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Sandra Bland's Funeral Draws Hundreds Of Mourners

Sandra Bland's Funeral Draws Hundreds Of Mourners
Reuters

Hundreds of mourners lined up on Saturday in a Chicago suburb for the funeral of a black woman found dead in a Texas jail days after she was arrested following a minor traffic offense, in a case that has become the latest focus of concerns about race and policing.

Outside the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle, Illinois, hundreds of people waited nearly an hour in the sun before being ushered into the crowded church for the wake and funeral of Sandra Bland, 28.

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Reuters

Originally from the Chicago area, Bland had been preparing to begin a job in Texas. Her death in jail after an altercation with a Texas trooper who stopped her for not signaling a lane change has been taken up by activists, who say the case is the latest example of racial bias and use of excessive force by U.S. law enforcement.

A medical examiner has ruled Bland's death a suicide, but Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis has said more evidence needs to be gathered and analyzed and the details ultimately examined by a grand jury.

So many people arrived for the funeral that Lisle police directed traffic and an overflow crowd was directed to the church's basement to watch the ceremony on a live video feed.

Mourners gathered first for a pre-wake Bible reading and song, then lined up to file past Bland's body in an open casket and large photographs of the young woman. The funeral service was scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. Central time, followed by a burial.

Bland had been about to start a job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, when she was stopped in her car near Prairie View, northwest of Houston, on July 10.

After the incident escalated into an altercation between her and the white trooper, Bland was charged with assaulting an officer and taken to Waller County Jail.

She and her family were working to come up with $500 bail, but on July 13, three days after her arrest, she was found hanging in a cell with a plastic trash bag around her neck.

Bland's family previously acknowledged a Facebook post in which she discussed struggling with depression, but has disputed the suicide ruling.

Sandra Bland Dies In Jail
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In this July 10, 2015, frame from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, trooper Brian Encinia reaches into the car to arrest Sandra Bland after she became combative during a routine traffic stop in Waller County, Texas. Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail that day and was found dead in her cell on July 13. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this July 10, 2015, frame from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, trooper Brian Encinia arrests Sandra Bland after she became combative during a routine traffic stop in Waller County, Texas. Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail that day and was found dead in her cell on July 13. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this July 10, 2015, frame from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, trooper Brian Encinia reaches into the car to arrest Sandra Bland after she became combative during a routine traffic stop in Waller County, Texas. Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail that day and was found dead in her cell on July 13. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this July 10, 2015, frame from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, trooper Brian Encinia arrests Sandra Bland after she became combative during a routine traffic stop in Waller County, Texas. Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail that day and was found dead in her cell on July 13. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this July 10, 2015, frame from dashcam video provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, trooper Brian Encinia arrests Sandra Bland after she became combative during a routine traffic stop in Waller County, Texas. Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail that day and was found dead in her cell on July 13. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Sandra Bland is seen in a photo from Facebook. (credit:Facebook)
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This undated handout photo provided by the Waller County Sheriffâs Office shows Sandra Bland. The Texas Rangers are investigating the circumstances surrounding Bland's death Monday, July 13, 2015 in a Waller County jail cell in Hempstead, Texas. The Harris County medical examiner has classified her death as suicide by hanging. She had been arrested Friday in Waller County on a charge of assaulting a public servant. (Waller County Sheriffâs Office, via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Sharon Cooper wipes tears at a memorial service for her sister Sandra Bland at Prairie View A&M University, Tuesday, July 21, 2015, in Prairie View, Texas. A newly released dashcam video documents how a routine traffic stop escalated into a shouting confrontation between a Texas state trooper and Bland, which led to her arrest. Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days after the incident. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Geneva Read-Veal, center, hugs family members at a memorial service for her daughter Sandra Bland at Prairie View A&M University, Tuesday, July 21, 2015, in Prairie View, Texas. A newly released dashcam video documents how a routine traffic stop escalated into a shouting confrontation between a Texas state trooper and Bland, which led to her arrest. Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days after the incident. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Jeanette Williams places a bouquet of roses at a memorial for Sandra Bland near Prairie View A&M University, Tuesday, July 21, 2015, in Prairie View, Texas. A newly released dashcam video documents how a routine traffic stop escalated into a shouting confrontation between a Texas state trooper and Bland, which led to her arrest. Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days after the incident. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The Waller County jail cell where Sandra Bland was found dead is seen Wednesday, July 22, 2015, in Hempstead, Texas. Bland was arrested and taken to the jail about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Houston on July 10 and found dead July 13. Officials say Bland hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag in her jail cell, a contention her family and supporters dispute. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Dewayne Charleston speaks at a Waller County Commissioners Court meeting about the jail cell death of Sandra Bland in Hempstead, Texas on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Bland was arrested and taken to a jail about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Houston on July 10 and found dead July 13. Officials say Bland hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag in her jail cell, a contention her family and supporters dispute. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The Waller County jail cell where Sandra Bland was found dead is seen Wednesday, July 22, 2015, in Hempstead, Texas. Bland was arrested and taken to the jail about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Houston on July 10 and found dead July 13. Officials say Bland hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag in her jail cell, a contention her family and supporters dispute. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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LISLE, IL - JULY 22: The mother of Sandra Bland, Geneva Reed-Veal, left, and sister Sharon Cooper, right, attend a news conference for Sandra at DuPage AME Church on July 22, 2015 in Lisle, Illinois. Sandra Bland found dead in her cell at the Waller County Jail after she was found hanging from a plastic bag 3 days after she was pulled over by a Texas State Trooper officer for a traffic violation. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images) (credit:Joshua Lott via Getty Images)
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LISLE, IL - JULY 22: Attorney Cannon Lambert, center, speaks to the mother of Sandra Bland, Geneva Reed-Veal, left, and sister Sharon Cooper, right, before a news conference at DuPage AME Church on July 22, 2015 in Lisle, Illinois. Sandra Bland found dead in her cell at the Waller County Jail after she was found hanging from a plastic bag 3 days after she was pulled over by a Texas State Trooper officer for a traffic violation. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images) (credit:Joshua Lott via Getty Images)

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