Sandra Bland's Mother Speaks Out on Daughter's Life, Investigation
by DANIELLA SILVA
The mother of Sandra Bland on Thursday she does not have confidence in the current investigation into her into her daughter's arrest and death in police custody.
Geneva Read-Veal said in an exclusive interview with MSNBC's PoliticsNation with Rev. Al Sharpton Thursday evening that she places her confidence in a higher power, and not those leading the investigation.
"I have confidence in God and knowing that he is in control and he is going to reveal the real truth," she said. "Confidence in man I do not have at this point."
A Texas prosecutor said at news conference earlier Thursday that medical examiners ruled Bland's death a suicide by hanging and that an official autopsy uncovered no evidence of a violent struggle.
Bland, 28, was found dead in her jail cell three days after being arrested during a routine traffic stop on July 10. Her friends and family have questioned the official account of her death — Bland had just accepted a new job her alma mater, Prairie View A&M.
"Her spirits were lifted spirits, she was excited about the next chapter in her life," Read-Veal said on MSNBC.
Bland was initially pulled over by a state trooper for failing to signal lane change, but the traffic stop escalated after she refused to put out a cigarette she was smoking in the car.
Police dashcam footage taken from trooper Brian Encinia's vehicle and released by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows the trooper threatening to remove her from the vehicle and pulling out a Taser, saying "I'll light you up." Encinia puts Bland an handcuffs and forces her to ground.
In his report of the stop, Encinia said Bland "became combative and uncooperative" during her arrest and fought against the officer. Bland was charged with assault against a police officer, a third-degree felony and given a $5000 bond.
In jail intake forms initially filled out for Bland, she appeared to have told jailers she tried to commit suicide last year and had been depressed in the past, but several answers on the forms are inconsistent.
Bland's mother said she was not aware of her daughter's attempt to take her own life.
The Walter County Sheriff's office said in a press release Thursday that based on jail staff observations, Bland was not placed on suicide watch. The statement also said that Sheriff R. Glenn Smith had asked a local attorney to form an outside commission to look at jail procedures and discuss community relations.
Read-Veal said she was both "overwhelmed" and "overjoyed" at the national attention her daughter's case has garnered.
When asked how she wanted her daughter to be remembered, Read-Veal said, "I want Sandy to be remembered as an activist — sassy, smart and she knew her rights."
"Do the research while this is going on, so you know your right, and it's not your daughter, your son, your kid. That's what I want,' she added. "The anger can be channeled into something so much greater than the incident that happened to Sandy."
The mother of Sandra Bland on Thursday she does not have confidence in the current investigation into her into her daughter's arrest and death in police custody.
Geneva Read-Veal said in an exclusive interview with MSNBC's PoliticsNation with Rev. Al Sharpton Thursday evening that she places her confidence in a higher power, and not those leading the investigation.
"I have confidence in God and knowing that he is in control and he is going to reveal the real truth," she said. "Confidence in man I do not have at this point."
A Texas prosecutor said at news conference earlier Thursday that medical examiners ruled Bland's death a suicide by hanging and that an official autopsy uncovered no evidence of a violent struggle.
Bland, 28, was found dead in her jail cell three days after being arrested during a routine traffic stop on July 10. Her friends and family have questioned the official account of her death — Bland had just accepted a new job her alma mater, Prairie View A&M.
"Her spirits were lifted spirits, she was excited about the next chapter in her life," Read-Veal said on MSNBC.
Bland was initially pulled over by a state trooper for failing to signal lane change, but the traffic stop escalated after she refused to put out a cigarette she was smoking in the car.
Police dashcam footage taken from trooper Brian Encinia's vehicle and released by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows the trooper threatening to remove her from the vehicle and pulling out a Taser, saying "I'll light you up." Encinia puts Bland an handcuffs and forces her to ground.
In his report of the stop, Encinia said Bland "became combative and uncooperative" during her arrest and fought against the officer. Bland was charged with assault against a police officer, a third-degree felony and given a $5000 bond.
In jail intake forms initially filled out for Bland, she appeared to have told jailers she tried to commit suicide last year and had been depressed in the past, but several answers on the forms are inconsistent.
Bland's mother said she was not aware of her daughter's attempt to take her own life.
The Walter County Sheriff's office said in a press release Thursday that based on jail staff observations, Bland was not placed on suicide watch. The statement also said that Sheriff R. Glenn Smith had asked a local attorney to form an outside commission to look at jail procedures and discuss community relations.
Read-Veal said she was both "overwhelmed" and "overjoyed" at the national attention her daughter's case has garnered.
When asked how she wanted her daughter to be remembered, Read-Veal said, "I want Sandy to be remembered as an activist — sassy, smart and she knew her rights."
"Do the research while this is going on, so you know your right, and it's not your daughter, your son, your kid. That's what I want,' she added. "The anger can be channeled into something so much greater than the incident that happened to Sandy."
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