The Texas radio news magazine Texas Standard has published a list of “10 Things about The Sandra Bland Traffic Stop That Every Texan Should Know."
Bland was arrested on July 10, and charged with assaulting a public servant. She was later found dead in her cell. Investigations were launched by the FBI and the Texas Rangers.
Texas Standard interviewed Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, to discover how the situation escalated, and what rights citizens actually hold during a routine traffic stop.
Some highlights of the interview:
- Bland was not, in fact, legally obligated to extinguish her cigarette, as requested by the officer.
- Neither was Bland required to get out of her car without being given a reason.
- Rather than escalating the situation, the officer’s focus should have been on de-escalation.
- The officer did not have the right to “yank” Ms. Bland out of the vehicle unless she posed an immediate threat.
- The officer did indeed have an obligation to tell Ms. Bland why she was under arrest.
- When the officer pointed the taser in Ms. Bland’s face and threatened to "light her up," he was “clearly violating her constitutional rights,” says Mr. Harrington. “This is excessive force on the part of the officer,” he added, noting that the officer should have waited for another officer to come and talk through the situation.
You can read the entire interview here.
And listen to it below.
