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| Sandra Bland: suspicion and mistrust flourish amid official inconsistencies | Sandra Bland: suspicion and mistrust flourish amid official inconsistencies |
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| As he posted a video clip to Facebook on Thursday night, the Chicago rapper Lil Bibby claimed to have startling new evidence in the case of Sandra Bland, who was found dead last week at the county jail in Hempstead, Texas, from what authorities said was a suicide. | As he posted a video clip to Facebook on Thursday night, the Chicago rapper Lil Bibby claimed to have startling new evidence in the case of Sandra Bland, who was found dead last week at the county jail in Hempstead, Texas, from what authorities said was a suicide. |
| Related: Sandra Bland funeral: she has joined 'a list of martyrs', says pastor | |
| “She looks dead in the video already,” he said of the footage, which showed a black woman cuffed at the hands and feet being pulled out of a police car and dragged lifelessly across a parking lot to jail by a white officer. The post was shared more than 260,000 times. | “She looks dead in the video already,” he said of the footage, which showed a black woman cuffed at the hands and feet being pulled out of a police car and dragged lifelessly across a parking lot to jail by a white officer. The post was shared more than 260,000 times. |
| But the clip in fact dates from October 2013. The man seen in uniform is not Texas state trooper Brian Encinia, who aggressively arrested Bland following a 10 July traffic stop, but a police officer from Tampa, Florida. And the homeless woman being manhandled, who had been detained on drugs charges, survived her ordeal. | But the clip in fact dates from October 2013. The man seen in uniform is not Texas state trooper Brian Encinia, who aggressively arrested Bland following a 10 July traffic stop, but a police officer from Tampa, Florida. And the homeless woman being manhandled, who had been detained on drugs charges, survived her ordeal. |
| Lil Bibby’s was only the latest in a series of outlandish claims fuelling allegations that an official cover-up is masking the true story of Bland’s death. The assertions have laid bare the full extent of mistrust for the police that has grown sharply around the US in the year since the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, in Ferguson, Missouri. | Lil Bibby’s was only the latest in a series of outlandish claims fuelling allegations that an official cover-up is masking the true story of Bland’s death. The assertions have laid bare the full extent of mistrust for the police that has grown sharply around the US in the year since the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, in Ferguson, Missouri. |
| “The case of Sandra Bland is an exclamation point on the reasoning of why it is that black Americans feel disdain and distrust for police,” said Jamal Bryant, a Baltimore pastor and activist who was on the scene in Texas this week and delivered the eulogy in his city at the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who died from a broken neck in police custody in April. “People simply do not believe them.” | “The case of Sandra Bland is an exclamation point on the reasoning of why it is that black Americans feel disdain and distrust for police,” said Jamal Bryant, a Baltimore pastor and activist who was on the scene in Texas this week and delivered the eulogy in his city at the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who died from a broken neck in police custody in April. “People simply do not believe them.” |
| Speculation has circulated that Bland must have already been dead and lying on her back when police photographed her for a mugshot, because her head was tilted slightly back and the grey wall behind her appeared to match the floor of her cell. | Speculation has circulated that Bland must have already been dead and lying on her back when police photographed her for a mugshot, because her head was tilted slightly back and the grey wall behind her appeared to match the floor of her cell. |
| Police point to a standard second booking picture, taken from Bland’s side, as evidence there was no foul play. Bland died in jail three days after the traffic stop having been held on a charge of assaulting a public servant. An autopsy report released on Friday ruled Bland’s death a suicide and said investigators discovered wounds on her neck consistent with hanging. | Police point to a standard second booking picture, taken from Bland’s side, as evidence there was no foul play. Bland died in jail three days after the traffic stop having been held on a charge of assaulting a public servant. An autopsy report released on Friday ruled Bland’s death a suicide and said investigators discovered wounds on her neck consistent with hanging. |
| A recording by the dashboard camera of Encinia’s cruiser, which was decidedly unflattering to the officer, was dismissed by Bryant and thousands of other activists online as a selectively edited piece of police propaganda, because the footage contained a series of unusual jumps and cuts. Police insisted a technical glitch was to blame. | A recording by the dashboard camera of Encinia’s cruiser, which was decidedly unflattering to the officer, was dismissed by Bryant and thousands of other activists online as a selectively edited piece of police propaganda, because the footage contained a series of unusual jumps and cuts. Police insisted a technical glitch was to blame. |
