# Sandra Bland video **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 22, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859 "2015-07-22T05:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/361 "2015-07-23T13:10:23Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > …Of course, that the cop was a dick does not mean that he killed her - unless you extend some dubious probable cause analysis - “but for the cop acting like a dick, she would not have been in the cell…” Houston’s the city nearest Waller County so local news is covering this story. This morning, they said that entry forms indicated Ms Bland had attempted suicide previously. The actions of everybody involved in her arrest & incarceration will get very close scrutiny. Not just the asshole cop’s… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/362 "2015-07-23T13:14:43Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > No one because the defendant died after three days. > > If she had lived how long do you think it would take her to assert her rights in court? If you mean assert her right to refuse to exit the car, and her right to resist arrest, I suspect quite a while. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/363 "2015-07-23T13:17:49Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If you mean assert her right to refuse to exit the car, and her right to resist arrest, I suspect quite a while. You are correct but it could be re-phrased to: _“Can a police officer demand you exit your car when the issue at hand is failing to signal a lane change? If you complain is that resisting arrest?”_ ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/364 "2015-07-23T13:23:21Z")
CNN has a video article on your rights in a traffic stop that I thought I’d link to [here](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/us/sandra-bland-traffic-stop-rights/index.html). For those who don’t want to watch the video or read the article, the bottom line is, according to CNN, the cops do indeed have the right to ask you to leave your car, and if you won’t they can arrest you. The guy ends with the (good IMHO) advice that the best course of action is to eat the ticket and then fight it in court…which is what I’ve been saying all along. One thing in the video that I didn’t know is that you are well within your rights to bring out your cell phone and record the entire confrontation yourself, since this is a public encounter and not a private one. I didn’t know that, though I assumed it was the case. Good to know, though. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/365 "2015-07-23T13:23:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Made me remember a story my BIL told me about a speeding ticket he received. After the cop handed him the ticket he observed, “I see that you have your seat belt fastened. Keep doing so.” Thanks, occifer! And should I keep not beating my wife while I’m at it? Misuse of power is a nasty thing. WTF? How is this either a fallacious statement or an abuse of power? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/366 "2015-07-23T13:24:09Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Don’t then. But she had a total attitude about being given a ticket. She was hostile from the get go. He started out polite, but then lost it. He was a dick. She was a total bitch from the first second of the confrontation. Then shit happened. Welcome to working with the general public. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/367 "2015-07-23T13:28:41Z")
I was astounded at her behavior until I saw the clip that started earlier and show how he tailed her until she quickly changed lanes to let him pass and then he pulled her over for _that._ This is clearly a set-up by a bored racist small-dicked bully cop. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/368 "2015-07-23T13:28:43Z")
> [@XT](#): > > He’s not entitled to be a human? He is entitled to w/e feelings he cares to have. But professionals in all lines of work have to deal with difficult situations. Part of being a professional is that you deal with these on the job challenges professionally. So, yeah, if you are a cop, you have to be able to put your personal feelings aside and do your job as it is supposed to be done just like countless other people in various other professions. Have w/e feelings you would like to have, but you ACT professionally. Who becomes a cop and doesn’t realize that you will have to deal with rudeness? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/369 "2015-07-23T13:29:20Z")
> [@PatriotX](#): > > Welcome to working with the general public. Right? Let’s defend the cop’s behavior because someone was being all meany mean to him. His wittle feewings got all hurted inside. He’s a fucking idiot bully. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/370 "2015-07-23T13:29:41Z")
And while it might not be civil to treat public servants like that, you shouldn’t be risking your life by doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/371 "2015-07-23T13:30:47Z")
