Sandra Bland dash cam video just released.

[lamp_shade]

http://abc7chicago.com/news/sandra-bland-dashcam-arrest-video-expected-tuesday/868657/

[Rex]

1. So she wanted to make a phone call and an hour later was found dead.

I just wonder who it is she wanted to call and why.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. "I will light you up"

Who talks like that?!?!

Henry Hill was right about some things - not a good person by any means - but right about a few things.

[Chemisse]

6. When was that said?

I couldn't hear some of the comments in the video, so probably missed a lot.

[uponit7771]

58. There's another video of the full event, 52min further down in the page

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Fucking racist fucking pig.

Pulls someone over for a bullshit offense. Sees she is agitated and decides to escalate the situation.


Let's be honest. "turn signal" means driving while black here. Why was he following her in the first place???

Why does she need to put out her cigarette? And why is refusal reason to yank her out of her car?

Racist fucking pig.

That video makes me sick to my fucking stomach.

[Downwinder]

11. Wasn't a lane change.

Went from a two lane to a four lane. She stayed in the right hand lane.

[Ms. Toad]

28. She says she changed lanes to get out of his way. n/t

[Downwinder]

32. At least thirty cars made lane changes

on the video without signaling.

He was hunting her.

[uponit7771]

36. More reason for her to be scared, which is how she sounded to me

[treestar]

48. I thought she had a lot spunk

not scared but willing to challenge him. Which to me is inconsistent with being suicidal.

[Ms. Toad]

38. My point is only that you asserted she did not change lanes,

when she clearly says on the tape that she did.

[riderinthestorm]

44. Agree with you Ms Toad. She clearly changes lanes and admits it

And he only issues her a warning...

What a mess.

[Downwinder]

46. I was just going by the hash marks. They don't

dhow until she is in the lane.

[riderinthestorm]

40. Yes and that's why she's irritated, she clearly states.

he asked her why she was irritated and I thought her response was reasonable. Irritable but reasonable. She's not escalating things there.

She gets very irate when he demands she put out her cigarette. That just seems like a power play imo and she clearly interprets it that way as well.

Don't get me wrong, she then clearly picks up steam but there wasn't any reason for him to get that aggressive about the cigarette.

[Evergreen Emerald]

61. She failed to signal when she entered the road from the parking lot.

Then he pulled the U-turn to pull her over.

[riderinthestorm]

4. He's the one who escalated this!! What bullshit!

because she wouldn't put out her cigarette?!




I really wish the altercation where she's been thrown on the ground was recorded.

You can hear her fear and terror as he's going at her.

[uponit7771]

14. EXACTLY!!! This is the common theme with these people, escalate then kill a black person !!!

[Downwinder]

15. She was already cuffed.

[uponit7771]

16. Good catch ... and the cop seemed to be out of control hollering and shit.

[Chemisse]

5. This video really alters my thoughts about this case.

She is oddly irate right from the start. That seems like strange behavior to me, considering how dangerous it can be to annoy a cop while black.

I don't know if it's legal or not to order someone to put out their cigarette or to get out of the car. If it is, then she defied a legal order, and the events to follow were her own fault. If it's not, then the cop should not be giving orders just because he can usually get away with it, and the scuffle that followed was his fault.

When I saw the first video, her yelling seemed like desperate cries of outrage and fear. Now it just looks like part of an ongoing tirade in which she is the aggressor.

Funny, before I saw this, I was convinced she was murdered in her cell. It seemed the only explanation. Now I'm not so sure. Her behavior was really abrasive and contentious. Why would she act like that? It may or may not have been justified, but it was very unwise. Had something just happened in her personal life? Was she really upset that day, and this was just the last straw? Was she having mental health problems? If any of those are true, then it would also explain a suicide.

Hopefully we will know the full story once the independent autopsy results are out. Whether hanging was the cause of death or happened after death should be very easy to determine.

[PoliticAverse]

7. Per a US Supreme Court decision a police officer can order you out of your car at a traffic stop. n/

[uponit7771]

12. with no probable cause to do such?! ...

[PoliticAverse]

17. "officer safety". The passenger as well...

See: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/20/us/for-their-own-safety-police-can-order-people-cars-routine-stops-court-rules.html

[uponit7771]

22. Big chunks of this story still missing and the cop being near irate doesn't fit the narrative that..

...she got a warning or this was just a traffic stop.

