The officer responsible for the arrest of Sandra Bland, a black Chicago woman found hanged in her cell at Waller County Jail, was charged with perjury. Activists say Bland's death is an example of racial bias in the American justice system.
Texas state trooper Brian T. Encinia faces a perjury charge after he was accused of lying about a statement in his affidavit for justifying Bland's arrest. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor and will penalize Encinia with one-year imprisonment and $4,000 fine, reported The New York Times. The state police agency is also preparing to terminate Encinia from his duty.
The white officer arrested Bland, 28, over a minor traffic violation that escalated to physical confrontation. In his affidavit, Encinia said that he asked Bland to get out of the car to "further conduct a safe traffic investigation."
However, a police dashboard-camera recording showed the trooper pulling out a Taser to threaten and force Bland out of the car. The grand jury decided that Encinia's statement in his affidavit was false according to special prosecutor Shawn McDonald.
Mirror reported that Bland was found dead in her jail cell on July 13, 2015 three days after her arrest, with a plastic garbage bag around her neck. Officials investigated the incident like a murder case but a medical examiner ruled it out as suicide caused by suffocation.
Family and friends suspect that Bland was murdered since she showed no signs of suicidal behavior and depression. Tests conducted on Bland's body showed high levels of marijuana in her system. However, Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith found no evidence of marijuana in Bland's jail cell. He believes that the drug may have affected Bland's behavior during her time in prison.
Many conspiracy theories on Bland's death arose due to inconsistencies in her arrest records. Social media users even said that Bland's mugshot might have been taken after her death. However, Waller County jail officials assert that Bland was still alive and showed security camera recordings as proof.
Protesters claim that Bland's case reflects the racial prejudice plaguing the American justice system. Chron reported that her death shows how police unfairly treat colored people. Bland has since become a face of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Aspiring political candidates have also commented on the issue. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Republican Donald Trump said that Encinia's actions were "terrible" and "so aggressive". Martin O'Malley of the Democrat party also stated that Bland's death requires a "full, thorough, and independent investigation."
On the other hand, Democrat Hillary Clinton said, "...it's essential that we all stand up and say, loudly and clearly, that yes, black lives matter. And we all have a responsibility to face these hard truth about race and justice, honestly and directly."
Bland's family filed a lawsuit in Houston federal court, saying that Bland should not have been arrested. Steven McCraw, Department of Public Safety director, said that Encinia did not follow standard policy and showed rude behavior that resulted to confrontation.
