Sandra Bland’s Mother Says Indictment of Trooper is ‘Not Justice’

The mother of Sandra Bland is speaking out against a grand jury’s decision to indict the state trooper who arrested Bland, saying that the decision is not justice, reports NBC News.

Earlier this week, a Texas grand jury indicted Brian Encinia on charges of perjury. If convicted, Encinia faces up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. However, Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, said that the indictment does not equal justice.

“There should have been more,” Reed-Veal said yesterday at a news conference, referring to last month’s grand jury decision to not indict any of the officers involved in Bland’s death. “That’s not justice for me.” 

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On July 10, Bland was arrested during a routine traffic stop for allegedly failing to use her turn signal. She was taken to the Waller County Jail, and three days later, she was found hanging by a plastic bag in her cell. A medical examiner ruled her death a suicide, but family members say that Bland wouldn’t take her own life. 

At yesterday’s press conference, Reed-Veal said that she is skeptical of the prosecutors who will handle Encinia’s upcoming case.

“Who in the heck is going to do the prosecuting?” Reed-Veal said. “Who’s going to prosecute this guy? Is it the same group of folks who selected the grand jury? I don’t trust the process.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety said that “termination proceedings” had begun against Encinia.