She was also handcuffed, ....

I'd like to see the whole video...

I'm not giving the LEOs here the benefit of the doubt after what I saw

[uponit7771]

64. ...wonder why that didn't apply to the car before Bland? Seems like she didn't put out the square

... and the LEO got pissed and it went bad from there.

I can understand her being scared

[Glassunion]

21. They don't need it

They can't search your car without a warrant or probable cause. Asking you to exit your car is a lawful order.

[uponit7771]

24. Understood, they can ask but opening the door after asking? Also, why was she under arrest after...

... that?

For what reason?

This LOOKS to be another situation where the LEO could've de-escalated the situation and choose not to

"she was rude" is not a reason to put someone in greater danger

[Glassunion]

29. Psssssst.

*whispers* - she's black. Rules are different.

Contempt of cop while black is a Capitol offense.

[treestar]

45. Yes, she was asking what she was arrested for

and isn't he supposed to say what for as he arrests her.

[Glassunion]

59. Afraid not.

They don't have to tell you.

[treestar]

92. They have to press charges at some point

So I wonder what they charged her with. At the point he arrested her, too. He can go on about her kicking him but most of his complaints about her behavior were after he had told her she was under arrest.

[Glassunion]

94. Yes, they do have to press charges or let you go at some point.

That said, the arresting officer does not have to tell you what you were arrested for.

While it is generally good practice to do so on the officer's part, there is no requirement to inform you. Some states do have individual laws that require this, however I am unsure if this was the case in the state she was arrested in. In Devenpeck v. Alford, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled there is no constitutional requirement to do so. Generally, arrests without a warrant must be supported by probable cause, however you can be detained up to 48 hours or so (depending on the state) before there is a probable cause determination. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

I don't think she was formally charged with anything before she died. The officer does not do the "charging", that is usually up to the chief legal officer (district attorney) in the governing district. The officer simply has to to arrest you, it is then up to them to explain their probable cause as to what and why to the chief legal officer. Sometimes, by the time you get to arraignment, the only charge against you is resisting arrest.

[treestar]

96. ok thanks

then it seemed it was the third day. I thought I read that. But it's Texas, maybe they have longer.

[Glassunion]

98. From what I read, she was charged with assault.

The local magistrate signed it the same day. She was sitting jail waiting on bail.

[Travis_0004]

56. Generally, yes

In Arizona v. Johnson

During a valid traffic stop a law enfocement officer can frisk a person for weapons if they have a reasonable suspicion they could be a danger to
the court stated that once a law enforcement officer has conducted a valid traffic stop, the officer is justified in conducting a frisk of the person for weapons if the officer reasonably suspects that the person may be dangerous.

Two quotes from that decision
once a motor vehicle has been lawfully detained for a traffic violation, the police officers may order the driver to get out of the vehicle without violating the Fourth Amendment’s proscription of unreasonable searches and seizures.” 434 U.S., at 111, n. 6.

Wilson held that the Mimms rule applied to passengers as well as to drivers. Specifically, the Court instructed that “an officer making a traffic stop may order passengers to get out of the car pending completion of the stop.” 519 U.S. at

[treestar]

93. Hopefully the average person knows that

I thought from her POV it made sense that she thought she did not have to.

[ibegurpard]

8. jesus!

Her death may have been her own fault because she might not have been properly submissive? Are you hearing yourself? Really?

[uponit7771]

9. There has to be probable cause to ask her to get out of the car and BLM is not only about not killin

... black people by cops with near immunity but it's also about no escalating situations beyond what they're called for and for no need.

There was no immediate danger to the cop, her being irate should not preclude probable cause either.

Her being asshole doesn't mean he gets to kill her

[PoliticAverse]

19. No probable cause is necessary to order a driver or passenger out of a car at a traffic stop...

per a US Supreme Court decision, see:
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/20/us/for-their-own-safety-police-can-order-people-cars-routine-stops-court-rules.html

[uponit7771]

20. ... understood, why the escalation on his part.. that's been the question from the beginning...

... of the story ..

How did it go from traffic stop to bleeding out of her ear because she was slammed to the ground.

