Hundratals dör i polisens förvar i USA varje år
Sandra Bland, 28, missade att blinka när hon skulle svänga och stoppades av polis. Polismannen valde att gripa henne och hon sattes i arresten. 60 timmar senare var hon död.
Enligt en rättsmedicinsk undersökning tog Sandra Bland livet av sig, någonting hennes familj ifrågasatt.
I ett långt reportage skriver Huffington Post att det sedan den händelsen år 2015 dött i snitt två personer per dag i polisens förvar i USA. Läs mer nedan om varför Sandra Blands död chockerade världen och hur de hundratals dödsfallen hade kunnat undvikas.
Om långläsning
Varje helg rekommenderar Omni-redaktionen några läsvärda längre reportage från olika delar av världen. Ämnesvalen kan variera från vecka till vecka.
bakgrund
Sandra Bland
Wikipedia (en)
Sandra Bland was a 28-year-old black woman who was found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015, three days after being arrested during a traffic stop. Her death, which was ruled a suicide, was followed by protests against her arrest, disputing the cause of death, and alleging racial violence against her.
Bland was pulled over for a traffic violation on July 10 by state trooper Brian Encinia. The exchange escalated, resulting in Bland's arrest and charge for assaulting a police officer. The arrest was partially recorded by Encinia's dashcam and by a bystander's cell phone. After authorities reviewed the dashcam footage, Encinia was placed on administrative leave for failing to follow proper traffic stop procedures.
Texas authorities and the FBI conducted an investigation into Bland's death and determined the Waller County jail did not follow required policies, including time checks on inmates and ensuring that employees had completed required mental health training.
In December 2015, a grand jury declined to indict the county sheriff and jail staff for a felony relating to Bland's death. In January 2016, Encinia was indicted for perjury for making false statements about the circumstances surrounding Bland's arrest and he was subsequently fired by the Texas Department of Public Safety. In September 2016, Bland's mother settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the county jail and police department for $1.9 million and some procedural changes. In June 2017, the perjury charge against Encinia was dropped in return for his agreement to end his law enforcement career.
Omni är politiskt obundna och oberoende. Vi strävar efter att ge fler perspektiv på nyheterna. Har du frågor eller synpunkter kring vår rapportering? Kontakta redaktionen