It was a crap but legal traffic stop. Not uncommon when driving through small towns in the USA with an out-of-state plate. As I know from experience. Probably even more likely if driving while Black through a small town with an out-of-state license plate.

While racism may well have been one factor in Ms. Bland getting pulled over, I could see a very similar outcome in terms of landing in jail unjustly but legally for my own pale skinned, 21 year old, blue-eyed, blond haired son who is assertive about his rights and also assertive in confronting absurd but legal actions by police who lack professionalism while traveling. Keeps me awake at night.

It does appear, however, that Ms. Bland did commit suicide, and the person who chooses that course is responsible. Let us blame the officer for doing a terrible job and hold him responsible for provoking and escalating a situation so that he actually provoked an arrest. Terrible.

Terrible.

But if any foul play is involved, all information thus far indicates it was in terms of creating the climate that lead to Ms. Bland's arrest and incarceration. Once she was incarcerated, however unjustly, there is nothing so far that indicates she was murdered or assaulted or otherwised abused during her incarceration. The jail obviously made mistakes regarding monitoring and assessing risk for suicide or self-harm. I haven't seen anything to suggest those mistakes were caused by racism.

Her death by suicide is a tragedy and a travesty in many, many ways. But it seems pretty clear she was not murdered or assaulted or abused once she was wrongfully, though perhaps legally incarcerated.