| Related: Sandra Bland: Texas officials deny dashcam footage of arrest was doctored | Related: Sandra Bland: Texas officials deny dashcam footage of arrest was doctored |
| Alarm bells also rang among some activists over the fact Bland wore an orange jumpsuit in the photograph rather than her own clothes, as is often permitted by the county jail booking staff. Yet other photographs were unearthed showing several other recent inmates of the jail wearing the same orange jumpsuit with the same grey wall behind them. | Alarm bells also rang among some activists over the fact Bland wore an orange jumpsuit in the photograph rather than her own clothes, as is often permitted by the county jail booking staff. Yet other photographs were unearthed showing several other recent inmates of the jail wearing the same orange jumpsuit with the same grey wall behind them. |
| Brittany Packnett, a prominent activist who sat on President Barack Obama’s White House policing taskforce, said the widespread suspicion was justified. | Brittany Packnett, a prominent activist who sat on President Barack Obama’s White House policing taskforce, said the widespread suspicion was justified. |
| “Our scepticism has been warranted for a very long time,” Packnett said of black Americans. “There is understandable scepticism of authorities and institutions that continue to take black lives.” | “Our scepticism has been warranted for a very long time,” Packnett said of black Americans. “There is understandable scepticism of authorities and institutions that continue to take black lives.” |
| Errors made and inconsistencies in information released by the authorities have compounded the wariness of activists and supporters of Bland’s family. Jail bosses were swiftly censured by Texas authorities for failing to check on prisoners frequently enough and for a lack of mental health training. | Errors made and inconsistencies in information released by the authorities have compounded the wariness of activists and supporters of Bland’s family. Jail bosses were swiftly censured by Texas authorities for failing to check on prisoners frequently enough and for a lack of mental health training. |
| One booking document purportedly showed Bland had answered “no” when asked if she had thoughts of killing herself during the past year, yet also said she had tried to kill herself earlier in 2015. Officials said she had given differing responses when asked the same questions on arrival at the jail and three hours later. | One booking document purportedly showed Bland had answered “no” when asked if she had thoughts of killing herself during the past year, yet also said she had tried to kill herself earlier in 2015. Officials said she had given differing responses when asked the same questions on arrival at the jail and three hours later. |
| Moreover, a puzzling statement by the Waller County district attorney, Elton Mathis, that preliminary toxicology tests indicated that Bland had “swallowed a large quantity of marijuana or smoked it in the jail” was met with ridicule by campaigners, who have accused authorities of seeking to smear Bland with a steady drip of information about subjects such as her mental health. | Moreover, a puzzling statement by the Waller County district attorney, Elton Mathis, that preliminary toxicology tests indicated that Bland had “swallowed a large quantity of marijuana or smoked it in the jail” was met with ridicule by campaigners, who have accused authorities of seeking to smear Bland with a steady drip of information about subjects such as her mental health. |
| The piecemeal trickling out of information seems to only serve the purpose of negatively characterising Sandy | The piecemeal trickling out of information seems to only serve the purpose of negatively characterising Sandy |
| “The family is fairly troubled by the piecemeal trickling out of information that seems to only serve the purpose of negatively characterising Sandy,” Cannon Lambert, the family’s attorney, told the Guardian. | “The family is fairly troubled by the piecemeal trickling out of information that seems to only serve the purpose of negatively characterising Sandy,” Cannon Lambert, the family’s attorney, told the Guardian. |
| He said that holding a press conference the day before the release of the autopsy report was “an unusual method of releasing information. Ordinarily you have a full complete report and you release the report or you don’t. It’s not common that you release certain information and then hold that other information.” | He said that holding a press conference the day before the release of the autopsy report was “an unusual method of releasing information. Ordinarily you have a full complete report and you release the report or you don’t. It’s not common that you release certain information and then hold that other information.” |
| Lambert said Waller county officials had “not made contact with me at all except when we were advised that they wanted the possibility of re-examining Sandy”. | Lambert said Waller county officials had “not made contact with me at all except when we were advised that they wanted the possibility of re-examining Sandy”. |
