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Black & Female in Chicago: How the Fate of Sandra Bland Hits Home

(CBS) — "How much of our rights do we give away just so that we can stay alive?" asks former Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia, Ph.D.

Dr. Enyia is referring to the death of Sandra Bland, whose arrest was captured on dashcam footage that the Texas Department of Public Safety released this week. Bland was arrested on June 10 after a traffic stop by a state trooper became heated. Three days later she was found dead in a Waller County jail cell.

"This is a situation that escalated unnecessarily," says Dr. Enyia. "As a police officer and law enforcement, you are held to a higher standard. The responsibility is actually to de-escalate the situation and that did not happen."

Asked about the reaction to Bland's arrest and death among African American women in Chicago, Dr. Enyia says the tragedy has touched a nerve. "What we saw in the video was a woman who was not going to cede her rights when she knew what her rights were."

She continues, "It should not be how you handle that particular instance determines whether you live or die."

Click on the link above to watch Dr. Enyia and Wendy Widom's conversation.

 

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