Contacts:

Michele Setteducato, 732-614-3818, michele@fitzgibbonmedia.com

CJ Frogozo, 310-570-2622, cj@fitzgibbonmedia.com

NEW YORK, NY – Last Friday, July 10th, Sandra Bland was on her way to start her new life in Texas working in student outreach at her alma mater Prairie View A&M University. While driving past the school, a state trooper pulled the 28-year-old over for allegedly not signaling a lane change. A witness said he saw the arresting officer pull Bland out of the car, slam her to the ground and put his knee on her neck while he arrested her.

In the video recording, Sandra can be heard saying “You just slammed my head to the ground. Do you not even care about that?” Face down on the ground with police officers surrounding her, Sandra is clearly not moving. Police unjustly charged Sandra with assault and then booked her in the county jail. Less than 72 hours later she was found dead. Friends and family of have come forward and argued that she did not commit suicide, despite police claims that she died of “self inflicted asphyxiation.”

Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange.org released the following statement in reponse:

“We are all too familiar with the ways in which police will blatantly lie in order to cover up their brutal actions. Time and time again, police kill Black women and men and then falsify documents, collude with other city officials and call it a suicide. Walter Scott and Freddie Gray are two recent examples of killer cops who committed egregious crimes and then attempted to place the blame on the victim.

“Sandra Bland did not have to die. We stand with the family in seeing this as yet another tragic police killing. Racism and violence in our police departments is a systemic problem, across the country and it has been for centuries. Our national leaders must due more to stop this unconscionable attack on Black communities.

“Police cannot police themselves. The Waller County and Prosecutor’s office’s disregard for Sandra’s life and attempt to cover up this incident is beyond unacceptable, it’s criminal. We urge District Attorney Loretta Lynch to investigate and prosecute the Waller county police and prosecutors office for the killing and cover up of Sandra Bland and systemic discriminatory policing. Full transparency is also key. We demand the immediate release of all video, photos, and recording from this tragic incident.”

“Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith was previously fired from another Texas police department for racism and police brutality. The cost of insufficient accountability then has cost Sandra Bland her life now. Sheriff Smith and all responsible police officers must be removed from the force, decertified and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

“Black women are too often targets of violent and discriminatory policing, as well as sexual assault at the hands of law enforcement. Natasha McKenna, Tanisha Anderson, and Alesia Thomas were all Black women killed while in police custody. These are not isolated incidents.”

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With more than 1 million members nationwide, ColorOfChange.org is the country’s largest online civil rights group.