[Glassunion]

27. Why the escalation?

Look at her skin color. Look at her, I hate this fucking shit attitude.
Look at how she broke the worst law on the books, ever, ever, ever... "Contempt of Cop, while Black"

It was easier back in the day. Black folk get uppity, you just hang 'em in the nearest tree. Nowadays, you have to detain them for three days for "failing to signal", then hang 'em, where no one can see. Shame really, cause it does not set an example for the rest of 'em.

[uponit7771]

30. +1,... so she didn't put out a fuckin cigarette and another Blart Cop gets irate. Still what was the

... need for the arrest... why the hand cuffs...

All this hasn't been even tried to be asnswered

[Glassunion]

33. They said that she kicked one of them.

You ever been addicted to smokes?

Someone tells you to put it out, and you just start kicking the shit out of the closest person. It's more knee-jerk than anything.

[ibegurpard]

39. I know right?

That's everyone's first instinct when someone tells you to put out a cigarette...start kicking.

[B2G]

47. Are you serious?? Nt

[Glassunion]

49. Your meter may be broken if you think I am.

[B2G]

52. Thank you Jesus. Lol. Nt

[ALBliberal]

77. Didn't he need to read her Miiranda rights to her? Does he? What about

The allowed phone call? It all seems very heavy handed from the beginning and then she was trapped. She met with a bail bondsman? Sorry not sure of details but even if it was suicide it's STILL the fault of the police officer and the jail. She should not have been arrested much less locked up for three days.

[Lee-Lee]

87. At some point here rights would need to be read

Not always right at the time of arrest, as long as they are read any time between arrest and any questioning.

[oberliner]

105. White cops pull these power trips on white people also

There certainly may have been a racial component to his attitude here, but it could be that he is just like this with everyone that isn't submissive enough.

[Brickbat]

13. "She is oddly irate right from the start. That seems like strange behavior to me, considering how

dangerous it can be to annoy a cop while black."

[luvspeas]

34. I will reserve my judgement until all the facts are in...

when the oppressors tell me what they think I should know about what happened.

[Ms. Toad]

37. Really?

She was irritated, which she acknowledged. She articulately explained why she was annoyed - she had been trying to move out of his way and when she changed lanes (without signalling) to get out of his way, and he pulled her over - so she was (properly, in my opinion) annoyed.

Being irate started when he told her to put her cigarette out (after waiting her make considerably longer than the woman at the previous stop). Whether the officer had a legal right to ask her to put out her cigarette or to tell her to get out of the car, doing so was unnecessarily provocative, escalated the situation, and was also strikingly different from how he interacted with the prior person he stopped.

[uponit7771]

41. wow... so she pulled over to help him out and he pulls her over... wow... jus and now she dead...

... wow

[Ms. Toad]

51. Imagination, much?

I addressed characterizing her irritated, but articulate and under control behavior, as being irate from the beginning.

I don't think a white person acting as she did prior to being told to put out her cigarette would be described as being irate from the beginning - and characterizing her that way seems to me like a way to shift the blame for the altercation to her. Particularly in light of some of the other comments in that post which were actively shifting blame.

I have no knowledge of - nor did I comment on - anything beyond how the poster characterized her behavior.

[uponit7771]

62. I agree 100% with you, my wow is a cali wow... I agree, she was NOT irate and things only got ...

.. froggy after the cop asked her to put out the square which wasn't even needed.

I also don't see where she kicks him or some other crap they're trying to lay on her.

Poor girl, had her life ahead of her... after seeing how the cop went from 1 to 9.5 in .01 seconds I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He sounded like such a professional with the person in the other car

[Ms. Toad]

71. The difference in the two interactions was striking.

I saw that one first - and wondered what the deal was. I'm glad they included it so the contrast was apparent.

[Chemisse]

67. I said irate from the beginning

But I meant from the time when they started talking about the cigarette. It was hard for me to hear what she was saying prior to that.

I thought he pulled her over because of the turn she took when he first saw her car, since he make a u-turn and accelerated to catch up with her, but who knows?

[uponit7771]

68. She was pretty calm about the cig too, she calmly said no... then he wanted her out of the car...

... and threatened her with "lighting her up" ... with the taser.

This is another situation where the cop could've kept everything calm and decided not to...

