incustodydeath

incustodydeath https://www.dailykos.com/news/incustodydeath News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:55:54 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:55:54 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Family of Sandra Bland settles wrongful death lawsuit https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/9/15/1570419/-Family-of-Sandra-Bland-settles-wrongful-death-lawsuit The family of Sandra Bland, found dead in a Waller County, Texas, jail cell in July of 2015 has settled their wrongful death lawsuit for $1.9 million dollars. The family’s attorney, Cameron Lambert, <a href="http://abc13.com/news/sandra-blands-family-says-civil-suit-settled-for-%2419m/1512442/" target="_blank">told local station ABC-13 </a>that in addition to the monetary figure—the bulk of which will be paid by the Waller County jail—there are several conditions to the settlement: <blockquote> “ ...Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, says the Waller County jail must provide emergency nurses for all shifts; use automated electronic sensors to ensure accurate and timely cell checks; and activity seek the passage of additional state funds for jail intaking, inmate screening, training and additional jail support.” “Any legislation passed which benefits Waller County must be named in Sandra Bland's honor, Reed-Veal says.” </blockquote> Bland was wrongfully arrested and assaulted by former Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia in July of 2015. Dash camera footage showed Encinia—who pulled Bland over for an illegal lane change violation—demanding she exit her vehicle and threatening her with being tased if she did not put out her cigarette. The footage then shows Encinia taking Bland out of the camera’s view, where Bland can be heard saying Encinia is twisting her arm and has slammed her head into the pavement. Encinia was indicted for perjury in the case in January of this year. Encinia was fired at that time and his termination was upheld by the state’s Department of Public Safety this past March. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BrianEncinia genevareedveal incustodydeath jailsuicide PrairieView Recommended SandraBland Texas wallercountyjail wrongfuldeath _1570419 Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:40:45 +0000 Inmate strangled to death in Oklahoma county Jail https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/30/1543683/-Inmate-strangled-to-death-in-Oklahoma-county-Jail Darius Robinson was <a href="https://www.readfrontier.com/investigation/autopsy-caddo-county-jail-inmate-died-jailers-strangled/" target="_blank">strangled to death</a> inside the Caddo County jail in the small town of Anadarko, Oklahoma, this past April. According to the autopsy report <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2892935-Darius-Robinson-Autopsy-Front-Page.html#document/p1/a304164" target="_blank">released last week</a>, the cause of death was manual compression of his neck. <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2892892/Robinson-JIR.pdf" target="_blank">A heavily redacted jail incident report</a> says that Robinson, who had been arrested on a child support warrant from 2008, was tearing up his cell and eating paper. Two officers entered the cell to check on him, the report says, and Robinson began speaking incoherently and attempted to “get passed both detention officers and that’s when he was taken to the ground.” A chokehold was used to subdue Robinson, hence the neck compression/strangulation. At the time the chokehold was applied, Robinson had been handcuffed and covered in pepper spray. The Daily Beast has done a<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/26/jailers-handcuffed-pepper-sprayed-and-choked-inmate-to-death.html" target="_blank" title=""> lengthy report on Robinson’s death</a>, noting that a camera was installed in his cell and should have recorded the entire incident. Robinson’s brother, Ancio, met with the undersheriff of the jail in an attempt to get answers. Few were forthcoming: <blockquote> <div> “[Undersheriff Spencer Davis] leaned back in his chair, pushed his cowboy hat back on his head and just old me ‘Sometimes these things happen here,’” Ancio said. “Just like that. With monotone. It was very unsettling to me.” </div> <div> No one from the Caddo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for comment. </div> <div> Davis recounted what he knew about Robinson’s death, Ancio said, but admitted there was a “blank spot” in the video that may have shown the fatal chokehold that was used on Ancio’s brother, killing him. </div> </blockquote> Robinson’s death is being investigated by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Once that investigation is complete, the case may or may not be turned over to a grand jury, and the video of Robinson in his cell at the time of his death may also be released at that time. The Daily Beast article also notes that Robinson was not the first inmate to die in Caddo County Jail, and highlights a number of inmate lawsuits filed against the institution. Many of those lawsuits were unfortunately dismissed. What happens inside jails and prisons, even when cameras are present, remains shrouded in secrecy to those of us on the outside. Calls for accountability and transparency, which are becoming the new normal for police shootings, must also ring out inside the country’s penal facilities. