.
By being uncooperative, showing anger, or resisting arrest, they are failing to acknowledge they might very well be encountering bad actors.
When those contacts lead to indictments of the bad actors, and perhaps a jail sentence, the resisters are often dead.
Now who wins, besides the lawyers?
2
Did the officer fear for his safety? We'll never really know.
Two things are clear from many recent events, of which this is only one more example.
1. Black people are disrespected regularly, and treated unfairly by law enforcement (and shopkeepers, et c.)
2. The culture of fear was built and is perpetuated by the "Second Amendment Madness" that we suffer from. Why should he have been afraid, or fear for his safety even be a reasonable argument, if it weren't for the proliferation of powerful weapons in this country? An imposing, physically fit young man is outside the car of a woman. How can she hurt him, unless she can shoot him with a concealed weapon?
Understood, officers make these stops every day, and are on high alert because there is a possibility that any situation could become an armed conflict. I get that. But why does it have to be that way?
His immediate response is to draw a weapon (a Taser, I think, but no matter). Why?
We need to de-escalate on a societal scale, so these incidents begin on a basis of mutual respect, not high noon at the OK Corral.
635
@Homer S
And it is hysterical that the same group of people who fiercely advocate for arming the country with every available types of firearms claims that they are threatened for their life by an unarmed women, an unarmed child or an unarmed guy running away.
It almost feels like second amendment serves perfectly in this institutionalized effort to discriminate and suppress people of color. Statistically people of color and other minority groups have less chances of carrying a weapon than a white person, however, statistically the people of color have a improportionally higher chances of being the victim of the police officer.
108
@Homer S I think that anyone who reviews these videos can only come to the reasonable conclusion that Ms. Bland was never a threat to the officer. Questioning why an officer has stopped you is your right, its not being threatening. It seemed that the officer started to get angrier and angrier the more his stop was questioned. His demand that she exit the car, open the door to force her out and then arresting her for not complying with what is NOT a lawful order is completely unwarranted. She was obeying his request regarding the highway charge, there were no reasonable and probable grounds to base a search and arrest. He deserves to be prosecuted.
144
@Homer S
There's little doubt that the cop was truly scared out of his wits in that moment.
He was terrified at the prospect of what the future holds for him if somebody like him can no longer assert himself over somebody like her, beyond the normal permissible interactions between a police officer and a citizen who has committed a very minor infraction.
What kind of a world is that?
Fear turns to anger. The rest of the video speaks for itself. But he'd pass a polygraph on the question: "Were you afraid for your wellbeing in that moment?"
20
The deal given the police officer is shameful. How long will this country continue to give those in power sweet deals while oppressing common people with the law?
"Encinia was indicted on a charge of perjury — the only criminal charge arising from the case — after grand jurors accused him of making a false statement in his claim that he removed Ms. Bland from her car to more safely conduct a traffic investigation. But the charge was later dismissed on a motion by prosecutors in exchange for the trooper’s promise that he would never again work in law enforcement."
4
Had Sandra Bland simply complied with the officer she could have lodged a complaint in a forum without all the histrionics. There are some lessons here that the apologists for Bland are missing. First, she argued with a police officer in a very confrontational manner. Arguing with a cop is like arguing with your boss; you can never win. Second, like it or not, the cop has the presumption of law and authority on his side. One can attempt to reason with the cop, but if one is getting nowhere then backoff and argue on a different day in a different venue. And third, cops deal with all kinds of bad people, and many are a threat to their well being. Perhaps this cop should have backed off and radioed for assistance. But then again Bland was unreasonable and given the opportunity might very well attempted to elude with her car and injure innocent bystanders. Bland created her own bad situation, perhaps the cop could have handled it better, but in the end the fault was Bland's.
5
Have you ever changed lanes without signalling? Did you have to fear for your life bc of it? if she was white, she would have never even been stopped. I know this town.