Wilson backed up into brown and his friends path

[Ms. Toad]

69. Thanks for the clarification!

I agree with you from that point on - which is after he told her to put out her cigarette for no apparent reason.

[ecstatic]

76. Irate from the start? Um, no.

She was the aggressor for answering his dumbass questions truthfully and standing up for her rights? Again, no. Fail.

[Stardust]

78. I would surmise that merely being involved in Black Lives Matter would preclude being cheerful.

[fishwax]

85. She seems perfectly reasonable at the start to me

He asks why she's irritated and she tells him, clearly and calmly. She doesn't seem particularly angry, and certainly not irate, until he yanks open the door, at which point I would imagine adrenaline kicked in in a big way.

[uponit7771]

10. The beginning of the video is STILL not shown!! What was his cause for opening her door and wanting

... her to get out of the car!?!??

Also, she seemed calm and he was the one hollering and shit.

Assholes!!!

[riderinthestorm]

23. I saw it

You see the end of his previous stop and then he makes a U-turn and sees Sandra Bland make the lane change. He then does turn on the audio.

He tells her to get out of the car because she didn't put her cigarette out.

That seems like an awfully big stretch that she needed to get out for either his safety or hers.

And she is quite irate. Chemisse is correct, she is very angry and definitely very hostile but in her defense, he asks her why she's irritated and after she tells him why, he appears to escalate this without purpose by demanding she put out the cigarette.

[uponit7771]

25. Yeap, my opinion too... why escalate?! Why was she handcuffed?! That would make me afraid too !!

[riderinthestorm]

26. You really need to see the video in its entirety

she actually is pretty angry and rude.

Don't get me wrong, I believe the cop escalated this unnecessarily but your questions are all answered in the video.

[uponit7771]

31. Arrested for being rude? tia.... do you have a link to the whole vid? thx

[riderinthestorm]

35. I watched it in the link in the OP nt

[Ms. Toad]

43. She seems quite under control, until he tells her to put out the cigarette.

Calling her irate from the beginning seems to me like an excuse to blame her for what happened next.

[riderinthestorm]

50. You chose the word "annoyed" which I'm also perfectly fine with

and agreed 100%, she's perfectly under control until he escalates it.

[Evergreen Emerald]

60. No it is actually before the U-turn. She turns from the parking lot without a signal onto the road

Then he pulls the U-turn, in response.

[riderinthestorm]

65. Thanks. That's certainly more accurate nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

73. No. Watch it again. He specifically says he pulled her over for no signal at the "lane change"

He did the u turn because she was black.

[Chemisse]

70. I'm a high school teacher and one important way to manage an irate student

Is to let the student have some room to back out of the situation gracefully. For example, in a situation like this (even though I don't understand why she had to put out the cigarette, frankly), I would break the tension with a conciliatory comment that shows I understand where that kid's feelings are coming from, then approach giving the directive in a softer tone, perhaps with more than one option on how to comply with it. The student can then cooperate without a loss of dignity. If I couldn't do that, my students would be in trouble a lot, and I would be considered a bad teacher for not handling discipline in the classroom.

Cops never have to learn how to de-escalate; if things escalate, they arrest, taze, shoot. They WILL have control. Nobody gets upset with them if they arrest rather than solve problems in a low-key manner. There is no motive to learn how to work with people cooperatively. I don't think they have those skills and I don't think they want them, generally speaking. Did you notice he pulled a gun on her to get her out of the car? Not good people skills!

[Downwinder]

18. Now lets see the video from the City Police dash cam.

It should show a little more to the right side.

[treestar]

42. He does not like when he is not obeyed immediately

He escalated merely because she wouldn't put out her cigarette when he ordered her to. He could have at least explained why he needed her to do that. She thought that she was in her car and could smoke if she wanted to, which sound reasonable. He got so damn mad because she said that and immediately went on to ordering her out of the car.

He should have been nicer from the beginning. She said she pulled over because he was tailgating her. If the lane change was safe, he didn't need to make such a big deal of it. It sounded like he was going to do a warning only.

She is not suicidal in fact she can't wait to get to court.

[riderinthestorm]

53. That's a good point. She says it several times - can't wait for court.

since she was a BLM activist, I'm guessing her day in court would have been something anticipatory (along with a new job and going back to her beloved alma mater as an employee).

