Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Sandra Bland Told Jailers She Had Attempted Suicide In 2014

Sandra Bland, the black woman who was found hanging in her Texas jail cell three days after her arrest, told jailers she had previously attempted suicide, records show.

While getting booked into the Waller County Jail, Bland told jailers she used pills to attempt suicide in 2014 after losing her baby, according to documents obtained Wednesday by BuzzFeed News.

When asked, "Are you thinking about killing yourself today?" the jailer checked her response as "No."

Three days later, Bland was found dead in her cell in what Waller County Sheriff Department officials have called a suicide.

Officials said she used a trash bag that was in her cell.

The revelation is at odds with assertions made by family members that Bland had not been previously diagnosed with depression or other mental health issues and would never have attempted to take her own life.

Bland's family and their attorney, Cannon Lambert, on Wednesday disputed reports that bland suffered from depression or other mental health issues, pointing to the fact that she had moved to Texas for a new job.

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"I can tell you that we take issue with the notion that she suffered from depression," Lambert told reporters.

On her Facebook page in March, however, Bland posted a video in which she discussed having been on a brief hiatus because she was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I am suffering from something that some of you may be dealing with right now," Bland said in the video posted on March 1. "It's a little bit of depression as well as PTSD."

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In the video, she encouraged anyone also suffering with depression to come forward, and that they would have support.

"I'm coming out here now, Sandy speaks, and let you know that yeah, I deal with it, and some of you out there probably deal with this too, and know it's OK," she said.