| The deaths of Brown, Gray, Eric Garner and other high-profile cases occurred in big urban areas, but this crisis enveloped small-town Texas, where 45,000 people live in a county larger than New York City. A torrent of protests in person and on social media and the national and international mainstream media attention gave the impression that a small staff was besieged and overwhelmed, with reporters’ questions going unanswered and the apparent lack of a clear communications strategy only adding to the perception of a lack of transparency. | The deaths of Brown, Gray, Eric Garner and other high-profile cases occurred in big urban areas, but this crisis enveloped small-town Texas, where 45,000 people live in a county larger than New York City. A torrent of protests in person and on social media and the national and international mainstream media attention gave the impression that a small staff was besieged and overwhelmed, with reporters’ questions going unanswered and the apparent lack of a clear communications strategy only adding to the perception of a lack of transparency. |
| Theories flourished not only in the information void but when details were released in attempts to quell doubts. Such details included jail footage recorded during Bland’s last hours, which did not show the inside of her cell, or even give a clear view of the door, did not have sound and had nine minutes missing because the camera was motion-sensitive and only recorded when there was movement. | Theories flourished not only in the information void but when details were released in attempts to quell doubts. Such details included jail footage recorded during Bland’s last hours, which did not show the inside of her cell, or even give a clear view of the door, did not have sound and had nine minutes missing because the camera was motion-sensitive and only recorded when there was movement. |
| Related: Nothing in Sandra Bland autopsy suggests homicide, Texas official says | Related: Nothing in Sandra Bland autopsy suggests homicide, Texas official says |
| Joseph Burnside, who runs a local technology company, was involved in the installation of some of the jail’s security cameras, though he said a different business was now servicing them. His wife is the sheriff’s administrative assistant. Burnside said there were two cells in the jail with cameras covering the interior: the two rooms for people on suicide watch. | Joseph Burnside, who runs a local technology company, was involved in the installation of some of the jail’s security cameras, though he said a different business was now servicing them. His wife is the sheriff’s administrative assistant. Burnside said there were two cells in the jail with cameras covering the interior: the two rooms for people on suicide watch. |
| But Bland was not placed on suicide watch, which would have meant she was monitored more frequently than once an hour by jailers. This was despite her having provided responses to a mental health screening questionnaire that, according to Texas jail guidelines, ought to have led to officers contacting a magistrate to discuss whether she needed professional evaluation. | But Bland was not placed on suicide watch, which would have meant she was monitored more frequently than once an hour by jailers. This was despite her having provided responses to a mental health screening questionnaire that, according to Texas jail guidelines, ought to have led to officers contacting a magistrate to discuss whether she needed professional evaluation. |
| Allegations of conspiracy have been bolstered by the dashcam video footage, which exposed clear discrepancies with the arrest report filed by Encinia. While the trooper claimed he was forced to act because Bland became “combative and uncooperative” after being stopped, the video showed Encinia aggressively confronting her when she declined to put out a cigarette, and escalating the situation from there. | Allegations of conspiracy have been bolstered by the dashcam video footage, which exposed clear discrepancies with the arrest report filed by Encinia. While the trooper claimed he was forced to act because Bland became “combative and uncooperative” after being stopped, the video showed Encinia aggressively confronting her when she declined to put out a cigarette, and escalating the situation from there. |
| While the subsequent physical struggle between Encinia and Bland unfolded out of the camera’s view, audible pleadings from Bland have cast doubt over Encinia’s claims in the report that she assaulted him. The trooper was also captured telling Bland to stop recording the encounter on her cellphone, which she was entitled to do under US law. | While the subsequent physical struggle between Encinia and Bland unfolded out of the camera’s view, audible pleadings from Bland have cast doubt over Encinia’s claims in the report that she assaulted him. The trooper was also captured telling Bland to stop recording the encounter on her cellphone, which she was entitled to do under US law. |
| At the same time, Encinia’s threatening to “light up” Bland with his Taser – also captured in the dashcam video – was not the first time a police officer in the county has attracted controversy for pointing a weapon at an African American who later died during a confrontation over a minor alleged offence. | At the same time, Encinia’s threatening to “light up” Bland with his Taser – also captured in the dashcam video – was not the first time a police officer in the county has attracted controversy for pointing a weapon at an African American who later died during a confrontation over a minor alleged offence. |
| On 8 June 2010, Sergeant Byron Fausset of the Hempstead police department responded to a 911 trespassing call at the Willowchase Apartments a couple of miles from Prairie View, where Bland was stopped on 10 July for failing to signal a lane change. | On 8 June 2010, Sergeant Byron Fausset of the Hempstead police department responded to a 911 trespassing call at the Willowchase Apartments a couple of miles from Prairie View, where Bland was stopped on 10 July for failing to signal a lane change. |
