No Indictment in Sandra Bland Jail Death

A GRAND jury in Texas has decided not to press charges relating to the death of a black woman who died by hanging in her jail cell. Bland was arrested by officers of the Waller County Sheriff’s department after she was pulled over due to a failure to signal before changing lanes.

Bland’s family and Black Lives Matter activists rallied around what they see as the senseless imprisonment and subsequent death of the young woman, who had just moved to Texas to work at Prairie View A&M University. She also complained that family members have not been made aware of any physical evidence being presented in court and have not been kept abreast of grand jury proceedings. Jordan said the grand jury will reconvene in January to consider whether Brian Encinia, the Texas state trooper who arrested Bland, should face charges.

Last week, a judge in Houston set a trial date for 2017 for a wrongful death suit filed against Waller County.

Attorney Larry Rogers acknowledged grand juries usually meet in secret, but that the process means lawyers for Bland’s family haven’t been able to examine the findings of a Texas Rangers investigation into her death because the report is grand jury evidence.

Bland was arrested during a traffic stop on July 10 that turned confrontational, and was found dead three days later.

Waller County officials denied accusations that Bland was mistreated in jail.

Investigators say Bland hung herself in the cell.

“I simply can’t have faith in a system that’s not inclusive of my family”, Reed-Veal said. She was taken into custody after a traffic violation stop. “I can’t begin to tell you what’s going on, because I don’t known what’s going on”.

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