*Many have been left shocked by a Texas grand jury’s decision not to indict anyone in connection with the death of Sandra Bland.
Even Nicki Minaj shared her outrage on social media, posting a Instagram of the USA Today report on the decision with the caption, “This woman didn’t kill herself. Smh.” (Scroll down to check it out below.)
Minaj previously explained why she relates to Bland’s death:
“I did research on the Sandra Bland case,” she said. “That’s why it hit me so hard. I remember speaking to other women at the time. This could have been me. I’m a sassy woman. I may have given a little bit of attitude to a police officer. I could have never come home.”
Bland, an African-American woman, was found dead in her cell three days after being arrested for allegedly failing to use her turn signal on July 10. She was 28.
Officials claim she hanged herself with a plastic bag. Her family, supporters and victims of police brutality aren’t buying it. While none of the conspirators at the Waller County jailhouse will face charges over Bland’s death, the grand jury will reconvene in January to decide the fate of Brian Encinia, the white police officer who was videotaped using excessive force to arrest Bland this past July.
Don’t be surprised if the grand jury decides Encinia used reasonable force to arrest a non-violent, unarmed woman over a minor traffic infraction. However, it is our hope that Sandra’s family will finally get the justice they seek at that time.
“After reviewing all the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland, a Waller grand jury did not return an indictment in the death of Bland, nor were any indictments returned against any employee of the Waller County Jail,” said Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor handling the case, after the grand jury met for more than eight hours Monday. “The grand jury has looked at all the evidence and found no evidence of murder,” he said.
“Right now, the biggest problem for me is the entire process,” Bland’s mother, Geneva Read-Veal, said. “I simply can’t have faith in a system that’s not inclusive of my family that’s supposed to have the investigation.”
As CNN notes, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders also weighed in the case.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that she, like too many African-Americans who die in police custody, would be alive today if she were a white woman,” he said. “We need to reform a very broken criminal justice system.”
See Nicki’s reaction to the grand jury’s decision below:
