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1 Year Since Sandra Bland’s Death, 800+ More People Have Died in U.S. Jails

HeadlineJul 14, 2016

And Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the death of 28-year-old African-American woman Sandra Bland, who died in a Texas jail cell three days after she was arrested for allegedly failing to signal a lane change. On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland was returning from a job interview at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, when she was pulled over by state trooper Brian Encinia. Dash cam footage of the arrest shows Encinia dragging Sandra Bland out of her car and threatening to “light [her] up.” Sandra Bland can later be heard on video accusing the police officer of slamming her head into the ground. She said she had epilepsy, to which Trooper Encinia replies, “Good.” Encinia was fired in March. Following her arrest, Bland spent three days in a Texas jail cell. Authorities have claimed Sandra Bland committed suicide while in jail by hanging herself with a garbage bag. But her family has rejected this claim. Her death sparked protests across the United States. According to a Huffington Post investigation, at least 810 other people have died in jails across the United States since Sandra Bland’s death one year ago. This comes as Sunday is the second anniversary of the police killing of Eric Garner on Staten Island. Click here to see our interview with his daughter, Erica Garner. She has planned a march for Sunday to Eric Garner’s memorial site.

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