On July 10, 2015, another human life fell victim to the hands of police brutality when Sandra Bland was found dead inside her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, around 9 a.m.
Sandra was 28-years-old and had relocated to Texas for her new job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M. On her way to begin her new job, she was stopped by the police for failure to signal during a lane change.
During this stop, Bland was forcefully thrown to the ground and her head was injured in the attack. Officers accused Bland of being combative with them and charged her with assault.
Luckily, a witness was able to catch the attack on video from a distance. In the video, Sandra clearly says, "You slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that? I can't even hear."
Three days later, right before her family could bail her out of jail, she was found dead. Her cause of death is claimed to be "self-inflicted asphyxiation" -- in other words, she hung herself. But is this completely true? Bland's family is certain that this, in fact, was not the case.
Bland was an advocate for Black Lives Matter and human equality. She was also a devout member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., as told by Heavy's website . One of Bland's sorority sisters even spoke to Watch The Yard about Bland's death:
“Sandra Bland is my line sister. Her personality and outlook on life alone DOES NOT resemble uncertainty or depression. She was a strong force that took life head on. Suicide would be the LAST thing on her mind as she was on the brink of starting a new chapter of life: a new job, a strong cause to fight for and a thick network of support. There are just too many discrepancies and holes in the official report. As far as her friends, chapter, alma mater and family are concerned: Sandy is still speaking and somebody is gonna listen.”
Ever since this horrific, senseless incident has occurred, topics such as #IfIDieInPoliceCustody and #IfIDieInJail have been trending on Twitter.
Hundreds of thousands of people are outraged over the death of Sandra Bland, and another example of the police brutality incidents that have been occurring for decades.
Innocent lives are being lost at the hands of police brutality. The crime, in law enforcement's eyes, is being black. Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, and recently Sandra Bland are only a small portion of the lives that have been lost due to these immoral and inhumane acts of violence.There are many more accounts of this kind that go unannounced to the public.
But the serious question is, why has it reached this point? Why are people having to vouch for themselves in the event of a death induced by law enforcement officials? People of color seem to be the only targets of these hate crimes. Police officers are supposed to serve and protect the entire community. People are not feeling safe at the hands of people who are supposed to be keeping them safe. When will this stop?
