Does the Sandra Bland story outrage you?

[jacee]

It certainly escalated at an alarming rate. And as it did, under the law, he was just a guy in a blue shirt harassing a (black) woman, since the original, and only, infraction had already been dealt with.

That's the truth.

But if he was tailing, stopping, harassing and assaulting her because she's a black activist ... then it's much more sinister.

.

[On Guard for Thee]

That's the truth.

But if he was tailing, stopping, harassing and assaulting her because she's a black activist ... then it's much more sinister.

.

Have you watched the full 52 or so minute dashcam video? What I can't determine is the race of the first person he had stopped whom he gives only a written warning for speeding, and in a very polite way. Then next, why does he do the U turn to tail Bland. Nothing out of the ordinary happening so it seems. Was it because he saw a black girl driving? He certainly deals with Bland in a noticeably different tone.

[jacee]

Have you watched the full 52 or so minute dashcam video? What I can't determine is the race of the first person he had stopped whom he gives only a written warning for speeding, and in a very polite way. Then next, why does he do the U turn to tail Bland. Nothing out of the ordinary happening so it seems. Was it because he saw a black girl driving? He certainly deals with Bland in a noticeably different tone.

It's because he ran her plate ... and started chasing down an 'uppity' black woman activist named Sandra Bland.

.

Edited August 4, 2015 by jacee

[On Guard for Thee]

It's because he ran her plate ... and started chasing down an 'uppity' black woman activist named Sandra Bland.

.

But if you watch the video, I doubt he eve had the tie to run her plate prior to making the u turn. He may of course have done so afterwards which could have added to his contemptuous attitude towards her, but I still wonder what was the basis of his u turn. It could have been simply that the Tim Horton's was in the opposite direction and he was jonesin' for a timbit fix. Again, something only he knows for sure, but I don't see anything in the video that would have warranted turning around to chase her.

[bush_cheney2004]

There is no reliable evidence to support that.

By definition, any THC blood volume as reported in the toxicology report constitutes impaired driving in Texas. She broke the law.

[bush_cheney2004]

It's because he ran her plate ... and started chasing down an 'uppity' black woman activist named Sandra Bland.

.

Or maybe she had warrants.

[On Guard for Thee]

By definition, any THC blood volume as reported in the toxicology report constitutes impaired driving in Texas. She broke the law.

You might have a case if the toxicology had been done at the time of the arrest. 3 days later following her death completely takes that off the table in any meaningful way. But flail away if you like.

[bush_cheney2004]

Bland made lots of bad choices....now she can't make any more.

[On Guard for Thee]

Bland made lots of bad choices....now she can't make any more.

Bland had her rights violated by a cop who was likely a racist.

If you watched the video, you would see he begins unlawful activity at 9:26. It goes on from there.

Edited August 4, 2015 by On Guard for Thee

[cybercoma]

Even among whites, there are so many video examples of bad things happening when people follow the cop's orders and get out of the car when no charges are being made, that nobody is just going to step out of the car because a policeman asks them to.

The thing is, you have to comply with the police in those situations. It's an investigative detention, which is different from an arrest. People mistakenly believe they don't have to comply if they're not under arrest, but that's not true. Police have the right to detain you if they're trying to determine if a crime has been committed. As far as it relates to the United States, they also have a right to secure the scene, which means disarming you of a weapon and placing you in handcuffs on the curb, if they deem it necessary for their protection and the person being investigated's protection. Being confrontational with the cop and not allowing them to safely do their job is going to escalate the situation. Having said that, this doesn't excuse the ridiculously disproportionate force that a lot of cops have been using lately. But then, you've got to wonder when police departments are going to first admit and then address the ever increasing abuse of steroids in their departments. Edited August 4, 2015 by cybercoma

[cybercoma]

Bland was ignorant of Texas law...she already had priors in another state.

You're ignorant of a lot of things, but nobody's calling for you to be murdered.