> [@XT](#): > > The guy ends with the (good IMHO) advice that the best course of action is to eat the ticket and then fight it in court…which is what I’ve been saying all along. Good advice for driving on ice is to steer into a skid. If someone doesn’t and they crash, I’m not going to harp on how stupid they were. Good advice for women going to clubs is to watch your drink. If a woman doesn’t, and someone spikes it and rapes her, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about what an idiot she was for not watching her drink. Good advice for life is to get plenty of exercise. If someone doesn’t, and they suffer a heart attack, I’m not going to tell their family that they deserved it and should have seen it coming. Sure. Bland would have been better off eating the cop’s shit and driving away. I think there’s no strong argument that she took the best course of action in that exchange. Focusing on that (not saying you are, XT, but others certainly are) is the equivalent of blaming the woman who didn’t watch her drink for getting raped. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/372 "2015-07-23T13:31:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > So if the cop starts by saying “Good morning”, he doesn’t _really_ want you to have a good morning - he is trying to get you to resist arrest so that you will commit suicide later. I think that’s a BIT of an exaggeration/extrapolation of what I said and what took place. But you are free to differ. It is curious - there are many many things on which you and I see eye to eye. But there are a great many other instances in which I greatly disagree with your positions and manner of expression. I imagine you might feel the same about me (to the extent you are even aware of me.) But in the instances that we disagree, I find it very difficult to have an honest exchange with you. Which is why I generally do not try to. Not that I’m going to hang myself with a plastic bag or anything… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/373 "2015-07-23T13:32:23Z")
> [@XT](#): > > CNN has a video article on your rights in a traffic stop that I thought I’d link to [here](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/us/sandra-bland-traffic-stop-rights/index.html). For those who don’t want to watch the video or read the article, the bottom line is, according to CNN, the cops do indeed have the right to ask you to leave your car, and if you won’t they can arrest you. The guy ends with the (good IMHO) advice that the best course of action is to eat the ticket and then fight it in court…which is what I’ve been saying all along. It may be the best advice but the problem is you have to take time off work and may have to hire a lawyer to fight it. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/374 "2015-07-23T13:35:06Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It may be the best advice but the problem is you have to take time off work and may have to hire a lawyer to fight it. > > Civil forfeiture is legal too. You can be [100% within the law and find yourself in a situation that costs you thousands of dollars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks) in attorney and court fees for trumped up charges to get your property back. > > It’s all legal though so it’s ok right??? What’s better…to eat the ticket and fight it in court or to push a confrontation and go to jail, which, presumably is going to cost you more in legal fees and time off. Plus you will have been arrested. I guess, optimally, the best thing is not to be pulled over in the first place, but I know I have been pulled over quite a lot, especially when I was younger, so that wasn’t really an option. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/375 "2015-07-23T13:35:37Z")
It’s almost as if the laws themselves are made to protect privilege instead of basic human rights… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/376 "2015-07-23T13:35:50Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > WTF? How is this either a fallacious statement or an abuse of power? Again, everyone is free to view it however they want. I see it as an unnecessary remark by someone who is greatly in a position of power, and who should know that the person he is dealing with is likely less than pleased about the encounter. What good is served by the gratuitous statement? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/377 "2015-07-23T13:37:40Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Right? > > Let’s defend the cop’s behavior because someone was being all meany mean to him. His wittle feewings got all hurted inside. > > He’s a fucking idiot bully. Right? Let’s take what I said out of the overall context and focus on that because then you can build a strawman! When did you become such an unreasonable poster, or have you always been this way and I’m misremembering? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/378 "2015-07-23T13:37:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Focusing on that (not saying you are, XT, but others certainly are) is the equivalent of blaming the woman who didn’t watch her drink for getting raped. That’s a great analogy, because it’s legal for a guy to rape a woman who doesn’t watch her drink. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/379 "2015-07-23T13:39:55Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It may be the best advice but the problem is you have to take time off work and may have to hire a lawyer to fight it. I was going to make this exact same point as well. The fallout from a wrongful arrest and incarceration can be an unholy nightmare; a strain on your life, your time, your job, your finances, etc. Many can’t afford that kind of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/380 "2015-07-23T13:42:29Z")
> [@XT](#): > > What’s better…to eat the ticket and fight it in court or to push a confrontation and go to jail, which, presumably is going to cost you more in legal fees and time off. Plus you will have been arrested. If you look at the whole situation you are probably right. The issue is police conduct. If you want to make an argument that if we live in Orwell’s “1984” the best option is not to do things that get you in trouble with that state then fine…make that argument. The people complaining is this thread are bitching about the system. We are not saying there is no law to get Sandra Bland. We are saying the laws that got her are too broad as to scoop up nearly anyone at the officer’s discretion. “Officer’s discretion” in such cases seems to all too often to be “driving while black”. As has been noted would you expect a white, middle class woman getting the same treatment by that officer (all else being equal)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859.md?page=20)