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Editorial: The jailhouse death of Sandra Bland

We don't know what happened inside the Texas jail cell where Sandra Bland died two weeks ago. What we know is that her death was both tragic and provocative.

What is all but certain is that the Naperville woman didn't belong in jail in the first place.

And that authorities in Waller County, Texas, didn't follow what would seem to be common-sense procedures to ensure her well-being once she was placed there.

As Bland herself said repeatedly on the dashboard-camera video of her arrest - all this over a ticket for failure to signal a lane change?

It is a tragedy on so many levels. Let us be clear. We are not armchair critics of the police. They do essential and oftentimes heroic work. They put themselves in harm's way. Their mission is to serve and protect, and anyone who's needed them knows how valuable they are.

But how much heartbreak needs to take place before we all join together to address an obvious atmosphere of distrust between law enforcement and the black community, before all of us agree to explore allegations of mistreatment seriously rather than through reflexive points of view?

No evidence so far disproves law enforcement claims that Bland ended her own life. Much seems to corroborate those claims, even though family members say she wasn't despondent.

But it is evident that something in the system went horribly wrong.

Bland, 28, was stopped on July 10 after heading to Texas to interview for a job. Patrol-car camera video of the traffic stop showed how the encounter escalated so unnecessarily.

It's easy, of course, for any of us to question how Bland responded to a directive from the patrol officer to put out a cigarette. She was angry and made her anger known.

But Bland wasn't the trained officer in control of the situation. The video clearly shows the officer did nothing to try to de-escalate the situation but rather escalate it further, including when he threatened to "light you up" with a stun gun.

After this, Bland sat for three days in a jail cell. Was that really warranted?

Authorities say she hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag and video showed no one entering her cell between the time she last had been seen alive and the time her body was discovered.

There are conflicting reports about whether she told prison authorities of a previous suicide attempt. If she had told them, why was she left with the means to kill herself? And why was she not monitored more closely?

A funeral was held back home at the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Such a sad day. Such needless heartache.

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  The Rev. James Miller, left, and the Rev. Lana Parks Miller, center, lead a prayer walk remembering Sandra Bland on July 19 at DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle. Bland was a member of the church for 18 years. Mike Krebs/mkrebs@dailyherald.com
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