[uponit7771]

54. "I'm going to drag you out of here. Get out of the car! I will light you up, get out!"

REALLY?!

Over a fuckin cigarette!?!?!?

[NOLALady]

55. I read somewhere that she was epileptic.

I wonder if banging her head on the ground could have caused a seizure.

[uponit7771]

57. Sounds like she suffered a brain injury and died days later after her brain swell up. I don't beleiv

... for a second she hang her self with a trash bag after calling a bonds person to try and get out of jail.

[NOLALady]

66. An epileptic posted

"A taser can cause an epileptic to have a fatal seizure. There's a very delicate balance between being healthy & having a seizure, & even days after being tased, you can experience SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in EPilepsy)"

[Catherine Vincent]

72. In the other video you hear her yelling she has epilepsy

[JEB]

63. Lynching by cop.

[NOLALady]

74. There are reports that

the video was obviously edited.

[olddots]

75. I haven't seen a cop use a turn signal for 45 years

and they seem to think they are above that law too .

All the dash cams and phone videos in the world will never hide tje problem us non police have with the out of control police industrial complex .If she did hang herself I still consider this arrest a murder . Sorry how much of this can we witness before it becomes too much ?

[Lee-Lee]

79. I've spoken here about people taking a simple offense and making it worse

This tape is an almost textbook example.

He conducted the stop politely and professionally as she grew increasingly agitated. It appears when he went back to the car he we just going to issue a warning and send her on her way.

She refused his direction to put out the cigarette and became argumentative at that point. It was a legal request for the officer to make. I never let someone I was dealing with smoke during our interactions, traffic stop or otherwise- it makes it harder for me to keep on eye on their hand movements, a lit cigarette can be a danger of injury or fire, and I don't need secondhand smoke exposure as another risk on the job.

She then refused his direction to exit the car- a perfectly legal command to give at a traffic stop. And if someone is refusing a simpler direction a reasonable and wise action from the officer.

It all went downhill from there.

As soon as she refused to exit the vehicle she ensured that this was going to escalate beyond just getting a ticket for failure to signal.

I mentioned in a post just a few days ago how not knowing the law makes people make stupid choices. She evidently thought she didn't have to exit the vehicle or follow the officers commands at a traffic stop, that led to her making stupid choices like arguing with the officer and being noncompliant, that escalated things.

Not knowing the law, and being an ass to the officer when presented with legal commands turned what would have probably been a warning into a trip to jail.

[elias49]

80. What crap. Don't apologize for the trooper. He was an ass.

A lawful order? Fuck 'lawful order'. So if a cop says "Get out of the car and take your clothes off. That's a lawful order", you think "OK. If you say so, sir!"
The trooper lost it. He should be fired first, then send those responsible for her death to jail.

[Lee-Lee]

81. You know when you have no ground when you make a strawman

"Exit the vehicle" is a perfectly legal and appropriate instruction during a traffic stop like this.

"Take your clothes off" of course would not be, and it was never said on this tape, your just throwing made-up stuff out there because you don't actually have a valid response.

[Warren DeMontague]

83. Arguing with a cop and being "difficult" are not capital crimes.

[Lee-Lee]

84. Of course not

And I would never argue otherwise.

It will, however, make things like a simple warning into something worse.

[Warren DeMontague]

95. Well were she not currently dead under extremely questionable circumstances

You could give her that helpful advice directly.

[JonLP24]

89. I disagree with politely and professionally

"Are you done yet?" when she clearly was, she answered the questions he asked of her then the cigarette part was more to be a jerk more than anything else. He asks her out of the car for a ticket or warning then what he was going to do then? "I will light you up!"

She was going for her phone to call her lawyer and at that point he grabs her.

On edit -- this is very horrifying the off-camera stuff. I got epilepsy. Cop "good". Fucking horrifying.

"You're going to jail for resisting arrest" -- charges were going to be dropped easily because you need another charge for that but it is obvious cops were going to face legal trouble for the police brutality they were committing.`

[Lee-Lee]

90. The cigarette part was perfectly legitimate

As was instructing her to exit the car when she became noncompliant with lawful orders during the stop.

She could have easily taken the warning or ticket and been on her way.

