Sandra Bland panel: To save the village, first destroy the village

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This owl decoy hangs from a corner post of the fence at the jail 

Hempstead, TX – In the heat of summer, a black woman from Chicago allegedly hanged herself while in custody at the County Jail.

Sandra Bland, who worked at Prairie View A&M University as a seasonal counselor for prospective students, reportedly succumbed to suicidal thoughts and in despair took her own life by self strangulation with a plastic trash bag following her arrest by a Texas State DPS Trooper.

Viewers throughout the electronic  village watched in shock as a rural Texas government struggled to cope with the stressors of an event that occurred in the 21st century from within the frame of reference of a 19th century plantation system designed to educate black agricultural workers.

The world watched dashcam video of the argument and violent episode between Ms. Bland and the officer, whose original stated intention was to have her sign a warning ticket and go on her way, mindful of the dangers of a “rolling, Hollywood stop” on a boulevard approach to the university.

Most of the millions who viewed the video on social media and mainstream broadcast news presentations alike only saw an edited version of the video which lasted a few minutes. The full 45-minute video depicting what happened as it unfolded before the lens of the squad car depicted Bland’s failure to stop at a crossover stop sign, her acceleration down the divided boulevard and the officer’s pursuit and narrow avoidance of a rear-end collision with her car when she braked abruptly.

The state police agency fired the officer because, after all, it takes two to have the kind of belligerent argument that then developed between the two – a Hispanic trooper and a black female political activist with a track record of challenging voting procedures in the rural Texas County of Waller.

The ignition point of violence seemed to be Bland’s refusal to roll down the window of the car and extinguish her cigarette.

After several days of detention on the misdemeanor charge that resulted, the record shows, Bland was out of the view of corrections officers for an extended period of time. When they checked on her, she was already dead, beyond revival. Problem. Huge. Galactic.

The man with the ultimate responsibility for her care and welfare found himself unsatisfied with the events that followed her arrest and detention in the County Jail.

A blue ribbon panel formed at the request of Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith concluded, “Most specifically, our recommendations with regard to medical assessments and jail facilities would be the most significant in terms of suicide prevention. And, while the committee studied all areas, we are reminded of Sandra Bland’s untimely death as perhaps the impetus for this review.”

Formed by Houston attorney Paul Looney of Looney & Conrad, the panel includes a former Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, two noted civil rights attorneys, a criminal defense attorney, and the President of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association.

Their detailed recommendations are sweeping, contained in a detailed report which may be read by clicking here.

Employ EMTs to triage and assess medical and mental health issues while also creating the ability for physician review and videoconferencing;