national-outcry

The death of Sandra Bland on July 13 in a Waller County jail northwest of Houston comes amid a national outcry over police violence toward minorities, sparked by high-profile killings of unarmed black men over the past year. The Houston Chronicle newspaper reported that several dozen people gathered at the jail in protest on Friday, while others questioned her death on social media and left instructions to friends, family and the media should they die after an arrest. Some also took issue with Sheriff Glenn Smith, who the Chronicle reported was fired as police chief of Hempstead, Texas, in 2008 after allegations arose of police misconduct toward African-Americans there.