Over the past week, the news has been flooded with images and reactions to the alleged suicide of Sandra Bland, a 28 year old woman who was pulled over in Texas for failing to signal when switching lanes. Now there's a lot going on and emotions are high so I'll reserve judgment until for FACTS surface. One thing that has been in question is the video of the traffic stop that lead to this young woman losing her life.
People have been sharing a shortened version of the video that seems to start with the officer ordering Bland out of her vehicle. That would be the wrong thing to do because you don't see or hear what lead up to that moment. Then apparently there are charges that the video in question has been edited. If that is true, the investigation will reveal that and reveal that maybe someone had something to hide. But what I want to do is offer people the opportunity to see the extended version of the video. Check it out below:
While I can not and will not excuse the actions of this officer because I definitely believe he went beyond the call of duty. I also can not and will not excuse her mouthing off to this officer as well. Some people may see my statement as victim blaming and if so, so be it! But I like to take things on a case by case basis and I believe in examining situations from ALL sides; not just the perspective I agree with. Mouthing off to a police officer is a sure way to get you yanked out of your car, always has been. Being silent is not about being scared it's a bout being smart. If an officer is in the wrong, it MAY cost them their job if you're willing to go through the process. If you're in the wrong, it can cost you your life. Do you want to be right or do you want to live?
We've all been pulled over for stupid reasons, but no matter what, it serves us to keep a level head and not feed into an officer's encroachment. For a traffic stop that would've been a nothing more than a written warning, it's a tragedy that it had to end with Sandra Bland losing her life in a jail cell. We'll keep an eye on this story as details about her actual death begin to become more clear.
We've all been pulled over for stupid reasons, but no matter what, it serves us to keep a level head and not feed into an officer's encroachment. For a traffic stop that would've been a nothing more than a written warning, it's a tragedy that it had to end with Sandra Bland losing her life in a jail cell. We'll keep an eye on this story as details about her actual death begin to become more clear.
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