Sandra Bland
 Image from Bland's LinkedIn account
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| Time | c. 9:00 a.m. (CDT) |
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| Date | July 13, 2015 |
| Location | Waller County Jail, Hempstead, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates |
30°05′07″N 95°59′23″W / 30.08516°N 95.98975°W (traffic stop) 30°06′09″N 96°04′31″W / 30.10239°N 96.07535°WCoordinates: 30°06′09″N 96°04′31″W / 30.10239°N 96.07535°W (Waller County Jail) |
| Cause | Asphyxiation; ruled suicide by first autopsy |
| Coroner | Harris County Medical Examiner |
| Footage |
Full dashcam video (Bland from 1:45) Bland's arrest, filmed by bystander Jail footage. |
 Full dashcam video – the second DPS upload, reportedly free of "irregularities" (Bland from 1:45) |
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Bland's arrest – filmed by bystander |
Sandra Bland was a 28-year-old black woman who was found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015. Her death was classified as a suicide by the county coroner and was followed by protests against her arrest, disputing the cause of death, and alleging racial violence against her.
Bland had been pulled over for a traffic violation on July 10 by state trooper Brian Encinia. He arrested her following an escalating conflict during which she is alleged to have assaulted him and which was partially recorded by his dashcam and by a bystander's cell phone. After authorities reviewed the dashcam footage, Encinia was placed on administrative leave for failing to follow proper traffic stop procedures.
On July 16, Texas authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Houston Division announced that they had begun a joint investigation into Bland's death. A motion-activated camera outside her cell recorded no movement in the hallway for 90 minutes before jailers found her dead. An autopsy conducted by the Harris County medical examiner ruled Bland's death a suicide and found no evidence of a violent struggle. However, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards did find that the Waller County jail did not follow required policies, including with respect to time checks on inmates and ensuring that employees had completed required mental health training. The results from a second independent autopsy requested by her family have not been released.
In December 2015, a grand jury declined to issue an indictment in connection to Bland's death. In January 2016, the grand jury indicted Encinia for perjury. The Texas Department of Public Safety dismissed Encinia as a result of his indictment. In September 2016, Bland's family settled for $1.9 million in a wrongful death civil lawsuit.
Sandra Annette Bland (February 7, 1987 – July 13, 2015) was from Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and was one of five sisters. She attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois, then Prairie View A&M University outside Hempstead in Waller County, Texas, where she was a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. She graduated in 2009 with a degree in agriculture. At Prairie View, she was recruited as a summer counselor for three years, played in a band, and volunteered for a senior citizens advocacy group.
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Wikipedia