3
@Donald Smith
"But then again Bland was unreasonable and given the opportunity might very well attempted to elude with her car and injure innocent bystanders. "
Unreasonable how, specifically?
Tell me, do you think waving a taser in someone's face for "failing to signal" is reasonable?
I look forward to your detailed response.
5
So you don’t put the burden on the “ heroic, PROFESSIONALLY trained public servant but on the woman who had the audacity to want to tape her encounter with said public servant ? I think you had your mind made up before the incident even happened.
2
It bothers me that the cop is living a quiet life supporting his family while this young woman is dead.
He should not ever live a quiet life.
10
@Surya
he is not living the quiet life.
he is living for the rest of his life with the guilt and shame ( in his head) of his actions. he may not appear to suffer these thoughts, but we all know karma, and he will live out his karma.
@pamela
That’s all fine but I would like to see some suffering that’s visible to all of us. He played a big role in the premature termination of a young life.
2
We pay police officers almost nothing, require just a high school education and a short training course, and then send them out on the road alone with a gun and a pile of expectations. Could anyone come up with a worse plan for maintaining civility?
Sure - tell citizens that they don't have to listen to this poorly paid and under-educated person and that they have a right to pitch a fit and be rude anytime things annoy them.
It is a wonder these bad outcomes are as infrequent as they are.
3
@Locker77 - duded? Teachers have to buy their own supplies, have to have at least two college degrees, and have to work 3-4 hours in unpaid OT every single night to get ready for class. Cry me a river.
3
Nothing would have happened if the trooper would have kept his cool and treated Ms. Bland the respect she was entitled to as a citizen. So often, the police scream like crazed banshees. This must be taught in police academies as a control technique, but it’s stupid, and needs to stop. Imagine if the trooper had just told her to relax, have her cigarette, explain the infraction, tell her to drive safely, and have a good day. Instead, this young lady is dead.
15
Waller County, immediately west of Houston, is well known for its racist issues. Right before the 2018 election, the county election officials tried to nullify the voting registration of all students at Prairie View A&M, a predominantly black university, with an inaccurate voter registration guideline handout distributed on campus. It instructed them to use a generic address that would invalidate their registration until after the election.
Houston is the most culturally diverse city in the US, and Waller County officials do everything in their power to keep their county as purely white as possible. They have a long history of picking on minorities, especially motorists, and then looking the other way when it comes to justice.
And this attitude carries over to state officials, such as DPS officers, who work in the area. And the government in Austin looks the other way.
Texas is much like any state, it has good places and bad places to be, good people and bad people. Most Texans know by reputation the "mind your Ps&Qs zones" to avoid. Texas is a purple state gerrymandered red. It can be a wonderful place to live. It can also be a nightmare if chance pairs you with the wrong people. In the end, it's incidences like this that give Texas the bad rap it has.
Until the SCOTUS cleans up Texas gerrymandering, incidences like these will likely continue.
9
Glad he's living a quiet life. Unlike Sandra Bland.
1
Many years ago, late at night I was pulled over for an expired tag. I had two identical cars and had forgotten to paste the sticker on one. The Officer was yelling at me from the outset. Foolish me, had the audacity to ask why he was yelling at me. Incident escalated into an arrest and being placed in a boiling car for an hour while the officer’s pals stopped by to chit chat and look at the ‘prisoner’. Eventually, a superior officer arrived and released me, but not before making me sign a document that contained outright lies about what had transpired. A year and thousands of dollars later my record was ‘purged’, so I could again state I had never been arrested. I am white and privileged to have been able to overcome this abuse of power by a bully. However, the mental scars are still with me. Ms. Bland was not as fortunate.
12
To anyone who may not have been aware of how pervasive racism is still got a hold on our country we need to understand this is not a unique experience for minorities in our country.
