# 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:** 56
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1101 "2015-07-27T02:52:55Z")
> [@camille](#): > > From an [interview](http://abc13.com/news/sandra-blands-co-inmate-recalls-conversation-before-death/875741/) with a woman who was in the cell across from hers: Ok - but she called her sister and the bondsman who called her mother, as well. All on Saturday. The bondsman works 24/7. Waller County Sheriff’s office told Slate that “they could have processed Bland’s bail at any time Saturday or Sunday”. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1102 "2015-07-27T02:56:47Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > I have a question after reading the [transcript of the extended dash-cam video](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sandra-bland-arrest-transcript_55b03a88e4b0a9b94853b1f1). Emphasis mine: > > Is this true? Are you technically “under arrest” whenever you get pulled over? So when he told her that she’s under arrest (which he claims here that he did not) was he really just referring to the traffic stop itself? Seems to me like a lot of dancing going on. I think that he can be heard floating various “ways” to describe it on the tape. He is consulting his rulebook and positing whether the stop itself was an “arrest”. I don’t know why he wouldn’t know if it was. He was caught up in the moment, but it is telling that he was trying to rationalize with the other cop what happened so that the story would be consistent. He knew he really screwed up. BTW Dr.s are paid a lot because of the medical training. Police are paid less. They both have to have rules and use sense as part of their minimum requirement to provide the services that they perform. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1103 "2015-07-27T03:07:06Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Ok - but she called her sister and the bondsman who called her mother, as well. All on Saturday. The bondsman works 24/7. Waller County Sheriff’s office told Slate that “they could have processed Bland’s bail at any time Saturday or Sunday”. I can only speculate (as you are). I remember reading something else about her phone conversations with her sister, but I can’t find it now. It’s possible they were waiting on this friend who was expected to show up any minute. Maybe they couldn’t spare even $500.00 (apparently Bland didn’t have it either), and were trying to get it together. I don’t know their finances. I know it’s unbelievable to you, but there are people who don’t have a spare $500.00, or enough credit to borrow it. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1104 "2015-07-27T03:07:37Z")
I’ve been so poor that $500.00 would have been impossible to raise. Why is that not a possibility? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1105 "2015-07-27T03:16:00Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I’ve been so poor that $500.00 would have been impossible to raise. Why is that not a possibility? This is not one person. This is a family. A bunch of people. To bail out their daughter/sister/niece/etc. But, of course, as shown in the linked-to NBC Chicago investigation, maybe they were used to her being in traffic-violation trouble, after all the other violations on record, and thought it was not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1106 "2015-07-27T03:22:03Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > By the way, if you thought that Sandra Bland may not have had much experience with police during traffic stops and that may explain her uncooperation: > > [Investigations – NBC Chicago](http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/Suburban-Woman-Found-Dead-in-Jail-Had-Previous-Encounters-With-Police-316025661.html#ixzz3geb6z8s6) > > And NBC5 Investigates has found that – at the time of her death last Friday – she still owed a total of $7,579.00 in court fines resulting from five traffic stops in various Chicago suburbs (including a DUI), and she had been cited several times for her failure to pay those fines. > > One of those stops was for, among other infractions (such as DUI), failing to signal when changing lanes. She also wasn’t very fond of having basic insurance. Who the fuck did she think she was? ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1107 "2015-07-27T03:25:45Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > This is not one person. This is a family. A bunch of people. To bail out their daughter/sister/niece/etc. > > But, of course, as shown in the linked-to NBC Chicago investigation, maybe they were used to her being in traffic-violation trouble, after all the other violations on record, and thought it was not a big deal. What difference would it make how many of them _didn’t_ have the money? 0+0+0+0=0 If they had to scrape it together, they would need more time to do it. Finances aside, it could well be they didn’t think it was a big deal because of prior incidents. But I doubt they thought it would cause her to end up dead from a weekend in a holding cell. And if she had this experience before, then why was she so distraught that she would even consider hanging herself over it? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1108 "2015-07-27T03:28:50Z")
> [@camille](#): > > And if she had this experience before, then why was she so distraught that she would even consider hanging herself over it? Why did she drive an uninsured vehicle? Why did she get DUI’s? That speaks to her character, or lack thereof. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1109 "2015-07-27T03:37:28Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Finances aside, it could well be they didn’t think it was a big deal because of prior incidents. But I doubt they thought it would cause her to end up dead from a weekend in a holding cell. It’s not “end up dead”. It is “commit suicide”. Stop the silliness. The autopsy is from [a world-class forensic institute](http://www.harriscountytx.gov/ifs/) in Houston. It’s suicide. And I was just riffing on that “moral culpability” thing of Frylock’s. Because if you think the officer is “morally culpable” for her suicide, then so are the family members who didn’t bail her out. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1110 "2015-07-27T03:49:06Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It’s not “end up dead”. It is “commit suicide”. Stop the silliness. The autopsy is from [a world-class forensic institute](http://www.harriscountytx.gov/ifs/) in Houston. It’s suicide. > > And I was just riffing on that “moral culpability” thing of Frylock’s. Because if you think the officer is “morally culpable” for her suicide, then so are the family members who didn’t bail her out. In this chain of events there is one person who was doing a job, as a public employee no less, and who wanted to and did send her to jail, by his spite and out of bounds unprofessional behavior. Some citizens are depressed and should not be forced into jail for no reason. It’s quite possible the family was tired of bailing her out, but it doesn’t change anything. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1111 "2015-07-27T03:50:50Z")
