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On Wednesday (July 25), HBO confirmed its lineup of documentaries slated to hit the network this fall. Included in its lineup is Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, which, according to Shadow and Act, will give viewers an inside look at Bland’s life leading up to her death.
“The film, directed by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, premiered in late April at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City,” Shadow and Act reports. “With commentary from Bland’s mother and sisters, all of whom are eager to unravel the mystery behind Bland’s death, the documentary is sure to be a must see for fans of true crime.”
Sandra Bland was arrested at a traffic stop on July 10, 2015 after refusing to submit to state trooper Brian Encinia’s volatile behavior. Three days after her arrest, she was found hanging inside of her jail cell. Though officials called it a suicide, many doubted the ruling, and protests erupted in multiple cities across the nation.
In June 2017, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed the Sandra Bland Act into law after a handful of revisions distanced the legislation from the incident that led to Bland’s death. As previously reported, the new bill mandated that county jails direct those dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, according to The Texas Tribune. The law also made it easier for defendants to receive bond if they have a mental illness or disability, while requiring independent law enforcement agencies to investigate jail deaths.
“I need this bill to move forward so that it will prove to people who say that Texas is the most awful state to live in. And to me that’s true, because Texas is a place of pain for me,” said Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland’s mother, according to The Associated Press. “I don’t hate police. I hate the fact that we do not understand that this has been going on for too long by those who have been charged to serve and protect us.”
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland will air on HBO in December.