[cybercoma]

Here's a good article that questions this myth of black obedience. If only these black people were obedient, none of this would happen. BS. http://www.psmag.com/politics-and-law/sandra-bland-and-the-myth-of-black-obedience

Sometimes there is no right way for black people to respond to police. Reaching for licenses can get them shot. Telling a cop “I can’t breathe” can make that cop re-double his aggression. Advocating a policy of “obedience” isn’t just insulting to black people—it’s a way to forestall debate about racial profiling and police brutality. It’s a way to pretend that the same rules apply to everyone. It’s a way for white people of a certain political stripe to curl themselves a while longer in the warm blanket of a comforting fiction.

If disobedience causes all of these police brutality situations, then tell me why a bunch of angry white protesters waving AR-15s in a public park aren't immediately shot and beaten by the police?

[Argus]

I wonder also why he couldn't have just bought her story that she changed lanes to get out of his way as he accelerated up behind her, which sees plausible when you view the video.

He did say in the video he had just intended on giving her a warning. If she had acted like a mature adult she'd have driven on her way five minutes later.

[Argus]

Don't keep trying to flog that bs. A toxicology report after her death, and 3 days after the arrest, has absolutely no merit, whatsoever to the initial arrest.

Are you saying that three days later, time she spent in jail, there was much more THC in her system than there had been at the time she was pulled over?

[Argus]

It certainly escalated at an alarming rate. And as it did, under the law, he was just a guy in a blue shirt harassing a (black) woman, since the original, and only, infraction had already been dealt with.

No, it had not been. He was in the process of doing so when she decided to get uppity.

[Argus]

Have you watched the full 52 or so minute dashcam video? What I can't determine is the race of the first person he had stopped whom he gives only a written warning for speeding, and in a very polite way. Then next, why does he do the U turn to tail Bland. Nothing out of the ordinary happening so it seems. Was it because he saw a black girl driving? He certainly deals with Bland in a noticeably different tone.

He was polite to her until she failed to return that politeness. I don't think her skin colour had any bearing on things.

[On Guard for Thee]

Are you saying that three days later, time she spent in jail, there was much more THC in her system than there had been at the time she was pulled over?

There could well have been. From a medical point of view, there are indications levels increase significantly post death. From a legal point of view she could have for instance eaten a brownie while she was waiting for the cop to run her paperwork so he couldn't search her and find it. Also you can't prove she didn't get something while in jail. Surely you are not naive enough to think that's impossible these days.

[On Guard for Thee]

He did say in the video he had just intended on giving her a warning. If she had acted like a mature adult she'd have driven on her way five minutes later.

Apparently you saw a different video. When she refuses to put the smoke out, he immediately orders her out of the car. That's the big escalation start point, and the place where he exceeds his authority.

[On Guard for Thee]

No, it had not been. He was in the process of doing so when she decided to get uppity.

"uppity" huh, now that speaks volumes by itself. In any case, he had returned her docs to her obviously without finding anything out of order, so all he had more to do was either issue her the ticket or citation which he appears to have on his clipboard, and send her on her way.

[bush_cheney2004]

He was polite to her until she failed to return that politeness. I don't think her skin colour had any bearing on things.

Agreed...at every step of the stop and detention it was Bland's own decisions and actions that affected his legal behaviour.

Ultimately, Bland made one more stupid choice.

[On Guard for Thee]

Agreed...at every step of the stop and detention it was Bland's own decisions and actions that affected his legal behaviour.

Ultimately, Bland made one more stupid choice.

But it was his own decision that effected his illegal behaviour. That's the point.