To a predator policeman charged with justifying his pay seeing a car with an out of state plate,driven by a black woman is low hanging fruit. He follows close behind her. She not signaling pulls over to let him pass,and bingo more $$ for the city coffers. This man is a criminal,and he was working for a police department that implicitly approves his actions. No more excuses time to get rid of these dinosaurs.
5
Would this situation have happen elsewhere? Yes, and it does, almost everywhere in this country, but to my knowledge and experience, it doesn’t happen in Canada, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany or even Italy. And why is that? Training? Educational requirements? Cultural? Yes, incidents do happen in Canada and Europe, but the policing is handled so differently that the difference can be stunning.
10
Police Academy 101:
"I was in fear of my life."
With VERY few exceptions it's a get-out-of-jail-free card.
No wonder so many people of color regard the police as a deadly threat.
This woman was murdered by the system.
46
Say their names.
Sandra.
Stephon.
Tamir.
Michael.
Terence.
Philando.
Alton.
Walter.
Eric.
Tony.
Rumain.
Laquan.
And all those I haven't heard about.
35
@Amelia :( :( :( :( This makes my heart hurt.
4
The entire stop should have never happened. At the most a verbal warning would have sufficed to make her pay closer attention to signaling. A polite friendly reminder might have eased her well justified fear that likely caused her to forget to signal.
Every time a legislature goes into session, they pass new laws that give these people more reasons to stop and hassle people. Even the most minor restriction, like selling loosies, eventually cause a death somewhere.
25
@KBronson As a motorcyclist, the most common behavior I encounter that threatens my life is a failure of car drivers to signal before turning or switching lanes.
While there's no doubt that this traffic stop was handled in a ridiculous manner, failure to use turn signals should be punished with much more than "a polite friendly" warning.
2
@Michael-in-Vegas
As a former motorcyclist ( for this very reason —one too many left turn bandits), I see your point. But come on, she sees a cop behind her, and makes a lane change to let him by. This isn’t that.
People who criticized the trooper don’t explain what he should have done differently. Officer Encinia ordered Bland to get out of the her of the car because he suspected she was driving under the influence. The coroner’s report showed she had ingested a large amount of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Her demeanor and her refusal to put out her cigarette gave him cause for suspicion. (Police know drivers pulled over often light up cigarettes to mask the scent of alcohol or marijuana.) When she refused to comply with his order, he tried to pull her from the car. The dashboard video shows he drew the stun gun when she refused. The video also shows the tactic worked. Bland got out of the car but resisted arrest when he tried to handcuff her.
9
He never should have pulled her over
She moved over so he could pass
She was driving slowly and he was on her tail
He pulled her over because she didn’t signal as she was giving him room to pass and then he threatened her and didn’t answer her questions
4
@William Case
the coroner report cannot state she ingested a large amount of thc. the report would note she had thc in her urine. it could have been from 4 days previously injested.
1
How can you watch this and possibly come to that conclusion? Even the internal affairs sided with the victim, and that department is notoriously and overwhelmingly biased in favor of their own colleagues. Every so often I see videos that expose rampant police misconduct and belligerence for what it can be, and I have a glimmer of hope that things will change to be more fair, civil, honest, logical, etc. But then I realize that so many people are simply incapable of considering that an officer of the law might be in the wrong, or overstepping boundaries, or harming the people they’re tasked with protecting, and that hope again vanishes. I’m sure you’ll never see the light, so I won’t waste any more time trying to convince you otherwise.
4
Ms. Bland was arrested because the officer didn’t like the fact that she failed to extinguish her cigarette while sitting in her personal vehicle. That’s was the tipping point. I know we have some backwards laws in Texas, but the last time I checked, smoking in a personal vehicle is still legal. A law enforcement officer with anger management issues was the problem here. Whatever emotional baggage he was carrying that day was directed toward Ms. Bland.
31
Why was she in a Jail for 3 Days? I don't understand how Police departments can keep people for minor traffic violations even if they don't agree with how people react to them.
