Sandra Bland’s family reached a $1.9 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit on account of Bland’s death in July of 2015. The settlement came as a shock to many and provoked a slew of even more questions. When Sandra Bland’s lifeless body was found in her jail cell, three days after she was arrested ( for failure to use her turn signal), we were outraged. When news of her death broke, thousands of concerned citizens in both the Black community and the rest of the country suspected that foul play was at work. Some – including Bland’s family – doubted the terms of her death, unwavering in their confidence that Bland would never commit such an act. Others questioned how it reached the point of suicide without any intervention from the people who were supposed to look after her- where were the prison guards? Where was the help that she needed?
Over a year after her death, and we have still not forgotten Sandra Bland’s name. The settlement that her family received includes not only compensation for her death but a new set of rules that will be established to prevent what happened to Bland and the plethora of deceased inmates that endured the same irresponsible negligence from happening once again. The new set of rules clarifies a new set of procedures that correctional officers are expected to undergo. Some of these procedures include: Using automated electronic sensors to ensure timely cell checks, providing an on-duty staff nurse or emergency medical technician for all shifts, and providing continuing education for jailer screening. While these regulations are long overdue and have the potential to save many lives, there’s no guarantee that officers will follow these rules, and the settlement still sparks outrage.
When news of Sandra Bland’s death was initially released, many protested her arrest in the first place, claiming that her ‘crime’ did not equate to her punishment. The video of Bland’s arrest fueled more claims of injustice, and once she died, all hell broke loose. Amidst this chaos, authorities remained headstrong in their claim that the cause of Bland’s death was suicide, yet others had their doubt. And once news of the recent settlement was leaked, bystanders took to the internet with the numerous questions that this settlement dragged forth. If Sandra Bland’s death was a suicide, and the authorities took no responsibility in her death, then why did the family receive a settlement on account of wrongful death? Why pay for something that you claim was not your fault? Was it because of the negligence? Is there more to her death that they are not telling us about? The settlement proves just a little contradictory to the authorities’ original stance, an admission of guilt of sorts, and some perceive the money as a method of ‘shutting Bland’s family up’. A way of masking justice with ‘hush’ money. They can pay Sandra Bland’s family as much as they please, but that still fails to address the essential topic, that still fails to provide proper justice. There is no price tag for a human life, and while the reforms are necessary and appreciated we shouldn’t have had to come to this point for change to occur.
