July 16, 2015
Shaun King
Sandra Bland died in police custody this past Monday. Visiting Texas from Chicago to interview for a college job at her alma mater of Prairie View A&M, she was pulled over for a routine traffic violation (failure to use her turn signal). Everything from that point forward screams racism and foul play, including her death in the Waller County jail Monday.
The first red flag is that Bland was officially arrested on Friday for assaulting a police officer. What we see from a bystander video is her telling the officers she is in pain and cannot hear after her head was slammed on the ground by the male arresting officer. The video is below.
We have now learned that Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith, who made the first public comments about Bland's in-custody death, was suspended for documented cases of racismwhen he was chief of police in Hempstead, Texas, in 2007. After serving his suspension, more complaints of racism came in, and Smith was actually fired as chief of police in Hempstead:
Council members are reviewing video of four arrests and detentions over the past month. The officers and police chief, who are the targets of the complaints, are white. Some residents are calling for a third of the city's 15 person police force to be suspended, disciplined, or fired.
Allegations of racism have led to the Hempstead police chief being suspended and ordered to take anger management classes.The Hempstead city council has been reviewing the case since last week and finally came to a decision at around 2am Tuesday. A number of residents have come forward with claims of racism by at least four white police officers.The council reviewed the complaints, along with videotapes before making their decision to punish Chief Glen Smith. Some say it wasn't enough. The chief says he respects the decision."My action during the arrest did not meet professionalism as it should with language and I'm not above policy and procedure, no more than any officer of this city," said Chief Smith.
It would seem that once a law enforcement officer—a chief of police no less—is suspended and then fired for racism and abuse, his ability to serve in law enforcement would cease.
That'd be too much like right, though.
Hell, it made Glenn Smith popular in Waller County, where he then ran for the elected position of sheriff and won against—you guessed it—an African-American candidate, Jeron Barnett, who would've been the first black sheriff ever in Waller County.
Police are claiming that Bland killed herself in her cell, but all of her friends and family have serious reservations about that version of events:
Longtime friend LaNitra Dean tells the I-Team that Bland "was a warm, affectionate, outspoken woman" who spoke out about police brutality often on her Facebook page and was critical of injustice against African Americans.
"Each one of us feels like we lost a part of ourselves and it's hard, it's going to be hard for a very long time," said her sister Sharon Cooper."The Waller County Jail is trying to rule her death a suicide and Sandy would not have taken her own life," Dean said. "Sandy was strong. Strong mentally and spiritually."
Alan: Several years ago, I attended a talk by UNC-Chapel Hill Public Health Professor John Hatch who mentioned that all four grandparents were born into slavery. In one of his ancestral families the children were auctioned off in a single day. Knowing that the new owners would remove them to distant plantations - with no hope of family reunion - a bereaved daughter committed suicide within hours of her sale.
"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right"
"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right"
American Cops Fire More Bullets At One NYC Man Than All German Cops Fire In A Year
http://paxonbothhouses.
American Cops Fire More Bullets At One NYC Man Than All German Cops Fire In A Year
1 Small Town's Cops Have Killed More People Than Combined Police Of Germany And U.K.
http://paxonbothhouses.
Why Police Don't Pull Guns In Many Countries Whereas U.S. Cops Are Trained To Kill
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-police-dont-pull-guns-in-many.html
Why Police Don't Pull Guns In Many Countries Whereas U.S. Cops Are Trained To Kill
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-police-dont-pull-guns-in-many.html
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-police-dont-pull-guns-in-many.html
Diane Rehm Guest Gets To The Nub Of Police Violence And How Easily It's Prevented
http://paxonbothhouses.
"From The Beginning, Legions Of Black People Have Been Degraded And Violated By Police"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/from-beginning-legions-of-black-people.html
"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right"
http://paxonbothhouses.
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/texas-sheriff-involved-in-death-of.html
http://paxonbothhouses.
"From The Beginning, Legions Of Black People Have Been Degraded And Violated By Police"
"From The Beginning, Legions Of Black People Have Been Degraded And Violated By Police"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/from-beginning-legions-of-black-people.html
"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right"
http://paxonbothhouses.
"Bad Black People." Why Bill O'Reilly Is Wrong Even When He's Right"
http://paxonbothhouses.
"Texas Sheriff Involved In Death Of Sandra Bland Fired From Previous Post For Racism"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/texas-sheriff-involved-in-death-of.html
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/07/texas-sheriff-involved-in-death-of.html
Extrajudicial Execution By Killer Cops: Best Pax Posts
Extrajudicial Execution By Killer Cops: Best Pax Posts
Cop Arrested After Video Shows Her Shoot Unarmed Man in Back Lying Face Down in the Snow
http://paxonbothhouses.