47
@Joe Bangs The cop accused her of—off-camera—attacking him.
Her video is further indication the cop lied.
3
This type of abuse of power has to be punished. I understand that being a police officer is a stressful and oft-times dangerous job, but this kind of abuse cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. There has to be a way this kind of behavior has sterner consequences otherwise it will continue. That police officer must understand that, even if he was having a bad five minutes, he is wearing a GUN, he is not allowed to have a bad five minutes. Not when someone's life is at stake. And if he, or any other person with that kind of power, abuses it - even for five minutes, must suffer consequences.
12
tragic story. To all you folks when the police stops you and pulls you over, just comply. Roll down your window and follow instructions. Give your driving license and insurance and wait. Let them do the work and get your citation. Then move along. Why all this drama. Just comply and live a happy life.
10
I agree in principle and that is what I always do. No anger. Just compliance. Even when the officer behaves in an unprofessional, racist manner I keep my composure. However, if I were a black man and had experienced many many such stops, with having to sit or lie on the ground handcuffed until the the officer felt comfortable in my presence, then it may not be easy to keep my composure. You can’t just ask minorities to roll over and continue to take the abuse. What if white people worked with the power of their votes (alongside minorities) to change police culture? No one should be treated the way law enforcement treats minorities and poor whites.
7
Well you’ve got a point- sorta. I’ve been stopped by police for going 38mph in 35mph zone. I suppose I could’ve argued with the officer, but I didn’t. I was polite and apologetic. So the officer said he would do me a favor which was just charge me with not wearing a seatbelt. Because it wasn’t a moving violation there were no “points” added to my license. (I still had to pay a $150 fine.)
But let’s suppose I wasn’t polite and became argumentative. The worst that should’ve happened was that I got a speeding ticket, and not hauled off to jail. And that’s what should’ve happened in this case.
1
I wonder what kind of a person videotapes his/her own traffic stop. When I was stopped a couple of times, my only concern was to be polite, patient, and cooperative.
8
People who have seen police brutality would record it when they are stopped by a policeman for a minor infraction.
7
The kind of person who knows there is a good chance she'll be treated differently because of her race.
The kind of person aware enough to know she may be in danger, no matter what she does.
The kind of person who has been paying attention.
8
@PaulN, i wonder what kind of person does what that cop did
2
I am a white woman. I have been stopped twice. Both times I was told to stay in the car when I started to get out -
That she was stopped for failing to signal - give her a ticket. No bullying and no threats.
17
Anyone who says that the police officers might overreact sometimes should spend some in Europe. Last time I checked they were human too but you rarely see this sort of escalation and violent behavior. For instance, in England most of what we experience on a daily basis here is unthinkable. That the police can easily fire a gun is unheard of. And here surprisingly many people immediately begin to defend the police! Our love with authority figures is troubling. When coupled with deep structural racism, this deeply works against blacks. However, police violence is just a symptom of a larger problem. The problem is our acceptance to live with violence. We send troops and drones to foreign countries and that don't even talk about the kind of violence that creates, we just accept collateral damage; we torture hundreds of millions of animals daily and don't even ask where chicken comes from; we have inner city violence in most big cities and for most of us life simply goes on; rich is getting richer and the poor keeps suffering and we're all fine as long as we get some crumbles. Obviously one way or another you are effected -that one cop will use violence on one of you one day, that inner city kid will rob you- and you'll be the one to blame because you are ok with the structure that creates violence. How do I know most are ok it? Because we're not doing anything. So enjoy your dose of daily violence and don't complain. Or act to change it.
11
The video on this site should include the beginning:
The beginning is a police car that drives up fast behind an African-American driver who politely moves over to let the speeding police car go by.
By starting this in the middle, you have changed the story. It did not start with a cop walking to a car.
It started with a cop driving fast behind a car which moves over to let it go by. Something every driver would do and not expect to be arrested.
