A Good Citizen of Humankind: Sandra Bland Meets Brute Force American Justice

Sandra Bland Meets Brute Force American Justice

Robert R. Odle, Ph.D.

not using a turn signal results in death ...

Woman from Chicago going to Texas to interview for a new job, but doesn’t user her turn signal to switch lanes. Cop pulls her over and gets nasty with her, she gives him some lip. She is told to get out of car, she does. Of course, cop moves her out of the sight of the dash cam. A citizen comes along and takes a video at the side of the road with two cops on top of her. They take her to jail, she does not have on her the $500 to make bail. The bail bondsman said she was afraid. Two days later she is dead in her cell.

Guy running the jail has a history of being racist. The guy assigned to investigate the death also has a history of racism. They claim she asphyxiated herself by hanging herself with a plastic bag and ruled it a suicide. Really? Maybe, maybe not?

The policeman that behaved badly has been put on desk duty. Wow, that is quite a punishment for setting in motion someone's death.

Our sorrow, our shame

Two years ago, I would have given the policemen the benefit of the doubt. Now, I think they are as guilty as O.J. Simpson was … however, in the Simpson case, I agreed with verdict since a racist cop in that case improperly handled the evidence. But, I still thought he killed his wife. Now, I feel the same way about these police. I believe they killed this woman. However, since racist cops are in charge of the evidence I have no confidence we will ever know the truth. They show newsman through the cell the next day as if it were a shrine and not part of a crime scene.

Our America Knows Nothing But Force

I’m guess a lot of Americans feel the same way I do, whether or not, there is ever enough evidence to convict these policemen. Like James Gardner that got killed over selling single cigarettes by the police, Sandy loses her life over not using a turn signal. In both cases, I think the public would be better served if the police were inside Dunkin Donuts eating cream puffs instead of bothering these two people.

How is it that multiple policemen are deployed for such petty crimes when there are thousands of people being murdered every year in this country, 216 in Chicago alone the first half of this year alone. And our police are forcibly enforcing laws on turn signals and selling single cigarettes. Really? We should remember these are black people committing these petty crimes - is that why the police are going after them? And are all the murders ignored because they are mostly black people killing black people?

America Justice Uses Brute Force

America approaches all of its problems with brute force. The police screaming at her that he is going to light her up (with his taser) is so typical brute force American. It is the same spirit behind our War on Drugs (War on Black People That Due Drugs), our War on Terrorism (we as Americans are completely innocent) our undeclared War on Immigrants(Unarmed Illegal Gunned Down Like a Rabid Dog), our War on Poor People (Police Have Nothing More to Do Than Harass Street People; Our Believe in Authority, a prejudice against the small, especially black, man)

Imagine a Kinder America

Imagine a strong but kind policeman handling Sandra. A policeman that had been trained to recognize triggers in others and himself. Could a kind officer said “good morning, Miss, I’m not going to give you a ticket but I just want to encourage you to use your turn signal when switching lanes.” And if she still came back with a hostile comment, he could have responded, “I understand you are upset for being stopped, but I need to do my job and then you can be on your way”. Perhaps, a big white policeman with training could realize that Sandra might be having some fear reactions dealing with him … perhaps for some very good historical and personal reasons (similar to any person that is put in a corner without options).

Now, imagine once she is in jail (justifiably angry over being arrested for a turn signal and an inept policeman) , but scared and alone, if someone had shown her some kindness and compassion. Perhaps, if America had not already judged her to be a bad person that should be punished, we would have someone (a therapist perhaps) come sit with her and ask her how she was doing. Someone to advise her on her options, to contact her friends and family, and someone to just care about her as a fellow human being. Isn’t that the kind of America we want to be?