Hundreds of mourners passed by the open casket of civil rights activist Sandra Bland this past Saturday at her funeral. Her body was dressed in a white suit and roses were placed on top of her. The crowd was emotional and unequivocal in its grief and call for justice and an investigation into her death.
Bland’s mother Geneva Reed-Veal said in her remarks at the service, “I’m going to find out what happened to my baby. My baby has spoken. She’s still speaking and no, she didn’t kill herself.”
The service was conducted at DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church near the Chicago neighborhood where she grew up. Many mourners at the church wore t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan #SandySTILLSpeaks.
All were still asking the question of how a routine traffic stop on July 10, 2015 led to her death three days later by hanging. Sandra Bland’s death has officially been declared a suicide by Harris County, Texas, medical examiner’s office; which stated that she hanged herself with a plastic bag. News and video of her arrest and death exploded across social media and further brings light on the state of American policing when it comes to Blacks.
