Texas sheriff involved in the death of Sandra Bland fired from previous post for racism

[MohRokTah]

Shaun King does the work to uncover this racist sheriff's past:

Texas sheriff involved in the death of Sandra Bland fired from previous post for racism

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 racism when 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.

...

More at DailyKos, complete with links:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/16/1402770/-Texas-Sheriff-involved-in-the-death-of-Sandra-Bland-fired-from-previous-post-for-racism

[randys1]

1. DEATH? and being FIRED is the punishment?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. Fired from the previous job, wasn't it?

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. This needs to thoroughly looked into.

[whathehell]

16. [phone] n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

4. Don't worry, Waller County DA Elton Mathis has promised a thorough investigation.

I'm sure he can be trusted on issues of racial justic---

oh, wait.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Pastor-says-Waller-DA-threatened-him-5525581.php

[prayin4rain]

5. This is disturbing on so many levels. n/t

[Beaverhausen]

6. It's like when pedophile priests are moved from parish to parish

Who keeps hiring these people after they have shown they an unfit for the job?

[MohRokTah]

8. This is a bit worse than that.

In this case, the town he was fired from for being a racist POS is in the county that elected him sheriff.

[progressoid]

18. Snort.

n Thu Jul 16, 2015, 11:37 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

It's like when pedophile priests are moved from parish to parish
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6980138

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

Thus post seems to be a slam at the Catholic church, Priests and pedophilia have nothing to do with this topic. Therefore, this post is disruptive, hurtful, and rude.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Thu Jul 16, 2015, 11:45 AM, and the Jury voted 0-7 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It's an ANALOGY
(uh-nal-uh-jee)
noun, plural analogies.
1. a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based.

Sorry if it offends the followers of the RCC, but it is a very apt analogy. Get over it.


Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Seems like an analogy to me and a valid one.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I have no idea why this was alerted on.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: This is not a slam at the Catholic Church. It is a statement of fact, and is a relevant comparison.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It is a valid comparison.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: The practice of moving pedophile priests is well-documented, abhorred by most Catholics, and making an analogy between a wrong committed by some officials the Catholic church (acknowledged by all responsible parties as such) and a wrong committed by some government officials (protecting officers who have betrayed the public's trust) is apt, and is no more a slam on the church than is pointing out the issue in the OP a slam on government.

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[Beaverhausen]

20. Oh dear

glad I was backed up by the jury!

[progressoid]

21. Yeah,

Sometimes it works!

[City Lights]

7. I wish I could say this surprised me.

Unfortunately, it's par for the course.

What is it gonna take to make it stop?

[uponit7771]

9. I have a head injury and similar happened to me but slower, loss of hearing and brain swell up

... the coroner should check bleeding of the brain and it swelling up.

[uponit7771]

10. This is also a second person who decided to kill themselves in that jail.

[MohRokTah]

11. This is the FOURTH person to commit suicide in that jail.

The evidence stacks up.

And these cops will be allowed to get away with murder.

[uponit7771]

12. WOW!!! no cameras inside the jail?!?!?!?

[whathehell]

19. Who the fuck kills themselves over a traffic violation?

That entire police station needs a THOROUGH investigation if not a Lockdown.

[uponit7771]

25. +1

[whathehell]

26. This young woman lived in Naperville, a Chicago suburb

about an hour west of me.

This is unfuckingbeliebable. How can this happen?!

I'm heart sick and enraged for her and her family..

So glad the FBI is investigatimg...I signed a petition from Colorofchange.org for AG Loretta Lynch to look into it.

They have to nail these basrards and nail them good.

[lostnfound]

23. James Harper Howell Iv, facial bruises, "hung himself" in 2012

Last edited Fri Jul 17, 2015, 07:12 AM - Edit history (1)

Bland’s demise is similar to the 2012 death of another Waller County Jail inmate named James Harper Howell IV. The Houston Chronicle reported at the time that Howell, like Bland, was arrested for assaulting a police officer.

“On the day he was found hanging,” the paper reported, “he had been sitting in the day room by himself watching television. Jailers had routinely checked on him. He spoke with jailers and gave no indication he would engage in suicidal behavior.” In Howell’s mugshot, he can be seen with what appear to be bruises to his face. That death, which was ruled a suicide, was also investigated by the Texas Rangers.

[rladdi]

13. Most competent people know what texas and its politicians stand for. They are racist,

radical and extreme. TX breeds the criminals and get them into politics.

[daleanime]

14. How do they get away with hiring these.....

morans.

[mountain grammy]

15. The lynching of black Americans has never really ended..

[dorkzilla]

17. When is this shit going to stop?

Do they think we’re not watching?? Who would hire this twatwaffle after his last job? So many questions. And chances are, these murderers will get away with it.

[Agschmid]

22. Kick.

[hobbit709]

24. Waller county has a long sordid history.