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http://democracynow.org
- Last Friday, an African-American woman was returning home from a job interview
in Waller County, Texas, when she was stopped by police. Apparently, she had
improperly signaled a lane change. Two days later, the woman, Sandy Bland, was
found dead in a jail cell. A video taken by a bystander during the arrest shows
Bland shouting that the officer had slammed her head into the ground. According
to police, Sandra Bland was taken into custody and charged with "assault of a
public servant." On Monday, police say Bland was "found in her cell not
breathing from what appears to be self-inflicted asphyxiation." The announcement
was made by Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith. Meanwhile, reports have emerged
that Smith was fired from his previous post as chief of police of Hempstead,
Texas, amidst accusations of racism. Bland’s friends and family contest Smith’s
account, saying the thought of her committing suicide by hanging is
"unfathomable."
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