51
Regrettable behavior on both parts, but...when someone with a gun, a taser, and a baton...and the authority to use them, tells you to get out of the car, you get out of the car. Sort out differences and indignities later, when you're still alive to do it.
8
As a person that grew up white in South Dallas in the 70's I will say nothing has changed. Without video evidence of cops shooting people in the back no one would even consider such an action ever existed. This is why people cover up video's and evidence. Claim it's a witch hunt. Claim it harms more than it helps. yep....same as it ever was. Grandfather was a cop.
18
Failing to signal for a turn? This law enforcement professional has nothing more important to do?
20
So nice that he can enjoy his life with his family. Ms. Bland never will. I live here. I know what it is like.
Open this back up.
47
Regardless of how you feel about this case, when a police officer directs you to get out of your car, you get out of your car. No arguments, no pushback. Both sides share blame for this tragedy.
4
Uh, no. Giving lip is not cause for a draconian police response. There’s a reason this guy is no longer policing.
5
if you watch the officer's video you can clearly see that she failed to stop at a stop sign when she turned on to the road on which the incident occurred. It was at that point that he turned around and followed her.
I am not saying anything about what happened afterwards, but he did have reason to pull her over.
4
What is your point? Sandra Bland is dead. Are you saying she deserved it because she didn’t signal? Are you saying the officers anger was justified? Are you saying she wasn’t entitled to ask a question? People get pulled over every day but they don’t go to jail for three days over
failing to signal. You should be outraged rather than trying to say there was cause.
5
The police always say that they fear for their safety when they escalate a conflict beyond the point that the majority of citizens would agree is reasonable. It is time for greater civilian oversight of police departments. At present police are given far too much latitude to abuse their power and too many police are too willing to be abusive, or worse, in their dealings with the public.
14
You see Sandra Bland speaking on the phone -- she told her friend she was going to press charges.
She also had marijuana in her system that was clearly from the time she had been in jail.
There is no sign of anything in Bland's cell that she could climb on to supposedly hang herself.
The police knew she had been arrested on trumped up charges by an out of control cop who intentionally drove up fast behind her and then arrested her because she moved out of the way instead of forcing a speeding cop to wait until she signaled a lane change.
This is one of the worst miscarriages of justice I have seen.
Many white people are very smug that they would never be arrested for not forcing a speeding police car to wait until they signaled before moving lanes so that speeding police car could go by.
22
Bland was combative from the start. Should police not issue traffic violations? Should they turn a blind eye if they feel they’ll be judged badly if race differences happen? Should they get back in their car when faced with loud mouthed drivers?
He certainly could have managed a combative driver better and maybe called for backup.
4
@James
A police officer should know how to deal with a "combative" citizen. The word "combative" is inaccurate, by the way. She never threatened him physically in any way. She simply didn't say "how high" the minute he said, "jump". A police officer doesn't have an unlimited right to order a citizen around when he effects a traffic stop. This officer was completely out of line. He got what he deserved. Sandra Bland did not.
6
The officer's conduct is totally unacceptable. Whatever provocation Sandra Bland offered him, however rude or discourteous or confrontational she was, he had no justification whatsoever to retaliate with similar invective. "I will light you up." This is a sentiment conveyed by a bully with a badge who knows he'll get away with it. I understand, people are human. But officers are humans tasked with arresting us, and given authority and discretion to employ lethal violence.
I demand better. If you can't hack it, go work a cross-walk.
29
"Going to jail for resisting arrest..." really? And why was she being arrested originally?
13
This made me cry.
4
Infuriating. The arresting officer is living a “quiet life” and Ms. Bland is dead under mysterious circumstances. How Sandra Bland’s family lives with the rage and sorrow I cannot begin to imagine. What a terrible terrible miscarriage of justice.
That officer lives his quiet life with the knowledge of what he did. He knows he lied through his teeth. And, law enforcement knows it too. Life is certainly not fair. This event makes that heartbreakingly clear. The camera does not lie but the state of Texas flagrantly did. Shame.
