Focus: Police-State Racism
During an in-depth investigation of the Sandra Bland case, some disturbing commonalities continue to come to light regarding police brutality and corruption nationwide. This case provides an in depth look into what has become a disturbing national trend.
The widespread abuse by local law-enforcement in nearly every recent case from coast-to-coast seems to involve outright racism. After investigating this and many other incidents, it appears that “we the people” are at a crossroad.
It is important to be diligent in stopping racism from infiltrating our local police. A problem that can no longer be ignored. Racism in positions of authority has quickly become a national security issue that must be addressed immediately. It’s up to the American people to ensure this stops by fighting for accountability and implementing stricter standards nationwide.
The Initial Stop and Arrest
Anyone following the Sandra Bland case is well aware of the many discrepancies and errors in the way her arrest and incarceration were handled. From the initial arrest, to the day of her passing, to the Texas authorities seemingly covering something up. The facts still remain. She was an outspoken activist against police brutality. She was mistreated by the authorities that are constitutionally sworn to protect her. She was never threatening during the initial stop or while in jail. She never posed a threat to anyone’s life. Unfortunately, this has become the all too common similarity in the hundreds, if not thousands of police brutality cases in recent history. The commonality is racism.
Once the dash-cam video was released, manipulated or not, it shows many obvious legal violations as well as departmental policy violations by the state trooper. The Texas Department of Public Safety has admittedly stated that the trooper violated several policies in regards to his conduct. In doing so he willfully put Sandra Bland in harm’s way and therefore should be held liable in participating in her injuries and possibly her death. It is certainly possible that her injuries may have contributed to her death. In both videos released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, we see a blatant disregard for the injuries caused by the officer.
In addition you can also hear the officer show refusal to acknowledge the possibility of causing seizures or any risk of injury by his actions. After she stated that she had been injured by him taking her down and that she has suffered seizures in the past, his reply was “good!” You can also hear the female officer state “you’re fine” after Sandra stated “I can’t hear”. The potential of injury from his take-down of Sandra is what may have possibly contributed to her death. A possibility that was never addressed in the medical examiner’s reports and remains a question for many. The extent of her injuries have yet to be discussed and remains a question that we must all ask.
It is every law-enforcement officer’s sworn duty to protect civilians from harm in any case. Aggressive or lethal force is to be used only as a last resort. In this case, aggression was used in response to her denial to put her cigarette out. Something that is not required of any civilian in any state. Sandra Bland did not deserve to be arrested, plain and simple. And there is nothing in this case that justifies Sandra losing her life. Certainly not for a ticket, or a warning, or her refusal to put out a cigarette. The officer bears responsibility in this case, however he does not bear it alone. This is a case where the entire system failed Sandra Bland, and she paid the ultimate price. It all started with someone who is nothing short of a bully and took things way too far.
Below is the video released by the Texas Department of Public Safety supposedly without any editing. It is worth noting that the video is the second video posted by Texas DPS, as the first one has since been removed. Both the first and second video are still being scrutinized by many for obvious editing anomalies. Regardless of whether there was any editing, it is obvious that the actions of officer Encinia are unjustified. In fact, the United States Supreme Court felt the same way in April of this year:
“The Government’s argument that an officer who completes all traffic-related tasks expeditiously should earn extra time to pursue an unrelated criminal investigation is unpersuasive, for a traffic stop “prolonged beyond” the time in fact needed for the officer to complete his traffic-based inquiries is “unlawful”
Source: Supreme Court of the United States
Official DPS Video:
There is also a video taken by a bystander who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. The bystander video is one that the media refused to show initially, however it is now being widely reported thanks to many independent journalists. In the Texas Department of Public Safety video you can hear the officer instructing someone to leave. This is who he was speaking to. You will notice that after being asked to leave, the bystander steps into the driveway of what appears to be a church, although officers still ran him off shortly after starting to record the incident. This video shows officers trying to apprehend Sandra Bland as they were on top of her, which explains the injuries on her back reported in the medical examiner’s report.
Bystander Video:
Sandra supposedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a wall that is about 5 feet tall. Which suggests that she would have had to be in a seated position. Additionally, in the “crime-scene” photos you can see that the trash-bag in the trash-can had been replaced. If the cell was to be treated as a crime scene, then whoever replaced the trash-bag by default contaminated the scene. These are examples of the many inconsistencies in the reports from the jail. From the time she was brought in, until now. While it almost sounds like a conspiracy theory, these questions are justifiably being asked by many that are following the case.
A larger majority are starting to believe racism played a role in the Sandra Bland case, along with the many other cases of police brutality in recent history nationwide. When looking at the facts, it is no surprise that more and more people are starting to see it that way. In October of 2006, the FBI issued a report that focused on the “White supremacist infiltration of law enforcement” and that it represented a significant national threat. The release of the dash-cam video by the Texas Department of Public Safety was meant to prove the officer was justified in Sandra’s arrest. In releasing the video (edited or not) they inadvertently proved to America the injustice in her arrest, while opening everyone’s eyes to that same injustice being conducted in so many other cases. Because not only is America finally starting to see the similarities, the American people now have something tangible on which to judge for themselves.
Everyone is becoming more aware of the level of racism within the law-enforcement community nationwide. The video along with the many recent cases of racist cops are what fuels this level of thinking. Let’s take a look at a handful of reports from just the last year.
