Ava DuVernay Agrees the Sandra Bland Arrest Video Was Doctored
Don't believe everything you see: nobody knows that better than Ava DuVernay, whose job it is to edit footage to create a story.
Upon seeing the dash cam video of the violent arrest of 28-year-old Sandra Bland, who later died in police custody, DuVernay noticed something didn't seem right. Some Internet sleuths made a convincing case that the video, released by the Texas Department of Safety on July 21, had been edited.
DuVernay shared the video on Twitter Tuesday evening. "I edit footage for a living. But anyone can see that this official video has been cut. Read/watch. Why? #SandraBland," she wrote, with a link to a blog that took the time to point out every instance where the footage appeared to be doctored.
If true, the Texas Department of Safety — which, as of now, asserts that Bland commited suicide while she was detained — will have a lot of explaining to do. Bland was arrested after a routine traffic stop when she refused to put out her cigarette. The situation escalated into a full-blown confrontation when the cop that pulled the Chicago native over. Upon reviewing the dashcam footage, Texas lawmakers agreed that Bland should never have been arrested. Her family is seeking an independent autopsy, saying that they doubt Bland would have killed herself.
Ava DuVernay consistently uses her voice and position to highlight issues in the Black community. Watch below to see all the reasons we admire this trailblazing filmmaker:
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(Photos from left: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images,Waller County Sheriff’s Office, via AP)
