'She Didn't Kill Herself': Mourners Gather for Woman Found Dead in Texas Jail

Hundreds of mourners lined up Saturday at the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle for the funeral of 28-year-old Sandra Bland and to pay their respects to the Naperville woman who died July 13 in a Texas jail cell, three days after she was arrested following a confrontation with a police officer during a traffic stop.

The funeral was filled with Bland’s closest family and those who never knew her. Many people wore shirts with the hashtag #SandySpeaks, others had shirts that meant to memorialize her.

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Naperville resident Darren Terrell came out in support of Bland, despite never having met her.

“Sandra could be my sister, my cousin, my family,” Terrell said. “She is family. She grew up out here where I live. This is outrageous. It shouldn’t have happened that way. I’m outraged by it and disgusted at the same time.”

Terrell said it’s sad that it’s a black issue when it should be a national issue.

“This could happen to anybody and we have to bring a halt to it immediately,” he said.

Arlinda Jackson came from Chicago to attend Bland’s funeral. Jackson said Bland’s death was a senseless killing.

“Why she had to put out her cigarette, why she had to get out of her car, I don’t understand,” Jackson said. “I know you’re supposed to obey what the officers tell you to do, but I thought that was a little bit far-fetched. I really did.”

Christiana Lawson, an Aurora resident who grew up in Naperville, said she keeps thinking about how people need to learn to get rid of their racist feelings inside.

“We can’t just cover it up,” Lawson said. “It will come out in a stressful situation.”

When Lawson walked into the church to pay her respects, she said she couldn’t control her tears.

“How could it come to this? I am from Naperville and she’s from Naperville and she was born the year I graduated from high school. She’s a young lady. I don’t understand it. It was the end. It was the end of her life because of racism.”

While tears were shed by many, the funeral was a joyous occasion that celebrated Bland’s life. The choir sang and clapped its hands and those in attendance joined in.

“We’re not funeralizing a martyr or victim,” said DuPage AME Church Reverend Dr. James Miller, who officiated the service. “We’re celebrating a hero. I want the family to know that I don’t think you’re looking at her remains. I don’t believe that. It’s her earthly presence, true enough, it’s the physical presence that we knew her to be, but Sandy’s not in that casket. She ain’t here. She gone. What remains are the memories. All the golden moments of yesteryear, those holidays, those cookouts, those family reunions, that’s our treasure. That’s the treasure of the Lord.

“We are happy in the midst of our sorrow,” Miller said. “...The authorities in Waller County are going to discover something that I learned and that each of us learned at our mother’s knee: You can disrespect a strong, black woman if you want to, but you gonna pay for that.”

Miller called for people to shut down the Justice Department’s website asking for a full investigation into Bland’s death.

“We’re here to tell the world one thing: Sandra was ours and we take care of our own,” he said.

The church was not big enough to seat all the people that showed up for Bland’s funeral. Some stood, watching the service on TVs hooked up throughout. Others sat in a room and watched the service projected onto a screen.

Ushers walked around with boxes of Kleenex in their hands, offering it to any who might need to wipe away their tears.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin addressed the crowd briefly and extended his condolences to Bland’s family.

Yesterday morning Durbin woke up in Washington, D.C., where he had to be on the floor of the senate and Sunday he’ll do the same.

“But I knew this morning when I woke up I had to be at 4300 Yackley Avenue,” Durbin said.

Durbin spoke of his journey from Chicago to Lisle and what he saw on the way there.

“There were many people changing lanes in traffic,” Durbin said. “And there were many of them who were not using their signal and their life continues this morning. Before this highly questionable traffic violation, a series of events unfolded with a tragic ending for Sandy.”

Durbin said he is sending a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking for a full, complete and unbiased investigation.

“In fairness to Sandra, in fairness to her family and fairness to this great nation, we need to know these answers,” Durbin said.

Congressman Bill Foster took to the podium and expressed his sympathy and condolences to the family. Foster is the father of a 28-year-old daughter and said he couldn’t comprehend what the Bland family must be going through.

“To see and feel her taken away from you so suddenly and with so little comprehensive cause is something that no family should ever go through,” Foster said.