| Fausset came across Terrelle Houston, an unarmed 22-year-old black man, who tried to run away from him. According to court records, the officer shocked Houston with a Taser, gained control of him and put him in handcuffs. Then, the complaint alleged, the officer “continued to repeatedly shock Houston until he became unresponsive. Throughout the incident, Houston was lying face down, restrained, in a pool of water; he was also unarmed.” | Fausset came across Terrelle Houston, an unarmed 22-year-old black man, who tried to run away from him. According to court records, the officer shocked Houston with a Taser, gained control of him and put him in handcuffs. Then, the complaint alleged, the officer “continued to repeatedly shock Houston until he became unresponsive. Throughout the incident, Houston was lying face down, restrained, in a pool of water; he was also unarmed.” |
| A couple of hours later, Houston was dead. His aunt, Darrelle Neal, claimed Houston was in great pain and struggling to breathe after the Taser shocks. He died in hospital. Neal filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Hempstead, Waller’s county seat, in 2012. Fausset was cleared of any wrongdoing after a trial in September last year. | A couple of hours later, Houston was dead. His aunt, Darrelle Neal, claimed Houston was in great pain and struggling to breathe after the Taser shocks. He died in hospital. Neal filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Hempstead, Waller’s county seat, in 2012. Fausset was cleared of any wrongdoing after a trial in September last year. |
| He was also cleared in 2010 by a Waller county grand jury following an autopsy report which said Houston’s death was caused by the combined effects of an enlarged heart, drug intoxication and “restraint procedures” – three Taser jolts. | He was also cleared in 2010 by a Waller county grand jury following an autopsy report which said Houston’s death was caused by the combined effects of an enlarged heart, drug intoxication and “restraint procedures” – three Taser jolts. |
| LaVaughn Mosley, a friend of Bland, referred to Houston’s death when he and other community advocates called for the resignation of Sheriff Glenn Smith on Wednesday, saying the department did not have the confidence of black residents. | LaVaughn Mosley, a friend of Bland, referred to Houston’s death when he and other community advocates called for the resignation of Sheriff Glenn Smith on Wednesday, saying the department did not have the confidence of black residents. |
| Mosley told the Guardian the dashcam video of Encinia threatening to tase Bland “exactly” reminded him of the Houston incident. | Mosley told the Guardian the dashcam video of Encinia threatening to tase Bland “exactly” reminded him of the Houston incident. |
| Eighteen months after Houston’s death, Fausset got a new job: he moved from Hempstead police to the Waller County sheriff’s office to become a deputy. He lists “Taser instructor” on his online résumé. | Eighteen months after Houston’s death, Fausset got a new job: he moved from Hempstead police to the Waller County sheriff’s office to become a deputy. He lists “Taser instructor” on his online résumé. |
| Related: The Texas county where Sandra Bland died: there's 'racism from cradle to grave' | Related: The Texas county where Sandra Bland died: there's 'racism from cradle to grave' |
| The man who hired him, Smith, made the same switch two years earlier. He was fired as Hempstead’s police chief by the city council in 2008 after accusations of racist behaviour, but elected later that year as Waller county’s sheriff. Smith told a news conference last week that he was not a racist and that claims against him were politically motivated. | The man who hired him, Smith, made the same switch two years earlier. He was fired as Hempstead’s police chief by the city council in 2008 after accusations of racist behaviour, but elected later that year as Waller county’s sheriff. Smith told a news conference last week that he was not a racist and that claims against him were politically motivated. |
| Mathis, the district attorney, has pledged a thorough and transparent investigation, with input from the Texas Rangers and FBI. | Mathis, the district attorney, has pledged a thorough and transparent investigation, with input from the Texas Rangers and FBI. |
| “As a public servant you must have the trust of the people,” Mosley told a meeting of the commissioners’ court, the county’s governing body, in Hempstead. Smith was not present. | “As a public servant you must have the trust of the people,” Mosley told a meeting of the commissioners’ court, the county’s governing body, in Hempstead. Smith was not present. |
| “It’s no secret here in Waller County that we have a huge problem with racism … it’s systematic and it’s pervasive,” Mosley said. | “It’s no secret here in Waller County that we have a huge problem with racism … it’s systematic and it’s pervasive,” Mosley said. |
| DeWayne Charleston, a former Waller county judge, told the commissioners: “I do not believe for one moment that Sandra Bland committed suicide but if she did, she did it under the care, custody and control of the man you pay.” | DeWayne Charleston, a former Waller county judge, told the commissioners: “I do not believe for one moment that Sandra Bland committed suicide but if she did, she did it under the care, custody and control of the man you pay.” |
| I’ll be given complete and total access to be able to evaluate the way the Waller County sheriff’s office treats people | I’ll be given complete and total access to be able to evaluate the way the Waller County sheriff’s office treats people |