20
Sorry, she was obnoxious and confrontational from the second the officer approached the car. I don't know what people expect when they act like that to a police officer.
6
For the police officer to react professionally.
4
@Mike "Sorry , she was obnoxious". So, clearly death is the expected result of that. smh
3
It's not uncommon to not use your turn signal in Texas. In fact, when I first moved to Dallas, I had to get used to the drivers not signaling.
5
@ted
Where I live, nobody uses turn signals any longer.
What is most instructive is the small number of comments. Do readers really think nothing has changed since the 1950s or more importantly that nothing should change?
3
I have no doubt whatsoever that there are countless incidents of white police officers abusing their authority and have witnessed it plenty of times in person, as I have also witness police officers of just about every background also abuse their authority; I fail to understand in this instance why an officer with the last name of "Encinia" in this case helps underscore the mistreatment of "black people by white police officers". The narrative is not incorrect, I just don't understand how this would be an example of that.
6
Somewhat to my surprise, a fair article; but, after all this time, I’ve still not learned why Sandra Bland was so uncooperative. Did the emotions, the ideas, leading to her arrest also affect her suicide?
That’s not letting the officer off the hook for his excesses.
30
@Charlierf But aside from the escalating emotions, is it normal to pull someone out of a car for a blinker violation? This is not a bank heist. A cell phone is not a dangerous weapon.
39
@Charlierf
Perhaps she was upset at the disproportion of his reaction to her infraction.
26
@Charlierf Why do I get out of my car for an officer to write a failure to signal ticket?
19
If she would have simply complied with the officer's request and not tried to disobey she would probably still be alive.
6
@Nature Voter
And HIS behavior was appropriate for failing to signal a lane change? Really?
75
@Nature Voter And if he were indeed a worthy officer of the law he might still have a job in law enforcement. But he doesn't.
53
"Mr. Encinia was indicted on a charge of perjury — the only criminal charge arising from the case — after grand jurors accused him of making a false statement in his claim that he removed Ms. Bland from her car to more safely conduct a traffic investigation."
21
All of this due to a turn signal. I moved to Texas about a year ago, and Texas could pay off the national debt in turn signal violations, if they ever ticketed drivers. I lived in Nevada for 10 yrs, I learned a lot from Nevada motor violations, not that I got a lot of tickets. One of the main things was: Use your turning signal. In Texas few know how to use the signal indicator, let alone use them. I'm very sorry for the young lady and her family.
4
All police agencies need to monitor and train their officers in de- escalating confrontation. This type of confrontation can happen in NY as-well as TX. When I was a young man in NY State a State Trooper had it in for me because I went to court and won the case. A week later he pulled me over and gave me another ticket. 40 years later, I lived in TX and was pulled over by a TX State Trooper near Gun Barrel City due to a difference of opinion. I was courteous, but all I can say is don't expect justice in Gun Barrel City. 10 years later I became a friend on a retired Deputy Police Commissioner for the State of AK. He was in-charge of all the State Troopers (blue shirts). We discussed what makes a good police force. He told me that one of his jobs, while being in charge of the Troopers, was to make sure they were all well trained and to monitor the behavior of all officers. He supported his officers, but told me that he had to fire some officers who did not have the proper demeanor to do their job.
2
Look at the officer, carrying on the way he did. It’s embarrassing to watch. Mr. Encino is not fit to be an Officer of the Peace.
8
We have always known that Encinia pulled his stun gun when Bland refused to comply with his order to get out of the car. So the video changes nothing.
The trooper first tried to drag her from the car. When that failed, he threatened her with the stun gun to get her out of the car. The dashboard video shows this worked. She got out of the car.
If Bland had obey the trooper's order, she may not have been arrested. However, Encomnia suspected she was under the influence of drugs, which is why he ordered her out of her car. So she may have been arrested anyway.