It's almost like she went into the stop expecting confrontation and subconsciously escalated till it became what she expected it to be.

[JonLP24]

91. He could have easily gave it to her and been on her way

Arresting her for bullshit -- I could have easily not escalated that from the cops POV if it was so legitimate he would have done it at the beginning but whatever she's done now because she suffocated.

[treestar]

97. I thought he could have taken the chance to explain to her why

A lot of people probably would have if he'd kindly explained why he needs her to put it out.

He ordered her out very harshly the minute she argued about the cigarette.

He might have softened up a bit when she explained why she changed lanes. She was really trying to get out of his way.

[Lee-Lee]

104. Hell, he was only giving her a warning

In the big picture that is pretty soft...

[beevul]

100. You're wrong, says USSC.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027001103

[Lee-Lee]

103. Nope

Put my response in that thread- but whoever wrote that doesn't understand traffic stops or the ruling.

It's not a delay to make basic requests in the name of officer safety or to set the officer at ease- particularly when such an instruction can be complied with in mere seconds. "Don't smoke" is no more delaying than "keep your hands visible" or "turn the car off during the stop"..

[Warren DeMontague]

82. Sandra Bland Death: Texas to Look Into Alleged Edits of Dashcam Video

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sandra-bland-death-texas-look-alleged-edits-dashcam-video-n396291

Sandra Bland Video has Continuity Problems, Anomalies

Yeah, like how the guy gets out of the tow truck... twice. But the audio continues uninterrupted. Which could be a cheap, cheesy (and fairly obvious) means to edit out several seconds of unwanted video frames while keeping the audio track the same length.

I watched it, and thought I was the only one who noticed

[fishwax]

86. he actually gets out of the tow truck three times. 1st around 25:05, and then again

a few seconds later, and then again at about 26:05.

[JonLP24]

88. "I will light you up!"

A very ugly confrontation. She broke the "contempt of cop" law.

[tabasco]

99. Fascist criminal cop is responsible for this entire tragedy

Who can watch this video and think otherwise???

[CBGLuthier]

101. Everyone who says disobeying a lawful order makes it her fault makes me sick

You sound like fucking sheep bleating about following authority. Been a long time since I have had a post hidden so may as well go for the gold.

What the fuck is wrong with you people who can not tell that he followed her because she was black, he played a power trip because she was black, and for fuck's sake she was probably murdered because she was black.

Have you been living in America with your heads up your asses all your lives to not understand any of this?

[lamp_shade]

102. This ^^^

[Peace Patriot]

106. Thank you, CBGLuthier!!!

You got it right! And I've watched the cop vid twice, and the amateur vid that shows her twisted up like a pretzel with her head on the ground, where he pushed her to, out of the cop camera, with her yelling "I can't hear!" The cop shouts at the amateur three times, "You need to leave!" That's why. He didn't want that on vid.

And I'll say more: When he first goes up to her car, he asks, "How long you been in Texas?" then "Where are you heading?" (neither thing being any of his goddamned business). She answers both things quite calmly. Then he goes back to his cop car for a very long time. What was he doing all that time? I think he may have been verifying that she was the "Black Lives Matter" activist from Chicago whom he was told to look for. If it is true that she was a "Black Lives Matter" activist--and I've seen a lot of reference to that, but I don't know for sure--then I think she was targeted, not just pulled over because she was black, but pulled over in a conspiracy, by which she was tracked, targeted and murdered.

Now think back over the video--or re-watch it. His behavior is exactly that--deliberate escalation, deliberate threats and goading, deliberate creation of an incident to get her into custody, and he even starts concocting his bullshit lying cover story right on the vid.

At the least, during his long absence, he is finding out that she has no record, thus he will have to find an excuse to arrest her--because she's black. He gets nothing from his database that he can arrest her for--and no excuse whatsoever to order her from her car. So he has to invent it. He has to make it happen. And that is what he does.

But whether this is 'just' brutality followed by murder, or conspiracy to murder, it is horrible beyond belief. Sandra Bland's 'mugshot' just got posted, and it's obvious to me that a once vibrant, spirited young woman has been changed, in about 48 hours, into a torture victim with eyes that will haunt us forever, who yet still has dignity and spirit, despite being ravaged.

Then she's dead.