What Happened to Sandra Bland? by Carrie Franks

What Happened To Sandy Bland?

     On July 10, 2015, Sandra Bland was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. She had failed to turn on her turning signal. Like any other driver, Bland was not thrilled to be addressed by Sheriff Brian Encinia. Instead of issuing her citation without engaging, he decided to inquire about her demeanor (Philip et al). It was then that the situation began to escalate:

          “Would you mind putting out your cigarette, please?” Encinia said.

           "I’m in my car, why do I have to put out my cigarette?” Bland answered.

           “Well, you can step on out now,” Encinia said.

           Bland refused, saying she did not have to step out of the car. (Olheiser and Phillip) One can infer that an unsuspecting Bland could not have imagined the extremity of the arrest that would transpire.

      

Character Analysis  

     Sandra Bland, a 28 year old native of Chicago, was ready to start a new life. As a prospective employee for Prairie View A&M, Bland had driven the distance from Illinois to Fort Waller County. On the social media platform, Twitter, photos of an African American woman with short locks with a wide smile is accompanied by a hashtag with the burning question: What happened to Sandra Bland?

            Sandra’s family described her as a kind, yet fiery individual. Her mother described her internal and external traits as “… sassy, smart and she knew her rights” (Sevilla). She often posted videos on Facebook, encouraging her audience to persevere through the adversities of modern day America. "Her spirits were lifted spirits, she was excited about the next chapter in her life," Sandra’s mother shared (Sevilla).

            Before Sandra was arrested, she expected to receive her citation and continue on with her day. Encinia’s inquiry about her state of demeanor was one of the two key external factors that intensified the encounter. Knowing her rights, it appears as though Sandra may have bruised Sheriff Encinia’s ego by not responding with compliance. Bland was irritated and she wasn’t ashamed of answering his question. Tensions arise further once Bland is asked to put out her cigarette. Upon exercising her right that she did not have to put the cigarette out while in her own car, Encinia orders her to exit the vehicle, right before threatening to “light her up” with his taser. Trooper Encinia tells her that she is under arrest while she is still seated in the vehicle but later claims that she is under arrest because he was attacked (McKesson). While Sandra could have obeyed, she was not violating any law by smoking in her own car (Lopez). A prime explanation that accurately described the internal and external conflicts between Sandra and Encinia was posted by reason.com, as follows: “Based on their comments in the video, Encinia and Bland clearly agreed that the escalation from warning to arrest was ridiculous, but they had diametrically opposed views of who was to blame. If only Bland had been more respectful and cooperative, Encinia thought, she could have been on her way. If only Encinia had not been so determined to assert his authority for its own sake, Bland thought, he never would have forced her out of the car, let alone handcuffed her and knocked her down.”

            Following her arrest and death, family and friends of Sandra Bland cannot understand why she would have taken her own life in her cell, when she was to appear in court the next day. Fort Waller County law officials link the mysterious death to alleged depression and an apparent suicide that she had attempted the previous year. However… if she had shared these two key factors upon her booking, why was she not on suicide watch? Bland was given a cell of her own, despite the fact that the jail was overcrowded (McKesson). It is also noted that her family reported that there was no evidence of a previous suicide attempt. The holes in her booking documents became more apparent, forming more questions that would demand solid explanations. Sandra Bland’s death still remains uncertain.

Description (Main Idea and Details)

            As holes in the story regarding the death of Sandra Bland become more apparent, two main theories are introduced. The first theory as released by Waller County officials, states that after spending three days in jail, Sandra committed suicide by hanging herself with a plastic trash bag on a five foot partition within her cell. Attorneys for Waller County argued that Sandra killed herself because she was despondent over her relatives' refusal to quickly bail her out. Attorneys for Waller County also argued in a federal court motion to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit (Graczyk). An attorney for Bland's family responded on Friday that blaming relatives for her death was "completely unnecessary and inaccurate"(Graczyk).