Open Season On Unarmed American Black Men, A Compendium Of Pax Posts
Blacks Arrested For Contraband Twice As Often Though Much Less Likely To Have Contraband
http://paxonbothhouses.
The Future Of Race In America: TED Talk By Michelle Alexander, Author Of "The New Jim Crow"
Lists Of Americans Killed By Cops In 2013, 2014, 2015
Walter Scott’s Killing Is the Sum of Every Black Nightmare About White Cops
http://paxonbothhouses.
Killing Good Black People Over Dysfunctional Tail Lights
Open Season On Unarmed American Black Men, A Compendium Of Pax Posts
http://paxonbothhouses.
50 Police Officers Shot & Killed In 2014. Huge, Steady Decline Since 1970s
http://paxonbothhouses.
The Beginning Of The End For Cop-Killer Privilege: "#CrimingWhileWhite"
Open Season On Unarmed Black Men. White Cop Kills Another Innocuous Black Man
Americans Are 9 Times More Likely To Be Killed By A Policeman Than A Terrorist
The Beginning Of The End For Cop-Killer Privilege: "#CrimingWhileWhite"
Open Season On Unarmed Black Men. White Cop Kills Another Innocuous Black Man
Americans Are 9 Times More Likely To Be Killed By A Policeman Than A Terrorist
American Cops Fire More Bullets At One NYC Man Than All German Cops Fire In A Year
1 Small Town's Cops Have Killed More People Than Combined Police Of Germany And U.K.
The Caging Of America: Why Do We Lock Up So Many People?
http://paxonbothhouses.
Selma, "Glory" And America's Astronomical Incarceration Rate
Particularly For Blacks
http://paxonbothhouses.
There's Never Been A Safer Time For Cops Nor A More Dangerous Time For Criminals
http://paxonbothhouses.
"Non-Racist" Gringos Cheer Black Man Who Would "Ventilate Black Asses With M16s"
http://paxonbothhouses.
The Caging Of America: Why Do We Lock Up So Many People?
Selma, "Glory" And America's Astronomical Incarceration Rate
Particularly For Blacks
http://paxonbothhouses.
There's Never Been A Safer Time For Cops Nor A More Dangerous Time For Criminals
http://paxonbothhouses.
"Non-Racist" Gringos Cheer Black Man Who Would "Ventilate Black Asses With M16s"
http://paxonbothhouses.
Jesus Says: If Walter Scott Was Running Away Because He Was Guilty Of Something, Kill Him
http://paxonbothhouses.
Compendium Of Pax Posts: What's Wrong With Race Relations?
Hatred, Cops And The Law
Here's The News Report We'd Be Reading If Walter Scott's Murder Wasn't On Video
Pax On Both Houses: Compendium Of U.S. Prison System Posts
http://paxonbothhouses.
Compendium Of Pax Posts On Violent Criminals And Violent Police
Diane Rehm Guest Gets To The Nub Of Police Violence And How Easily It's Prevented
"Is The United States Still A Nation Of Law? Bad Cops And Bad Politicians Walk"
U.S. Murder Rate On Track To Be Lowest In A Century
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-us-murder-rate-is-on-track-to-be.html
Killer Cops: Slow Motion Serial Killing By White People
"Is The United States Still A Nation Of Law? Bad Cops And Bad Politicians Walk"
U.S. Murder Rate On Track To Be Lowest In A Century
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-us-murder-rate-is-on-track-to-be.html
Killer Cops: Slow Motion Serial Killing By White People
Killer Cops: Slow Motion Serial Killing By White People
Alan: Blacks are arrested - and prosecuted - at least twice as often as whites for the same "contraband" crimes white people at the same rate.
If white people were incarcerated as often as blacks for the crimes both commit with the same regularity, and if blacks were incarcerated for the crimes they commit as often as whites are for those same crimes, the "black prison time" figure of 32% (above) would be cut in half and the "white prison time" figure of 6% would double.
The situation is further complicated because it is much harder for released blacks to find work than it is for released whites, making persistent black unemployment a source of recidivism.
Are there any circumstances under which you would hire Jamal ahead of James?
The situation is further complicated because it is much harder for released blacks to find work than it is for released whites, making persistent black unemployment a source of recidivism.
Are there any circumstances under which you would hire Jamal ahead of James?
No comments:
Post a Comment