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) Anadarko anciorobinson caddocountyjail DariusRobinson incustodydeath jaildeath Oklahoma _1543683 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:31:07 +0000 Baltimore's 2015 unrest: retrospective on the mayor, police commissioner and those charged https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/19/1516541/-Baltimore-s-2015-unrest-retrospective-on-the-mayor-police-commissioner-and-those-charged Since the August 2014 murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, incidents of police terrorism and grassroots opposition to that terrorism—also known as unrest—have been visually/digitally documented more than ever before. Those images have gone viral, spreading across the digital and terrestrial terrain at a pace and distance like none before. Such coverage can serve to provide a deeper understanding of complex issues and characters, as well as more substantive glimpses into everyday peoples’ lives. The Baltimore Sun’s recent query on <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bal-where-are-they-now-story.html"> “the faces of Baltimore’s unrest”</a> in the wake of Freddie Gray’s April 2015 death at the hands of police attempts to illustrate this point. Gray died on April 19, 2015, after being arrested by police. The police account of the encounter states that Gray ran from officers after making eye contact with them seven days earlier on April 12; Gray was pursued and found to have a small knife on his person. Police admit that Gray did not resist arrest, but the story of how his injuries occurred prior to his police van ride to a precinct have yet to be adequately explained: Gray appears limp and shouts out in pain as he is carried to the van according to video shot by bystanders. He would later die from severe injuries to his spinal cord, including three fractured vertebrae. The Sun sought to update readers on what has happened to various individuals that caught the nation’s eye thanks to visual/digital documentation, as well as the parts they played unrelated to that phenomenon. Anthony Batts, for example, former police commissioner of Baltimore, was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/07/08/3651427/anthony-batts-fired">fired</a> from his position by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in July after an investigation found that Batt’s plan to contain the unrest was to allow it to happen. According to the Sun, Batts has purchased a home in a gated community overlooking a golf course in Florida under a fictitious name. Mayor Rawlings-Blake, who also took a lot of criticism for her leadership during the unrest, made the decision to not seek re-election for her office in the upcoming 2016 election. Some of those captured visually during the unrest were charged with various crimes; some of have had their charges dismissed while others face pending trials. Many who were considered everyday heroes before the unrest have continued to work for a better Baltimore, regardless of the presence of cameras and digital recorders. The most infamous of those connected with the unrest would be the six police officers ultimately charged in the death of Freddie Gray: Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White, and Officers William Porter, Caesar Goodson, Edward Nero, and Garrett Miller. The first of the criminal trials of those officers, that of William Porter, ended in a hung jury in December of 2015. The trial of Edward Nero is scheduled to happen in May of this year. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) AnthonyBatts Baltimore BlackLivesMatter FreddieGray incustodydeath Maryland PoliceTerrorism StephanieRawlingsBlake _1516541 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 00:01:58 +0000 Man who died after being arrested for stealing $5 worth of snacks was lost in the system https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/3/22/1504588/-Man-who-died-after-being-arrested-for-5-worth-of-snacks-was-lost-in-the-system Jamycheal Mitchell, a 24-year-old <s>diagnosed schizophrenic</s> man diagnosed with schizophrenia, had not taken his medication for several weeks when he entered a 7-Eleven on April 22, 2015. He is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/man-accused-of-stealing-5-in-snacks-died-in-jail-as-he-waited-for-space-at-mental-hospital/2015/09/29/7ceac8a2-5aff-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html?tid=a_inl" target="_blank" title="">alleged