3
"My safety was in jeopardy", here I was thinking that was his job - rather than his excuse for not doing it.
3
Boy this looks bad, doesn't it? Even not seeing/hearing the exchange that took place immediately before the video recording started it looks like a pretty unprofessional police action. And the lady's death is just a horrific end to what apparently began as a minor traffic incident.
I am in no way defending this police officer. But I do think it's at least worth noting that traffic stops are among the most dangerous and stressful duties that police officers perform. They often have no idea what they're walking up to and they're also often alone. I think a lot of police would rather respond to an armed robbery in-progress than a traffic stop.
Also worth noting that Ms Bland likely experienced those same feelings of danger and stress you attribute to the officer, considering the history of some traffic stop interactions between officers and African Americans.
Additionally, a woman of any race who is traveling alone might be hesitant to leave the safety of her car in such a situation.
3
It's too bad Ms. Bland isn't able to currently work in the private sector, supporting her family and living a quiet life.
12
The greatest travesty and injustice in our justice system is the fact that it assumes police tells the truth. It's the greatest tool in the tool box of the armed police to intimidate and persecute citizens. Let me give you an example. The incarceration rate in USA , as compared to a country like say India, is 20 times !!! That means for every one person in prison in India, USA has imprisoned 20 of it's citizens. It's a tyrannical security state if judged from the incarceration rate.
3
Reality Check i was stopped for making turn with out using turn signal luckly officer didnt hit me i thanked officer for stopping me an saving life. Every day i see people running red lights also see people speed up when people trying to merge to hit the car. Very dangerous place road an i fear police someday wont be there to save my life . People speed in school zones an become upset if person goes speed limit. Road rage is escultating to point its becoming risky to go to work.
I support the officer's actions. A police officer should not have to deal with people pulling out their cell phones trying to create the next big YouTube video controversy while making a routine traffic stop. If an officer tells you to step out of your vehicle, get out of your vehicle. Don't pull out your cell phone and attempt to aggravate the situation. Perhaps the officer shouldn't have pulled out a stun gun, but otherwise he acted professionally.
4
Well, if a cop acted professionally during a traffic stop, it wouldn’t be much of a YouTube controversy would it? If a cop is acting badly or treating you unlawfully, a recording you make yourself is virtually the only evidence you will have to back up your account, since cops lie all the time to protect themselves and each other (as evidenced by all these recordings that you don’t seem to like).
3
Police have been mistreating African Americans for a very long time. The only reason this issue is getting more attention is that the encounters are now being recorded. The recordings are a RESPONSE to the inaction after decades of racist treatment. If the police had policed themselves, this would be a non issue.
2
I have been following the US news for the past decade and as an outsider (or foreigner) who hasn't stepped a foot on the US soil, I am always gut-wrenched by all of the news regarding racial abuse that comes from the "best country in the world". It made me question my identity as well - as an Asian, I have also heard some bigotry and hate towards people of Asian descent. Does this mean that the racist groups in the US are encouraging that people should be born white, or else just don't bother and die?
And going back to the story, what happened with Sandra is injustice pure and simple, even after reading some comments here that she had been a bit confrontational. In which I believe it was just a natural reaction considering that she knew at the back of her mind that black people have been stopped by police and profiled numerous times. Since when did being confrontational or stating your rights to the authority a crime?
7
The police in our country are completely out of control. They are brutal, temperamental, impulsive, and have a hair-trigger use of excessive force and violence often to the point of injury or death. The institutions are often deeply racist.
Black lives matter. If police institutions and individual officers don't want to be lumped in with the racists and killers in their ranks they need to find a way to weed them out. The "blue wall of silence" is inexcusable and leads the public to assume that their collective silence equals assent, and that many share the beliefs and attitudes of these extreme cases. Police need to stop seeing themselves as an occupying army, as superiors and overseers of our population.