[jacee]

The thing is, you have to comply with the police in those situations. It's an investigative detention, which is different from an arrest. People mistakenly believe they don't have to comply if they're not under arrest, but that's not true. Police have the right to detain you if they're trying to determine if a crime has been committed. As far as it relates to the United States, they also have a right to secure the scene, which means disarming you of a weapon and placing you in handcuffs on the curb, if they deem it necessary for their protection and the person being investigated's protection. Being confrontational with the cop and not allowing them to safely do their job is going to escalate the situation. Having said that, this doesn't excuse the ridiculously disproportionate force that a lot of cops have been using lately. But then, you've got to wonder when police departments are going to first admit and then address the ever increasing abuse of steroids in their departments.

I didn't see any indication that the cop had any reason to suspect any crime had been committed.

'Investigative detention' was not justified. She was right to try to call her lawyer. He was wrong to threaten to tase her for doing so.

.

[bush_cheney2004]

For the umpteenth time....police officers and state troopers in the U.S. can legally order the driver out of his/her vehicle without probable cause that a "crime has been committed".

[On Guard for Thee]

For the umpteenth time....police officers and state troopers in the U.S. can legally order the driver out of his/her vehicle without probable cause that a "crime has been committed".

For the umpteenth time, there is no probably cause in this case to indicate a crime was committed. Not signaling a lane change is not a crime.

[WIP]

It's interesting that you accuse me of racism then make a racist statement in the same paragraph.

I've heard everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Pat Buchanan try to shield themselves with butchered versions of that Jesse Jackson quote, so my spidey senses raise whenever it pops up to claim blacks are just naturally savage and violent.

I wonder how people would react if I said I don't worry about whites but it's those black animals I worry about when I go out because they attack people at random.

If we lived in a society where blacks had the opportunities to discriminate and marginalize whites, I might take it seriously, but we all know which way this river flows! In our world, whenever someone is white and charged with a serious crime (like the serial killers and mass executioners) their race is never featured front and center. As in this Dylan Roof in South Carolina, who was described as a "disturbed youth" on CNN and Foxnews. If he was black, they would have applied some subtle dogwhistle phrase to identify his race with the crime, just as he would have been called a terrorist if he was a Muslim....especially if he had a beard!

The statistics, btw, say you are lying or delusional. Quite probably both.

The statistics don't tell us how blacks are denied opportunities for advancement and police are deliberately tasked with harassing young blacks who venture out of their neighbourhoods, or that blacks are many times more likely to be charged, convicted and incarcerated for offenses that are considered minor penalties by middle class whites...such as possession of marijuana.

There are no white gangs except the bikers, and they don't attack random people on the street. Swarmings around this neck of the woods are universally blamed on 'youths' which means Somalis. I recall a police inspector in Toronto mistakenly letting it slip that whilte Blacks made up 5% of the population in 52 division they were responsible for 95% of the crime.

You don't get out much if you think outlaw bikers are the only white gangs! What burns me is kids driving around looking to harass and assault random strangers for no reason or purpose. At least when it comes to minorities, like the Somalis you don't like...I've had no problems with kids from African, Middle Eastern and other Asian backgrounds in the immediate area where I live; but since you mention it, and I still go out on foot to the local store late at night, I will note that about 12 years ago, I had an encounter where I was ambushed by what turned out to be a four Somalis (only one in the country legally at the time).

I was near an unlighted section of park near home that I knew really well, so I made a run for it in the dark..two tried to chase me but didn't get close, the car came around to the other side to try to cut me off...but by that time they realized that it would be too risky to try to attack me in a well-lighted area with traffic, and might get noticed. So they left and I called police and gave my report. And as it turned out, the gang had been mostly attacking lone victims walking into to bank ATM machines, and they were apprehended a week later...and the three that had overstayed student visa's by several months are back in Somalia today...if they're still alive. So, I'm not pollyannish about the subject; just realistic about what I should and should not use as my benchmark for determining risks.

Which is again, nonsense. The police are called by Blacks all the time, mostly to protect them from other Blacks.

After all is said and done, I am not going to accept the dangerous ideology that some races are better than others, regardless of how it is introduced or supported! This kind of attitude denies all people of colour their humanity and allows others to brutalize and exploit them.