to have stolen</a> one Mountain Dew, one Snickers bar and one Zebra cake. The monetary cost: $5.05. The actual cost: his life. Mitchell weighed about 186 pounds when he was arrested and taken to Portsmouth Jail. He would be confined to the Hampton Roads Regional Jail when a judge ordered him to be sent to Virginia’s Eastern State Hospital for psychiatric care. But Mitchell never left his jail cell. He would languish there for four months acting erratically, sometimes eating according to fellow inmates, sometimes not according to jail staff. Sometimes, jail inmates allege, staff would withhold food from him because he had not returned a previous meal tray. When he died on August 19 examiners said he weighed 144 pounds. The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/audit-finds-lapses-in-case-of-mentally-ill-inmate-who-died-in-jail-on-a-5-charge/2016/03/21/7d30f1dc-ef84-11e5-a61f-e9c95c06edca_story.html?postshare=9451458591761614&tid=ss_tw" target="_blank">report of an audit</a> by Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBHDS) released March 21 says there were lapses throughout the system that failed Jamycheal Mitchell, most notably that the court never sent the actual order that Mitchell should be sent to a state hospital. <blockquote> And when Eastern State Hospital finally received the order three months later, an overwhelmed staff member put it in a drawer and failed to add him to the wait list for a bed, according to the audit. The order was not discovered again until five days after Mitchell’s death, along with restoration orders for 10 to 12 other mentally ill inmates who were also not included on the wait list. And even if Mitchell had been added to the wait list, there was a backlog of dozens of mentally ill inmates who needed beds at Eastern State Hospital so they could be restored to competency to stand trial. Mitchell’s case is one of a handful locally and nationally, from the deaths of Natasha McKenna in Fairfax County to Sandra Bland in Texas, that have focused attention on the plight of the mentally troubled caught up in the nation’s jail systems. </blockquote> They found the order to send Mitchell to the hospital. Three months later. And then, somebody put it in a drawer. Not a file cabinet. Not a file folder. Not on someone desk marked priority. A drawer. And the order would not be seen again until five days after Mitchell died. And when he died, he weighed about 42 pounds less than when he first went in. What words are there to describe this scenario? Inquiring minds would like to know. <div></div> <div></div> rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) blackdisabledlivesmatter easternstatehospital hamptonroadsregionaljail incustodydeath JamychealMitchell MentalHealth portsmouthjail Shoplifting statesanctionedviolence virginiasdepartmentofbehavioralhealthanddevelopmentservices _1504588 Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:22:59 +0000 Another death of a black woman in jail custody https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/26/1491908/-Another-death-of-a-black-woman-in-jail-custody One day after the story of <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/25/1491126/-Woman-deprived-of-water-dies-in-South-Carolina-jail" target="_blank">Joyce Curnell’s death</a> in a South Carolina jail cell last summer, there is news of the <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/mysteries-surround-sudden-death-of-erie-county-holding-center-inmate-20160226" target="_blank">“mysterious death” of </a><a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/mysteries-surround-sudden-death-of-erie-county-holding-center-inmate-20160226" target="_blank">India Cummings</a> in a holding cell in Erie County, New York. The Buffalo News reports: <blockquote> Her landlord, David Pintabona, said Cummings wanted desperately on the afternoon of Feb. 1 to return to her hometown of Rochester and went door-to-door on Knowlton Avenue to find someone to take her there. “She was freaked, screaming, ‘Help me, help me,’ ” Pintabona said, describing her outbursts as totally out of character. “She was anxious and panicked.” She also was moving in fits and starts. In one moment, she prayed with a neighbor. In the next, she hijacked a car. She punched the driver and dragged him out of his Ford Taurus, according to Lackawanna police. She then led officers on a chase that ended after her car struck three vehicles and a school bus. At her arraignment in County Court on Feb. 9, she did not recognize her mother. </blockquote> This is a case to watch closely, not only only for instances of law enforcement culpability and accountability, but to keep an eye on something else that may need scrutinizing: <blockquote> Cummings, described as a typically calm person, was arrested 26 days ago after a series of rash acts brought on, in part, her family said, by the synthetic marijuana known as K2. It can trigger hallucinations, agitation and violent behavior. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/two-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-coming-to-erie-county-20150731" target="_blank">Where</a> India Cummings may have gotten some synthetic marijuana from should be the next, most crucial question asked in this equation. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BlackWomensLivesMatter ErieCounty incustodydeath indiacummings joycecurnell Marijuana NewYork SayHerName _1491908 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 21:15:32 +0000 Woman 'deprived of water' dies in South Carolina jail https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/25/1491126/-Woman-deprived-of-water-dies-in-South-Carolina-jail Joyce Curnell was a 50-year-old woman who died last summer in the Charleston County, South Carolina, jail. She was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/07/28/3685435/fourth-black-woman-found-dead-jail-cell-since-mid-july">one of five black women</a> who died while in police custody under seemingly mysterious circumstances at the time. On February 24, the Post and Courier reported that Curnell died from being “<a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160224/PC16/160229636">deprived of water</a>” while in the jail: <blockquote> She spent the last 27 hours of her life behind bars. During that time she became too sick to eat or call for help, according to court documents filed this week. She vomited all night and couldn’t make it to a bathroom, so jailers gave her a trash bag. Some medical staffers ignored the jail officials’ requests to tend to her, the documents alleged. Curnell’s family filed a notice Wednesday to sue the jail’s medical contractor, Carolina Center for Occupational Health, for malpractice. Unless a settlement is reached, a lawsuit likely will follow. The filing cited expert opinion from a local doctor, who said Curnell’s death “more likely than not” would have been prevented if she had been properly treated for gastroenteritis and dehydration. </blockquote> Curnell had been taken by ambulance to an emergency room after complaining of nausea and vomiting and diagnosed with gastroenteritis. Now, here’s where it gets interesting: rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BlackWomensLivesMatter incustodydeath joycecurnell kimachapman medicalneglect ralkinaturner SandraBland SayHerName _1491126 Thu, 25 Feb 2016 17:05:53 +0000 Investigation into death of Tanisha Anderson completed https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/22/1489285/-Investigation-into-death-of-Tanisha-Anderson-completed <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/tanisha-anderson-killing-cleveland-police" title="">Tanisha Anderson’s case</a> is one of many that the #SayHerName hashtag <a href="http://www.aapf.org/sayhername" title="">aimed to lift up</a>. Her death in November 2014 at the hands of Cleveland Police officers elicited no anger or demonstrations at the time. Since the story of her death became known she has joined the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/13/black-womens-lives-matter-police-shootings_n_6644276.html" title="">list of other unarmed black women</a>, similar to unarmed black men, who have died at the hands of police and whose killers have not been held accountable for their actions. And now, it appears that <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/02/tanisha-anderson-death-cleveland-police-investigation" title="">even more movement</a> in the case is underway. Anderson was diagnosed as schizophrenic and bipolar. Her family called 911 in the hopes of getting assistance for her; she had attempted to leave her home late in the night wearing nothing but a nightgown on two occasions. Police say they spoke with Anderson and convinced her to be escorted to a local hospital. As she was being taken to the police squad car, Tanisha’s family says she changed her mind. Police say she began to “actively resist” them. That “resistance” cost Tanisha her life. Her death was ruled a homicide and an investigation into the case is now concluded. <blockquote> The 15-month long investigation is now in the hands of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine: In a statement last Tuesday, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty <a href="http://prosecutor.