📷 Key players Meteor shower up next 📷 Leaders at the dais 20 years till the next one
NATION NOW
Freddie Gray

Sandra Bland death triggers #IfIDieInPoliceCustody trend

Ryan Carey-Mahoney
USA TODAY

In just three days, Sandra Bland went from detained to deceased.

On July 10, the 28-year-old was arrested during a traffic stop for assaulting a public servant. That following Monday, Bland was found dead in her Waller County, Texas, cell. The Harris County medical examiner ruled her death a suicide by hanging -- a finding her family is fighting.

As the story continues to unfold -- the arresting officer was just found to have violated his department's procedures -- a shadow of doubt has been cast and some have begun to raise questions.

Among them stands a particularly sobering query: What would you want people to know about you if you died in police custody?

Using #IfIDieInPoliceCustody, a number of Twitter users are giving their answers.

The hashtag shares its sentiment with #BlackLivesMatter, which has appeared throughout the last year in response to the police-involved deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray and more.

Of the tweets, many expressed their frustrations over the perceived lack of value their lives have just because they are African Americans.

Others went on to speak about hunting for truth when details aren't clear-cut.

One user, Adwoa Asante of North Carolina, doesn't want to be known as an "angry black woman."

Another woman shunned any mourning over her potential loss.

Media portrayals were also a point of contention.

In the past seven day, users have used the hashtag upwards of 16,500 times, Topsy data shows, and the number continues to grow.

Featured Weekly Ad