            The first conspiracy states that Sandra Bland killed herself due to depression. The County suggests that Sandra still had depression and had previously tried to take her life by swallowing pills after having a miscarriage. Officials say that Sandra Bland suffered from depression, however her family says that she showed no signs. Moreover… if the County jail knew this, why was Bland not placed on suicide watch? The DA’s office originally told reporters that she was high-risk but then realized that she was checked in as medium risk, in order to justify her being in a cell alone. (McKesson) There are multitudes of discrepancies in the records. Waller County has also been cited by state commission on jail standards. Even with all of the signs, the jail insists that they are not responsible for the death of Sandra Bland (Whaley).

The second theory suggests that Sandra Bland was murdered. A description of the happenings surrounding her discovery in security footage (full video has not been released) is explained by David Fisher, an unofficial crusader who resides in Austin and has created a niche for exposing fraud in the reviewing of cases within the Texas law enforcement system:

On the Waller County Jail time stamped video, jailer Cynthia Whidden, (in a dark blue uniform) is seen going back to check on Bland’s cell and immediately walks towards another jailer indicating that something is wrong. You see several officers approach Bland’s cell discovering her body. In the custody death report, both jailers and deputies (tan uniformed officers) enter her cell. One holds Sandra’s body up while the other removes the ligature from around her neck then lays her on the floor to perform CPR. After, deputies attempted to revive Bland, EMS are brought in but she is pronounced dead at 9:06am, which begs the question, why was the ligature put back on Bland’s neck and left there for three hours before sending her to the Houston medical examiner’s office? The possibility of tampering with the crime scene is being questioned. There was no movement in the hallway for 90 minutes based on the motion detected video camera inside the county jail (Datcher).

            According to David Fisher’s analysis, “This becomes a problem in the autopsy report. There’s a notation that strongly suggests that the ligature was replaced around Sandra Bland’s neck after she was pronounced dead and left on her neck for 3 hours,” Fisher said. “That would be a bomb. That is tampering and that is a third degree felony. This was intended for one purpose only – to make sure there was a mark on her neck; and further suggests that there wasn’t a mark on her neck when she was found.” Apparently, Bland double tied the trash bag to create the ligature hanging it from the 2 inch bar supporting the privacy partition separating the toilet area within the cell. The Boy Scout signature style knot would require the skills of someone who has the ability to tie a sturdy and strong knot (Datcher).

Photos of the crime scene were released, but also pose a few questions.

                                                                First Released Image

Second Released Images

The orange slippers from the first photo have been removed, and the bible that is on the cot is now open. The text on the page reads, “Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.”

In conclusion, the scenario that most likely occurred is that Sandra Bland was murdered because she planned to sue promptly after being released from jail. With the footage provided during her arrest, she would have had a solid case for mishandling and injury. A survey poll was conducted on campus at College of the Mainland where over 80% of those who participated,

Did not believe the statement released from Waller County officials, which insists that Sandra Bland killed herself due to depression. Law officials and citizens alike can agree that Sandra should not have been arrested in the first place. “Bland could certainly have been more cordial to Encinia -- though she is under no legal obligation to do so, as being rude to a cop is protected behavior under the First Amendment” (Wing). In the video, the arresting officer explains to someone off-camera why his interaction with Bland escalated. “She wasn’t even looking at me,” he said. “She was just mad.” Was being mad the reason for Sandra Bland’s arrest?

            After examining the Sandra Bland case, the two conspiracy theories surrounding her death remain:

1.         Did Sandra Bland kill herself by hanging with the trash bag?

2.         Was Sandra Bland murdered?

Or even…was Sandra Bland forced to hang herself?

Even five months after her death, her family still has not gotten their answer. They have not forgotten the holes in the story, edited footage, and botched autopsies. The true cooperation and honesty of the Waller County jail would be the key to solving the case. As for now, a huge spotlight is on the facility.