The death of suburban Chicago woman Sandra Bland is shrouded in mystery even as more details begin to pour in. While news of Bland’s alleged suicide inside a Texas jail cell spread across social media, the hashtag #WhatHappenedToSandraBland was enacted and sparked a larger and ongoing conversation.
What is known so far is that Bland, 28, was in Waller County, Texas on her way to begin a new job at her alma mater, Texas Prairie View A&M University. Bland was pulled over by police for a routine traffic stop for improperly signaling and allegedly assaulting an officer. Video of the arrest that was published online Wednesday night does not show Bland attacking the officer but instead shows her on the ground with a cop standing over her before placing her into the vehicle.
Other officers stand over Bland, and she can be heard on the video asking why they’re being aggressive with her. Bland also thanks the individual videotaping the arrest on her phone before they finally whisk her away. From there, the information given to the public thus far has been speculative at best.
On Monday, Bland was seen by guards at 7:00 a.m. local time, checked in via intercom at 8:00 a.m. before breakfast, and that was the last communication the jail had with her. Her body was found just one hour, with a press statement from the Waller County Sheriff’s Office stating that “self-inflicted asphyxiation” was the possible cause of death.
Bland’s family expressed outrage over the incident, and are demanding answers. Along with those family members and close friends, all shared that Sandy, as she was affectionately called, would not commit suicide as it went against her entire way of life.
Bland’s life and dealings have been under heavy examination by the media, and it’s been discovered that she often spoke out against racial injustice and the like. She maintained a video series known as “Sandy Speaks” where she used to platform to voice her various opinions.
Responses to the #WhatHappenedToSandraBland hashtag are still growing in number, and we’ll share some of those on the following pages.
Note: We do not know who originated the hashtag and will make the correction once that person is indentified.
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Photo: Facebook