| Charleston believes Smith should immediately resign and there should be a swift independent investigation into the 28-year-old’s death. | Charleston believes Smith should immediately resign and there should be a swift independent investigation into the 28-year-old’s death. |
| “It made me sick to hear that ‘We need time to get it right’,” he said. “Every African American in Waller County knows it means … give us time to get our story together, give us time for the media to leave, give us time so we can get back to business as usual.” | “It made me sick to hear that ‘We need time to get it right’,” he said. “Every African American in Waller County knows it means … give us time to get our story together, give us time for the media to leave, give us time so we can get back to business as usual.” |
| Smith has appointed a criminal defence attorney, Paul Looney, who has an office opposite the county courthouse, to conduct an independent investigation into the sheriff’s office. | Smith has appointed a criminal defence attorney, Paul Looney, who has an office opposite the county courthouse, to conduct an independent investigation into the sheriff’s office. |
| “It’s an opportunity to create a more functional relationship between citizens and law enforcement,” Looney told the Guardian. “I’ll be given complete and total access to be able to evaluate the way the Waller County sheriff’s office treats people … it did indicate a level of open-mindedness that frankly surprised me.” | “It’s an opportunity to create a more functional relationship between citizens and law enforcement,” Looney told the Guardian. “I’ll be given complete and total access to be able to evaluate the way the Waller County sheriff’s office treats people … it did indicate a level of open-mindedness that frankly surprised me.” |
| Looney said he would form an independent panel to look into the office. He said he had no personal relationship with the sheriff and their only private meeting had been when he met him to complain about a deputy’s conduct at a traffic stop: his client, a white woman, was naked in her vehicle and was ordered out without the opportunity to put her clothes on. | Looney said he would form an independent panel to look into the office. He said he had no personal relationship with the sheriff and their only private meeting had been when he met him to complain about a deputy’s conduct at a traffic stop: his client, a white woman, was naked in her vehicle and was ordered out without the opportunity to put her clothes on. |
| But many are not buying the promises of progress. On Friday, a small group of protesters stood outside the jail in blistering heat. A placard bearing the words “What happened to Sandy Bland???” leaned against the wall by the front door, next to a couple of candles and small statues of praying angels. Nearby the Texas and American flags fluttered proudly at full staff. | But many are not buying the promises of progress. On Friday, a small group of protesters stood outside the jail in blistering heat. A placard bearing the words “What happened to Sandy Bland???” leaned against the wall by the front door, next to a couple of candles and small statues of praying angels. Nearby the Texas and American flags fluttered proudly at full staff. |
| Related: Sandra Bland death findings to be reviewed in second autopsy | Related: Sandra Bland death findings to be reviewed in second autopsy |
| One of the protesters, a black woman in a “Justice for Sandra” T-shirt named Joy Harris, said recently she called a state trooper to her house in a nearby county because she had accidentally backed into her neighbour’s car. He yelled and screamed at her and threatened to give her a ticket because she was seemingly a Texas resident but had Missouri licence plates, she said. Tales of police overreaction are not hard to find here. | One of the protesters, a black woman in a “Justice for Sandra” T-shirt named Joy Harris, said recently she called a state trooper to her house in a nearby county because she had accidentally backed into her neighbour’s car. He yelled and screamed at her and threatened to give her a ticket because she was seemingly a Texas resident but had Missouri licence plates, she said. Tales of police overreaction are not hard to find here. |
| As for Bland’s death, the 62-year-old nurse felt that the autopsy report raised as many questions as it answered. | As for Bland’s death, the 62-year-old nurse felt that the autopsy report raised as many questions as it answered. |
| “I’m looking at the thickness and the depth [of the mark] around her neck and it just does not look like a plastic bag [would do that],” she said. | “I’m looking at the thickness and the depth [of the mark] around her neck and it just does not look like a plastic bag [would do that],” she said. |
| Regardless of whether any of the dramatic conspiracy theories are proved or not, Harris has concerns about Bland’s treatment that resonate on a more prosaic, everyday level, and worries that the case has exposed divisions in the community that may deepen. | Regardless of whether any of the dramatic conspiracy theories are proved or not, Harris has concerns about Bland’s treatment that resonate on a more prosaic, everyday level, and worries that the case has exposed divisions in the community that may deepen. |
| “There was negligence all around concerning her care,” she said. “Something positive has to come out of this, or it’s going to get worse.” | “There was negligence all around concerning her care,” she said. “Something positive has to come out of this, or it’s going to get worse.” |