Tag: texas
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An Open Letter to Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson
Dear DA Devon Anderson, I am writing to you because I remain in possession of one of the many lives you put at risk when you and Sheriff Hickman blamed the shooting of Deputy Goforth on #BlackLivesMatter, resulting in threats being directed towards those holding vigil for Sandra Bland at the Waller County Jail. Now, today, the Houston NAACP…
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The Postmortem Prosecution of Sandra Bland
On February 2, 2016, the world finally got to hear some of the “investigation” interviews concerning the death of Sandra Bland. In audio obtained from the state of Texas and released by the Bland family and their attorneys, an investigator asks inmates who had been in cells close to Sandra nothing of substance beyond repeated…
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Why You’ve Never Heard Me Say Sandra Bland Was Murdered
You’ve never heard me say that Sandra Bland was murdered. Words are precious to me. I handle them with care. I work with poets who shuffle them around like puzzle pieces on a table until they find just the right fit. I was raised by a man who took the half-page permission slips that my…
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Why We Say Her Name: Sandra Bland
As she arrived at the security check and showed her I.D., the airport agent’s eyes welled with tears at the sight of Sandra Bland’s mother; proving that even TSA is not immune to the power of her story and presence. This has become the new normal for the Bland family as Sandra’s voice strikes a…
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Sandra Bland was not perfect. Thank God.
“I have this lady’s records from Chicago, and from ’89 to 2014, she’s no good.” The older African American gentlemen turned around from the podium of the Prairie View City Council to glare at Sandra Bland’s supporters and sorority sisters and repeat, “She’s not. She’s not. She’s not.” With his finger inches from my face,…
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Sandra Bland: Love Is Not A Factor In The Bail Equation
On a Sunday afternoon at Waller County Jail, you see something you do not see much of during the rest of the week: children. On weekends, the focus of activity shifts from trying to get people out of Jail, to visiting those who are stuck inside. Energy shifts from negotiations with bail bondsmen to consolations between…
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Sandra Bland: Fighting For Life, Both Hers & Yours
“Isn’t that what you are here for?!?” the white, female ABC reporter in front of us raged. She had watched from her SUV as those of us keeping vigil for Sandy Bland outside of Waller County Jail watched the video of Sandy’s arrest for the first time, huddled around one of our smart phones. It…
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What Happened to Sandra Bland?
From July 15 – Sitting Vigil for Sandra Bland – Arrested for failing to signal a lane change and found dead in her cell “Blow that out,” the voice came loud and stern over the loud speakers of the Waller County Sheriff’s Office and County Jail. Moments earlier, we had lit a votive candle on…
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A Time to Listen, A Time to Speak
“I cannot wait until I am in a different appointment, so that I can preach the way that you do.” I cocked my head to the side, a little puzzled. I had just finished a sermon on racism, privilege, solidarity and what it means to be the family of God as the guest preacher at…
Hannah Adair Bonner 