Page 15 - autraveller

ARUBA TRAVELLER - Thursday, July 23 2015 VIDEO arrest of
woman who was
later found dead

APPEARS EDITED

Several images are repeated while
the audio track continues normally

LAST week, Sandra Bland was found dead from apparent “self-
inflicted asphyxiation” in her cell in a Texas jail, three days after
her arrest following a routine traffic stop.

Her puzzling death - she had just gotten a new job that she was
excited about, her family said - has become the latest flashpoint
in a national discussion about law enforcement in America. State
and federal authorities are investigating, while Bland’s family
and supporters say they don’t believe she killed herself and don’t
trust the official version of events.
Police dashboard video showing the arrest of Sandra Bland in
Prairie View, Texas released includes a number of continuity
issues raising questions about whether the video was altered
before its release.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday that an
error uploading the video had affected parts of the footage and a
new version would be released.
The July 10 arrest video shows a confrontation escalate quickly
from a traffic stop for failing to signal to a heated arrest. In the
52-minute video, Bland first contests the ticket and the officer
replies swiftly with arrest, pulling out a taser and threatening to
“light you up.” The actual arrest captured audio, not video, of the
actual arrest, which occurred on the side of the road.

But hours after the Texas Department of Public Safety posted the
video, viewers pointed to a number of glaring continuity issues
that some have said calls into question the accuracy of the video.
Around 25 minutes into the video, for instance, a tow truck driver
is seen exiting his truck. Then, 15 seconds later, he can be seen
exiting his truck again without having ever returned. The same
image repeats several times. Audio of the officer discussing what
transpired continues uninterrupted.

In another moment, just over 32 minutes into the video, the same
car appears into view repeatedly and makes the same left turn.
Again, the audio continues uninterrupted.
The Department of Public Safety said in an email that “the video
has not been edited,” and officials were working to release an
accurate version.

Bland, a black civil rights activist from Chicago, died in custody
three days after her arrest. Her family, along with activists, has
said they don’t buy the police explanation that she committed
suicide, and Texas officials say they are investigating.

15INTERNATIONAL