This story is now 3 days old and still gaining international attention. The Councilman was doing his job. The City Charter of Prairie View Texas requires (see page 11):
Chief of Police. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor, with the Approval of City Council. The Chief of Police shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the Department of Police. He/She shall be responsible to the Mayor for the administration of the Department and the carrying out of directives of the City Council.
How normal it is for any council member in any City in America asking an officer "what is going on here." Must happen hundreds of times each night. Not so in Prairie View, Texas.
With what they did to Sandra Bland in this town, and the fact that the town only has 6 police officers - at this point they all should be let go. Let's stop the Blue supports Blue no matter what that exists across America.
Here is the Police Chief - decide for yourself if you would vote to retain him:
Here are the officers assaulting the Councilman. Decide for yourself if you would vote to retain them (they seem to have turned off their cameras for the events leading up to their assault):
Forced to kneel before the officers and beg, in what shocking appears to be a mock execution, the Councilman is shot (with a taser gun).
Tasers should never be used on kneeling victims. Tasers should never be used for mock executions. More Taser info at:
Police officers in at least five US states have filed lawsuits against Taser International claiming they suffered serious injuries after being shocked with the device during training classes.
634 Taser-Related Deaths in the United States Since 2001.
Maybe email this Prairie View Councilwoman your thoughts on how she should vote:
Council member Marie Herndon may call a special meeting to address the incident. Let her know what you think at: mherndon@prairieviewtexas.gov
Prairie View Texas is a college town for Prairie View A&M University. Some of it's history:
Establishment – 1876 - Prairie View A&M University, the first state supported College in Texas for African Americans, was established during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. This was an historical period in which political and economic special interest groups were able to aggressively use the Federal Government to establish public policy, in an attempt to “alter or reshape the cultural milieu of the vanquished southern states”. The University had its beginnings in the Texas Constitution of 1876, which, in separate articles, established an “Agricultural and Mechanical College” and pledged that “Separate schools shall be provided for the white and colored children, and impartial provisions shall be made for both.” As a consequence of these constitutional provisions, the Fifteenth Legislature established “Alta Vista Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth” on August 14,1876.
Please see a this great initial diary on this story from Sat Night for more info at:
You Can't Make These Things Up: Councilperson Tased in Town Sandra Bland Died In.
Closing thought: Since the arrest was made to silence an elected member of the City Council (technically their bosses boss) the DOJ should have grounds to investigate, if no one in Texas will.