- 06/30/2015: Baltimore ex-cop Michael Wood Jr on brutality and racism
- 06/20/2015: Texas Officers Fired for Membership in KKK
- 05/15/2015: Police Keep Getting Caught Sending Racist Emails
- 05/08/2015: Police racism may have compromised 3,000 San Francisco cases
- 04/03/2015: 7 San Francisco Police Officers to Be Dismissed Over Racist Texts
- 04/02/2015: KKK Members Working in Florida Prison Arrested for Plot to Kill Black Inmate
- 10/03/2014: Former Cop Who Tortured Victims for Decades Released
- 07/14/2014: Florida Police Officers Linked to KKK by the FBI
Many of you reading this are aware of some of these cases, but when you look at all of them in their totality you begin to understand the magnitude of the situation. This is an issue that goes far and wide, stretching from coast-to-coast. Especially when you consider areas similar to Waller County and their history of racial intolerance at some of the highest levels of local law-enforcement. These counties are all over the country. Apparently, major cities and metropolises are not immune either. This is beyond ridiculous and it is something we need to attack first and foremost. It may just be time for an all out investigation of policies and procedures when it comes to background checks and accountability, regarding local law-enforcement. It seems that officers of the law must be held to a much higher standard than they currently are.
The Role of Racism
In 2008 Hempstead, Texas Police Chief Glen Smith was fired after a vote of no confidence by the Hempstead City Council. At the time, Hempstead residents had filed several complaints against Smith and several officers alleging racism and outright bad police work. In a major show of the ever present ‘Good Ol Boy’ network that runs rampant in Texas, neither the Hempstead mayor or anyone on the city council would confirm any specific reason for his termination. Yet somehow, not only was he allowed to run for Sheriff of Waller County, but not surprisingly he won in what is considered one of the most racist counties in Texas. It is safe to presume he won because he was running against Jeron Barnett. An African-American.
It is also worth noting that Jeron Barnett, now county commissioner of Waller County, was a former Harris County (Houston) deputy. He was serving in the Katy police department in Texas during the election. He was also named crime-prevention officer of the year in October of 2008. The same year he was running to be the first African-American sheriff of Waller County. Additionally, The Houston Press reported that Glen Smith was known for pranks involving the use of hand-grenades that resulted in an officer’s foot being blown off. Yet this guy won, and is still the sheriff of Waller County.
When the incident concerning Sandra Bland occurred, I made it a point to visit Prairie View A&M where she is reported to have gotten a job. We also covered nearly every corner of Waller county talking to the residents there, both black and white. In Waller County it is exactly as it has always been and we were not that surprised with what we found. There is a huge racial divide there and it all begins with the leadership of every small town within that county. They still have segregated cemeteries in Waller County if that is any indication of the racial divide there.
The fundamental flaw in the way the police-state functions became very apparent in our investigation while in Waller county. As long as the leadership in any American city is as racist your local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, then you can rest assured that it will trickle down to their respective subordinates. The problem seems to be that police officers, including police chiefs and sheriffs, are not being scrutinized enough prior to being employed or elected. Think about that when you think about the sheriff of Waller County, Texas. He is the same man who was run out of Hempstead, a small town in Waller County, for being racist.
As a matter of fact, at the time of the incident that occurred concerning Sandra Bland, there had been calls for his resignation along with some other officers. As we constantly suggest at NPNI to find a solution in a peaceful and civil manner, I believe we may have just uncovered where the solution lies. While we were investigating the Sandra Bland case, we began to see these scary commonalities in law-enforcement nationwide. We then began to focus on every other case across the country as well. We have most certainly discovered what many of us have been warned about for decades.
While every case has a wide variety of differences, we have found but very few commonalities with these cases. The biggest commonality is obviously racism. While not every case involves direct ties to white supremacist groups, they do involve an infiltration of white supremacists in some level of leadership or another. This leads to a level of acceptance within the ranks of what appears to be nearly every law-enforcement agency across the country. Which leads to a lower bar when looking at the expectations of local law-enforcement. We should not live in a world where the populace has to adapt knowing that we could lose your lives when dealing with police. Yes it is a national problem.
This is an issue that goes far beyond being respectful or submissive. Without saying anyone should be submissive to an officer that is no more superior than anyone else. No matter how respectful you are or may be to an officer of the law, if the officer is a good cop you should have no problem. But if the officer is from within a department that has been infiltrated by white supremacists, you don’t stand a chance, regardless of how nice or respectful you may be. We are seeing many cases that involve corruption on these levels that just get covered up. With national attention however, we should begin by demanding accountability. Racism should be a part of any investigation involving aggression towards minorities as this trend cannot be ignored.
This is not to incite anyone into doing anything crazy. We do not condone rioting nor are we suggesting any form of aggressive protests. We at NPNI fully support peaceful protests and civil disobedience. We promote civility towards each other and expect the same from everyone else. We must be diligent in finding solutions to the problems we face as a country, and I hope that we have found a great place to start with this report regarding these hate crimes. The problems are far and wide but they are not isolated.
Law-enforcement officers must be better scrutinized prior to even entering their respective academies for training. We can not continue to allow certain elements to poison entire departments with the toxicity of racism and intolerance. We must call on our elected officials to take action and bring more accountability to the forefront of these issues. It is only at the highest levels that this can be solved, and it is up to us as people of a free-society to ensure it happens. In the end it comes down to one thing. United we stand, divided we fall.