> [@](#): > > …then so are the family members who didn’t bail her out. Well, sure they are, except for having nothing to do with the circumstances that directly effected her being there! Outside of that minor detail, they are wholly culpable. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1112 "2015-07-27T03:53:03Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > In this chain of events there is one person who was doing a job, as a public employee no less, and who wanted to and did send her to jail, by his spite and out of bounds unprofessional behavior. Some citizens are depressed and should not be forced into jail for no reason. > It’s quite possible the family was tired of bailing her out, but it doesn’t change anything. So depressed people who commit crimes like assaulting a police officer, shouldn’t be put in jail??? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1113 "2015-07-27T04:14:47Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So depressed people who commit crimes like assaulting a police officer, shouldn’t be put in jail??? I saw the assault and it was by a professional public servant on a citizen. The reason you don’t do things like that is because of the unintended but reasonably foreseeable consequences. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1114 "2015-07-27T04:19:18Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It’s not “end up dead”. It is “commit suicide”. Stop the silliness. The autopsy is from [a world-class forensic institute](http://www.harriscountytx.gov/ifs/) in Houston. It’s suicide. > > And I was just riffing on that “moral culpability” thing of Frylock’s. Because if you think the officer is “morally culpable” for her suicide, then so are the family members who didn’t bail her out. Same meaning. They didn’t think she would commit suicide. Happy? I’m not implying conspiracies or moral culpability for her death to the arresting officer. His misconduct as an officer is a separate issue. The jail is liable for whatever protocol that they violated in how they proceeded. But I don’t believe her suicide is the fault of her family, or even her friend who crapped out on her. I have no idea what brought her to that point, but it is very often inexplicable to others when it happens. I don’t think her prior violations are relevant to how this played out, or should be used to make her death any less a tragedy. It pains me to think we are going in this direction, but on preview I see that we are. I can only hope you won’t be one of them this time. What purpose would it serve? Why shouldn’t police and jails be accountable for following procedures, regardless of your opinion of the “character” of the person being arrested or detained? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1115 "2015-07-27T04:19:41Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I saw the assault and it was by a professional public servant on a citizen. The reason you don’t do things like that is because of the unintended but reasonably foreseeable consequences. There is no evidence that the officer assaulted her. There is evidence that she assaulted a police officer. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1116 "2015-07-27T04:23:11Z")
What capacity did an assistant medical examiner named Sara Doyle have in the autopsy procedure, and when? I’ve seen social media that says she’s married to a DA in Houston, thus raising conspiracy theories and charges of conflict of interest. ---
**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 27, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1117 "2015-07-27T04:30:08Z")
Do many people keep $500 in cash on hand? Banks are closed by noon or 1:00 most places on Saturday, and not open at all on Sundays. Other than credit cards, maybe the family didn’t have that much credit left. And to wire money, don’t you need cash, cashier’s check or money order if done some place like a Western Union? Plus, if bailed, wouldn’t they need to eventually pay off the remaining $4.5k? ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1118 "2015-07-27T04:42:55Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Why did she drive an uninsured vehicle? Why did she get DUI’s? > > That speaks to her character, or lack thereof. What does that have to do with her committing suicide? Are you saying people with traffic violations are more likely to commit suicide? Or that we shouldn’t care when they do? > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So depressed people who commit crimes like assaulting a police officer, shouldn’t be put in jail??? They should be on suicide watch, as per protocol. > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > There is no evidence that the officer assaulted her. There is evidence that she assaulted a police officer. Not true. There is documented bruising on her back and wrists. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1119 "2015-07-27T04:45:56Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Do many people keep $500 in cash on hand? Banks are closed by noon or 1:00 most places on Saturday, and not open at all on Sundays. > > Other than credit cards, maybe the family didn’t have that much credit left. And to wire money, don’t you need cash, cashier’s check or money order if done some place like a Western Union? > > Plus, if bailed, wouldn’t they need to eventually pay off the remaining $4.5k? 1. ATMs are open 24/7. Max withdrawal is usually $400 - so you’d need two people. Sandra Bland had more than two family members - at least a mother and two sisters, as well as friends that she called. 2. Western Union office hours are usually something like 8am to 9pm 7 days a week. Some are 24/7. 3. No, if you pay the bondsman $500, then he pays the $5K bail, and gets it back after the case is over. ---
**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 27, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859/1120 "2015-07-27T04:47:30Z")
This is my favorite part of the transcript: Bland says: “You just slammed me. You knocked my head on the ground. I got epilepsy, you motherfucker.” Encinia replies: “Good, good." What a guy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859.md?page=55) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandra-bland-video/725859.md?page=57)