Have you ever grieved the death of a stranger? It’s a personal question that I answer publicly in the book. I never knew Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, but I knew their humanity. They, like other black victims of white police officers, mattered.
But what can I do? I asked myself.
How can one voice affect the racist policies of a Goliath policing institution?
I decided I could do what I do best – write.
I put pen to paper and wrote about inequities and biases in policing in my forthcoming book, Without Probable Cause: The Sandra Bland Story. This book takes readers beyond the headlines and into the vise grips of racism and vengeance.
Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old African American, was terrorized by Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia’s gorilla lunges and 50,000-volt Taser.
All this for failure to signal a lane change? No, all this because Sandra was black.
Sandra, a Black Lives Matter enthusiast, fell victim to the racism she fought to eliminate. But Sandra’s brutal and discriminatory treatment isn’t unusual.
It seems like every week we’re hearing about another dishonorable police officer like Brian Encinia who proliferates race-based policing.
The African American continues to struggle to be heard, seen, acknowledged, and policed-without bias and with protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution-continues.
Why did Sandra get jail time instead of a traffic fine? Sandra asked this question but never received an answer.
Without Probable Cause: The Sandra Bland Story answers Sandra Bland’s question. The story also clears up some of your questions. Did the officer violate Sandra’s rights? Was asking Sandra to extinguish her cigarette a legitimate command?
I wrote the book not only to protest the victimization of African Americans but also to continue the dialogue about racism in America.
Martin Luther King Jr., said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Sandra Bland mattered. Yes, because she was black. Yes, because she was a woman. But also because she was a victim of racial injustice. An injustice to one is an injustice to all.
The book is my protest banner and voice against a racist America.
Watch for Without Probable Cause: The Sandra Bland Story in the coming months.