Foster’s father was a civil rights lawyer and wrote a lot of the enforcement language behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to Foster.

“50 years later we are going through the same questions,” Foster said. “The same question of fundamental fairness under the law is something we should never, ever accept.”

Near the end of the service, Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, got up to speak about her daughter.

“This is a hard spot to be in and I’ve been trying to hold it together,” Reed-Veal said. “I want everybody to understand Sandy knew what her purpose was. Some people call this a tragedy, some people call it a travesty, but I’ve got to call it a testimony.”

About three weeks ago Bland and her mother were at her cousin’s home down south. That was their last road trip together.

Over the years, Bland and her mother had had a strained relationship, but it was mending.

“She shared with me her joys and pains,” Reed-Veal said. “We had an opportunity to say our apologies. Three weeks ago today, we cleaned up everything. If you would have told me I’d be standing here today, I would have said ‘No way.’”

One of the last things Bland said to her mother was that she wanted to go back to Texas and help rid the south of racial injustice.

Reed-Veal said there are some things in the news that are true, and some things that are outright lies.

“I’m the mama and I’m telling you that baby did not take herself out,” she said.

There are also some questions she has that she still doesn’t have to answer to.

“The fact is her personal belongings still aren’t with her mama,” Reed-Veal said. “You think you’re mad? I’m mad, too.”

But if there’s one thing Bland’s mother wants people to do, it’s to keep speaking her name.

“I want to know what happened to my baby. I’m gonna find out what happened to my baby and I will tell you this, if anybody wants to do anything, you keep saying her name. You keep talking to the congressmen and the senators.”

Bland’s mother also requested that anyone who’s asked about her daughter by the media to not say anything negative about her.

Local authorities in Waller County, Texas, insist Bland asphyxiated herself with a plastic trash bag and ruled her death a suicide. Autopsy results released Friday indicate she had no violent or defensive wounds on her body, and a uniform strangulation mark across her neck. The prosecutor also reportedly told her family’s attorney that Bland had a “massive” amount of marijuana in her system and suggested Bland ate or smoked this while in the jail.

Bland was stopped on July 10 on a turn-signal violation. Dashboard camera video shows an argument developing between Bland and the officer. The officer, Brian Encinia, requests she put out her cigarette, then he threatens to “light her up” with a Taser. She is told to get out of her vehicle, and Bland continues to argue with the officer. Then they move off camera, where Bland is thrown to the ground. Part of this interaction was recorded on video by a bystander. Encinia was subsequently suspended for his actions during her arrest.

Bland was born Feb, 7, 1987 at Rush Hospital in Chicago to Willie and Geneva Bland. She had four sisters, Shante, Sharon, Shavon and Sierra. Bland lived in Chicago for a portion of her childhood before moving to Villa Park. She attended Jackson Middle School where she was a member of the basketball and volleyball team.

Bland attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park. After graduating in 2005, Bland was accepted to Prairie View A&M University on a band scholarship as a trombonist. She received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural food services in 2009 and began working as an administrative professional following college.

Bland began #SandySpeaks on January 14, 2015 in order to utilize social media to address social injustices that impacted her community but weren’t discussed.

“She expressed a genuine interest in lending a voice to the next generation regarding police brutality and race politics, doing so on a weekly basis reaching many viewers,” Bland’s obituary states.

The Death of Sandra Bland

• Texas district attorney says the case will go to a grand jury and says it’s being treated as a “murder Investigation.” Meanwhile, civil rights activists and politicians are asking the Justice Department to step in. Recent coverage includes:

• • Congressman Asks Department of Justice to Investigate Sandra Bland’s Death
  • Sister ‘Infuriated’ By Dash Cam Footage
  • Sandra Bland Tried to Kill Herself Before Arrest: AP
  • Texas Public Safety Denies Altering Sandra Bland Dash Cam Footage
  • Timeline Leading Up to Death of Sandra Bland Released
  • Lawyer for Family of Sandra Bland Describes Police Dash Cam Video
  • Family of Naperville Woman Who Died in Jail Seeks Independent Autopsy