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/2016-02-17-ohio-attorney-general.aspx" title="">requested</a> DeWine take over the case following a Cuyahoga County sheriff's investigation, which McGinty said revealed "facts that created a conflict of interest" for his office. McGinty—who led the <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/grand-jury-does-not-indict-cop-who-killed-tamir-rice" title="">controversial investigation</a> into the police killing of 12-year-old <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/grand-jury-does-not-indict-cop-who-killed-tamir-rice" title="">Tamir Rice</a> and is running for <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/12/cuyahoga_county_democratic_par_1.html" title="">reelection</a> next month—did not specify what that conflict of interest was. The recently completed sheriff's investigation, which has not been disclosed publicly, raises questions about the Cleveland Police Department's <a href="https://clevelandpolice.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/media-release-regarding-in-custody-death/" title="">official account</a> presented in November 2014. According to a law enforcement official familiar with the sheriff's investigation who spoke to Mother Jones, the investigation reveals significant details that the Cleveland PD's account did not include. </blockquote> At the time of Anderson’s death, Cleveland police <a href="https://clevelandpolice.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/media-release-regarding-in-custody-death" title="">released a statement</a> which, truth be told, they really ought to be ashamed of: <blockquote> “As the officers escorted the female to the police vehicle she began actively resisting the officers. Once handcuffed, the woman continued to resist officers attempts to place her in the police car. The woman began to kick at officers. A short time later the woman stopped struggling and appeared to go limp. Officers found a faint pulse on the victim and immediately called EMS and a supervisor to respond to the scene at 11:34. EMS and and Fire responded and treated the woman before conveying her to the Cleveland Clinic emergency room where she was pronounced dead at 12:30 am.” </blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BlackLivesMatter BlackWomensLivesMatter Cleveland CuyahogaCounty incustodydeath MentalIllness Ohio PoliceBrutality SayHerName TanishaAnderson _1489285 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 01:01:32 +0000 Former cop serves just eight months for assaulting woman who later died https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/1/26/1475275/-Former-officer-who-kicked-woman-s-vaginal-area-freed-from-jail Mary O’Callaghan, the Los Angeles Police Department officer convicted in the 2012 assault of Alesia Thomas who died while being arrested by police, walked out of a Los Angeles County jail this weekend after serving about eight months of her 36-month sentence. Talk about a sweet deal. O’Callaghan was found guilty on the charge of <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/found-guilty-assaulting-handcuffed-woman-article-1.2248417" title="">assault under color of authority</a> on June 5, 2015. She was sentenced to 36 months—three years—in state prison, but the judge <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20150723/ex-lapd-officer-mary-ocallaghan-gets-3-years-in-jail-for-arrestees-death" title="">immediately suspended 20 months</a> of O’Callaghan’s sentence, leaving only 16 months. In California, persons convicted of non-violent felonies are awarded one day’s credit for every day served behind bars. Shannon Presby, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted O’Callaghan, called the practice “good time-work time credit,” and he also thinks that jail overcrowding played into the equation. O’Callaghan’s time, like all others, was calculated from the moment she went into custody (at the conclusion of her trial) on June 5. Her sentencing to 36 months in prison did not occur until July 23, more than one month later, but those days she had been chillin’ in the L.A. County Jail were part of her sentence’s overall calculation. Hence, we get roughly 233 days in prison—close to eight months, or one-half of 16 months. You go, girl. Officers went to Alesia Thomas’ home in July 2012 to investigate charges of <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/five-lapd-officers-under-investigation-after-death-of-a-woman-during-violent-arrest" title="">child endangerment</a>. Her two small children had been left at a police precinct with a note for their grandmother. After questioning Thomas, the police officers on the scene made the decision to arrest her and a struggle ensued. Once police brought Thomas out of her apartment and to the police vehicle O’Callaghan, an 18-year veteran with the department, assisted in placing Thomas into the back of the car. She assisted by kicking Thomas several times in the crotch area with her boot, and shoving her by the throat. The incident was caught on the squad car’s dash camera. You can view that dash camera footage, where Thomas can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” several times, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-video-alesia-thomas-arrest-20150609-premiumvideo.html" title="">here</a>. Thomas’ family was awarded a <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/10/15/55052/alesia-thomas-la-to-pay-2-5m-to-kin-of-woman-who-d" title="">$2.5 million dollar</a> settlement by the L.A. City Council in October 2015. The Los Angeles County District Attorney made the decision to file the charge of <a href="http://da.co.la.ca.us/sites/default/files/press/10.10.13%20LAPD%20Officer%20Charged%20with%20Assault%20While%20On%20Duty.pdf" title="">”assaulting an arrestee under color of authority”</a> against O’Callaghan instead of an “involuntary manslaughter charge, citing insufficient evidence to prove that the conduct caused Thomas’ death.” rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) alesia AlesiaThomas BlackWomensLivesMatter California incustodydeath LAPD LosAngeles MaryOCallaghan nowaytotreataperson PoliceTerror SayHerName _1475275 Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:26:20 +0000 Grand jury reconvenes in jail death of Sandra Bland https://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/1/6/1466640/-Grand-jury-reconvenes-in-jail-death-of-Sandra-Bland A grand jury is meeting again today regarding the arrest and death of Sandra Bland in the Waller County, Texas, jail in July of 2015. The jury <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/12/22/1462668/-No-charges-in-the-Texas-jail-death-of-Sandra-Bland">declined to bring any indictments</a> in Bland’s jail death last month, prompting protests locally and elsewhere. At that time Darrell Jordan, one of the special prosecutors assigned to the case, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/grand-jury-finds-no-felony-committed-by-jailers-in-death-of-sandra-bland.html">told the New York Times</a> that the case was still open. Grand jury proceedings, including the items to be considered, are secret however there is speculation that the body could be considering the conduct of Texas Trooper Brian Encinia. Encinia’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkqw_7mrJnU">unnecessary and violent arrest</a> of Bland are what led to her being placed in the Waller County jail. Encinia was placed on administrative duty where he remains. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Encinia violated several departmental protocols during his stop of Bland but was not fired. Bland was found hanged in a cell three days later. Her death was ruled a suicide which her family and many others believe to be untrue. They have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court, which is set for trial early next year. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BlackLivesMatter BlackWomensLivesMatter BrianEncinia incustodydeath jailsuicides PoliceAbuse PoliceMisconduct PoliceTerrorism PrairieView SandraBland SayHerName Texas TexasDepartmentofPublicSafety WallerCounty _1466640 Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:51:14 +0000 Texas grand jury issues no indictments in the jail death of Sandra Bland https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/12/22/1462668/-No-charges-in-the-Texas-jail-death-of-Sandra-Bland On Monday, a Texas grand jury declined to indict anyone in the jail death of 28-year old Sandra Bland in July, 2015. Bland was found hanged in her cell in the Waller County jail on July 13, three days after being assaulted and wrongfully arrested by Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia. Darrell Jordan, one of the special prosecutors assigned to the case, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/grand-jury-finds-no-felony-committed-by-jailers-in-death-of-sandra-bland.html" title="">told the New York Times</a> that “the case is still open … the case is not over,” and that the grand jury would reconvene in January to discuss other aspects of the case. Although Jordan did not say what those aspects were, he did say that the grand jury’s decision not to indict was related only to Bland’s death and the conduct of the Waller County jail staff. It is still possible that the grand jury could take up the issue of Encinia’s conduct when they meet again in January. A Texas coroner ruled that Bland’s death in the jail was a suicide. Bland’s family vehemently disagreed with that ruling, and Bland’s mother Geneva Reed-Veal filed a wrongful death lawsuit in August against the Texas Department of Public Safety, Brian Encinia, Waller County and two of its jailers. The suit is scheduled to go to trial in <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/12/18/1461464/-Date-set-in-wrongful-death-lawsuit-of-Sandra-Bland">January of 2017</a>. The video of Encinia’s wrongful arrest of Bland in July 2015 is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkqw_7mrJnU">here</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Thandisizwe Chimurenga) BlackLivesMatter BlackWomensLivesMatter BrianEncinia incustodydeath jailsuicides PoliceBrutality PoliceTerror PrairieView SandraBland SayHerName Texas WallerCounty wrongfularrest _1462668 Tue, 22 Dec 2015 12:30:16 +0000