I can't imagine the stresses and terror people of color experience in this society when so many elements of our culture and law, especially those entrusted with deadly force, are steeped in racial bias. I'm horrified to think about how many incidents and atrocities took place, and still take place, in the absence of recordings and videos.
8
I wish these news articles made clear what this trumped up "failure to signal" charge really was.
Sandra Bland was driving carefully in a lane, obeying every driving law. A police car came roaring up behind her and she did what every normal law abiding person would do and moved over to let the fast moving police car pass. She did not signal she was moving over because she was trying to politely get out of the way of the police car she assumed was rushing off somewhere.
Bland did not realize it was a scam to arrest her. I wonder how many white people would like it if police cars regularly rushed behind them and if they moved out of the way without signaling, they were automatically arrested.
It was always a trumped up reason for an arrest of a law abiding citizen.
Shameful reporting on this topic.
18
There is reason to see this woman's death as an atrocity of injustice and plausible homicide cover up.
Why would such a clear-minded, strong woman kill herself ? Was her defiant tone so provocative to another officer that an act of brutality- perhaps 'involuntary manslaughter'- caused her asphyxiation?
The cellphone video reveals an egregious abuse of power. This cannot be ignored, rationalized or defended.
6
So many comments by what I assume are fellow white people blaming Ms. Bland for the tone of her voice but no comments on the utter lack of professionalism by the officer. If I was addressed by an officer in this way for a minor traffic stop, I too would respond like Ms. Bland....but because I’m white we all know this type of treatment would not have occurred. This is what’s wrong with our system...different rules for different people and no accountability for law enforcement.
6
"Chip Lewis, a Houston lawyer who represented Mr. Encinia in the investigation, said his client was in a new career “wholly unrelated” to law enforcement, but he offered few details. “He’s working in the private sector, supporting his wife and family and living a quiet life,” Mr. Lewis said."
How nice for him.
He gets to have a new career, and enjoy his wife and family, while Sandra is dead. She should never have been arrested. She should never have been in jail. The trooper was a bully, looking for someone to harass. He needed to be convicted of wrongdoing. Even if he only got probation, it would be on his record so he would feel the sting of his actions for the rest of his life.
36
My personal view is that traffic stops should be limited to where the officer has a reasonable suspicion of a crime (not just a traffic violation) or the driver’s conduct creates a safety risk, like excessive speeding, or drunk or reckless driving. In other cases, a license plate or other vehicle identification should be used to issue a summons by mail. Dash cam video and speed gun data will give adequate evidence.
Some foreign countries do this already.
Many of these tragic confrontations arise because both the driver and the police officer are human and altercations are almost inevitable.
So let’s limit the situations where they can arise to those where personal interaction is essential. Plus it will probably save tax dollars.
10
@Andrew Altercations are not inevitable when two people show mutual respect. The arresting officer in this case is clearly obsessed with having power over people, showing nothing but contempt for this poor woman from the moment the encounter started.
3
This is a crime of unprovoked violence against an unarmed Black woman who refused to passively accept mistreatment resulting ultimately in physical assault and death in jail. Where is accountability for a police officer’s unreasonable use of physical violence against an unarmed woman?
3
I'm as white as they come, late 50s, and live most of the time in a very rural area of the PNW. And I know that if I am ever pulled over, even here of all places, I have to be totally respectful, cooperative and non-threatening or I'm in for a really bad night.
And I've got privilege! I don't want to think of what happens to POC, even here.
7
@laguna greg She was "totally respectful" -- asking questions is not disrespectful, and the officer is a public servant subject to reasonable rules like everyone else. If your own child died in police custody, I wonder if you would be so willing to blame the victim.
3
“Driving While Black” arrests are happening all over the country and will keep happening until those in power know they will be voted out unless they stop them. Media and political campaigns deeply reinforce racism in White majorities by regularly portraying people of color as very dangerous, highly threatening, suspicious and untrustworthy.
2