Native American activist dies mysteriously in ‘Mississippi Burning’ jail

[lego 44,165]

Friends and family are comparing the mysterious death of a Native American activist while in police custody in Mississippi to the death of a black woman one day before in Texas.

 

Rexdale Henry, a 53-year-old member of the Choctaw tribe, was found dead July 14 at Neshoba County Jail — where a black burglary suspect died in November from an apparent head injury, reported the Jackson Free Press.

 

That’s the same jail, albeit in another location, where civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Mickey Schwerner were taken just before their disappearance and murder in the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” case.

 

Henry, a lifelong community activist who was running or the Choctaw Tribal Council from Bogue Chitto, was arrested July 9 for failure to pay a fine for a minor traffic violation, and his body was discovered five days later — about a half hour after he was last seen alive.

 

His death came one day after 28-year-old Sandra Bland was found hanged in her jail in Waller County, Texas, where she had been arrested during a traffic stop for an improper lane change.

 

Authorities in Texas have ruled her death a suicide by hanging, but her family requested an independent autopsy — and those results should be released this week, now that the state formally released its findings Friday.

 

An autopsy for Henry was performed by the state crime lab in Jackson, but the results from that investigation have not yet been released.

 

Henry’s family also requested a second, independent autopsy, which was conducted in Florida.

 

Those results have not yet been released, either.

 

“At a time when the nation is focused on the terrible circumstances of the brutal death of Sandra Bland, it is critical to expose the many ways in which black Americans, Native Americans and other minorities are being arrested for minor charges and end up dead in jail cells,” said Janis McDonald, a Syracuse University law professor who has been working his Henry’s family.

 

Henry was arrested one day after 39-year-old Jonathan Sanders, an unarmed black man riding a horse, died during a traffic stop in nearby Clarke County, and he died four days before Troy Goode, a white Memphis concertgoer, died while in police custody in Southaven.

 

His death came the same days that Kindra Chapman, an 18-year-old theft suspect, was reported dead from hanging in her jail cell in Jefferson County, Alabama.

 

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/native-american-activist-dies-mysteriously-in-mississippi-burning-jail-one-day-after-sandra-bland/

 

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

I honestly don't think anything will ever be taken seriously by the majority until white people start dying mysteriously in jail cells.  Police brutality is a fact, yet people will not admit to it.  What are they protecting? 

[Sister 9,907]

Maybe it is because they do not go as far as to kill white people, they just brutalize them and humiliate them and no one reports it, but all of these stories make it to the news, because of death, to be exact. I wouldn't be surprised if it starts happening to whites as well, all citizens before long.

[Jjang 2,262]

Maybe it is because they do not go as far as to kill white people, they just brutalize them and humiliate them and no one reports it, but all of these stories make it to the news, because of death, to be exact. I wouldn't be surprised if it starts happening to whites as well, all citizens before long.

Statistics show that police brutality rarely affects white people, so I disagree on that.

[Hexxx 2,244]

I can't wait for the autopsy of both Sandra and Rexdale Henry. 

[Sister 9,907]

Statistics show that police brutality rarely affects white people, so I disagree on that.

Whatever

I myself have had a case of mistaken identity happen to me in an unknown town and they bullied me and humiliated me in public. I am white. I also have known others who have been mistreated. It also seems to be getting worse for EVERYONE.

A bounty hunter plus the local police in that town surrounded me and had guns pointing, expecting me to get topless in full public, on a beach, to prove that I was not some crazy woman with a tattoo and they were NOT nice about it.

[lego 44,165]

Whatever

I myself have had a case of mistaken identity happen to me in an unknown town and they bullied me and humiliated me in public. I am white. I also have known others who have been mistreated. It also seems to be getting worse for EVERYONE.

A bounty hunter plus the local police in that town surrounded me and had guns pointing, expecting me to get topless in full public, on a beach, to prove that I was not some crazy woman with a tattoo and they were NOT nice about it.

Omg that is so horrible. Disgusting pigs.

 

[Sister 9,907]

Omg that is so horrible. Disgusting pigs.

 

It was frightening. I was just a little teenager too. I just think that these cops think that they are above all of us regular citizens and so they bully us and see how much we will take and how far they can go with us.

I always think they planned to take me away, if my boyfriend had not shown up, just in time. He looks intimidating, so they found out that I was not alone and older than I looked. They did not care that I showed my I.D and that our stories matched, yet, could not understand why I would not just take my shirt off for all of them and the whole beach, to prove I did not have a certain tattoo. I said that I would go to the bathroom with a lady cop and let her undress me and see, so that happened. She was humiliating as well. After, we filed a report that nothing ever came about. This girl with the tattoo did not even look anything like me. I was in handcuffs and surrounded by police and pointing guns and I have never been in trouble with the law.

They do not care, it is all about what they can get away with, how far they can go, maybe even death, if we fight with them. I always think that they were up to something and just thought that I was alone, my boyfriend had only left me to go to the bathroom.

I only wanted my Mommy~ lol

[lego 44,165]

It was frightening. I was just a little teenager too. I just think that these cops think that they are above all of us regular citizens and so they bully us and see how much we will take and how far they can go with us.

I always think they planned to take me away, if my boyfriend had not shown up, just in time. He looks intimidating, so they found out that I was not alone and older than I looked. They did not care that I showed my I.D and that our stories matched, yet, could not understand why I would not just take my shirt off for all of them and the whole beach, to prove I did not have a certain tattoo. I said that I would go to the bathroom with a lady cop and let her undress me and see, so that happened. She was humiliating as well. After, we filed a report that nothing ever came about. This girl with the tattoo did not even look anything like me. I was in handcuffs and surrounded by police and pointing guns and I have never been in trouble with the law.

They do not care, it is all about what they can get away with, how far they can go, maybe even death, if we fight with them. I always think that they were up to something and just thought that I was alone, my boyfriend had only left me to go to the bathroom.

I only wanted my Mommy~ lol

Poor girl, you must've been so scared, I can imagine.   Yes, it's that sense of power they have, plus they might see you weak and easy to bully because you're female. But then also some female cops can behave the same or worse. It's just so disgusting how they can get away with almost anything. 

 

[Goosey 3,017]

Statistics show that police brutality rarely affects white people, so I disagree on that.

It's not true. Just look in places like Russia.

[Sister 9,907]

It's not true. Just look in places like Russia.

Yes. It is more like Police everywhere are getting more bold and rising up against it's own citizens EVERYWHERE. It does need to be stopped everywhere. We all have to fight it together for ALL of us, every case, no matter what the race, call them on it and call them out. Get angry~

[Bette Davis 12,742]

Maybe it is because they do not go as far as to kill white people, they just brutalize them and humiliate them and no one reports it, but all of these stories make it to the news, because of death, to be exact. I wouldn't be surprised if it starts happening to whites as well, all citizens before long.

Statistics show that police brutality rarely affects white people, so I disagree on that.

There's no doubt that a disproportionate amount of blacks are affected by police brutality but it is an issue that affects all races according to statistics. No doubt there are many racist police out there, but I think a lot of it has to do with them going after people who have or appear to be of lower socioeconomic standing. The way police treat people is atrocious and they need to start being held accountable.