Sandra Bland funeral: she has joined 'a list of martyrs', says pastor

Sandra Bland funeral: she has joined 'a list of martyrs', says pastor

Hundreds of mourners attend the service for the Chicago-area woman who died in a Texas jail in circumstances many find suspicious after a traffic stop

The mood was somber at DuPage AME church in Lisle, Illinois, on Saturday, as family, friends and strangers dressed in a mixture of stark white outfits and T-shirts bearing the words #SandySpeaks waited for the wake and funeral of Sandra Bland, the Chicago-area woman who was found dead in a Texas jail cell earlier this month.

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The Illinois senator Dick Durbin, who was joined by congressman Bill Foster, referred to Bland’s “highly questionable traffic violation” and said: “There were many people changing lanes in traffic and many not using their signal. And their lives continue.”

The mourners jumped to their feet in applause.

The two elected officials announced that they had signed a letter to US attorney general Loretta Lynch, calling for a full and unbiased investigation into Bland’s death, which they said revolved around similar questions to those asked about race relations 50 years ago...

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/25/sandra-bland-funeral-martyrs