Sandra Bland's Phone Video Of Her Own Arrest Surfaces

Nearly four years after Sandra Bland was pulled over by a Texas state trooper, arrested and put in a jail cell where she was found dead days later, a cellphone video that Bland took of her traffic stop has surfaced. Watch that video below.

After seeing the video Bland's family members now say they want her case reopened.

"Open up the case, period," Bland's sister Shante Needham said after seeing the video, according to TV station WFAA in Dallas. The family's former lawyer says the state never turned over the footage, which Texas officials dispute.

The newly released video shows 39 seconds of the roadside encounter that sharply escalated after state Trooper Brian Encinia pulled Bland over for failing to signal a lane change.

Bland's family believes the video was intentionally not made public, Collister says. According to Houston Public Media, the reporter first obtained the video in 2017, but it wasn't used in a story at the time. It was only after Collister realized Bland's family had not seen the recording that he decided to make it public.

Collister says the video should raise questions for state Attorney General Ken Paxton's office, which represented the Department of Public Safety in the federal wrongful-death lawsuit. Collister says he had been seeking information on whether prosecutors from that office complied with a discovery order and turned over the video during the civil suit.

Read more: Sandra Bland's Phone Video Of Her Own Arrest Surfaces, Reviving Calls For New Inquiry

Florida's Andrew Gillum calls bill to limit voting by ex-convicts a 'poll tax'

Andrew Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor who last November lost a close race to become Florida’s governor, sharply criticized new restrictions placed on voting by people with felony convictions at a congressional hearing on Monday. He said the new restrictions, passed last Friday by the Florida state legislature, amounted to a “poll tax,” one of the measures historically used in Southern states to prevent African-Americans from voting.

“The unfortunate thing” about Florida, Gillum said, was that “we almost look directly at how we disenfranchise as many people as we possibly can,” citing alleged attempts to close polling sites and dismiss absentee ballots.

Gillum made his comments at a Monday hearing of the Committee on House Administration devoted to voting rights in Florida. Gillum, a Democrat who lost in November to Rep. Ron DeSantis, now runs Bring It Home Florida, a group that seeks to register a million voters ahead of the 2020 presidential race, in which Florida will almost certainly play a critical role.

Gillum made his “poll tax” comments in response to a measure passed by the Republican-controlled Florida state legislature last week, weakening Amendment 4, a ballot initiative to allow former prisoners who have completed their sentences to vote in the state. The amendment, which would affect some 1.5 million ex-felons, passed with 65 percent of the vote in November.

Read more: Florida's Gillum calls bill to limit voting by ex-convicts a 'poll tax'

Monty Williams named head coach of the NBA's Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have agreed to terms with Monty Williams to become the team’s new head coach. An experienced NBA head coach, Williams is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs and will begin his duties as Suns head coach following the conclusion of the 76ers’ season.

“I am thrilled to welcome Monty Williams to the Suns family as our next head coach,” said Suns General Manager James Jones. “Monty brings a wealth of NBA experience, both as a coach and former player, in addition to being a high-character individual who will infuse basketball wisdom and life lessons into our locker room. Monty is well respected for his coaching pedigree, leadership and commitment to the community, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team moving forward.”

Williams, 47, spent five seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010-2015, leading the team to two postseason appearances. In his first season, the Hornets won 46 games and Williams was the Western Conference Coach of the Month for January 2011 as he led New Orleans’ return to the playoffs after missing them the season before his arrival. Following the departure of All-NBA guard Chris Paul prior to the 2011-12 season, Williams oversaw the growth and development of one of the league’s youngest rosters, increasing the team’s win total in three straight seasons culminating in 45 wins in 2014-15 to lead New Orleans back to the playoffs.

In addition to his five seasons as an NBA head coach, Williams has totaled seven seasons as an assistant coach, two seasons in a front office role, one season as a coaching intern and nine seasons as a player, giving him 24 years of NBA experience since first being drafted in 1994. Currently, Williams is completing his first season as an assistant coach with the 76ers, who went 51-31 and are facing the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Williams served as associate head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16, contributing to the Thunder’s trip to the Western Conference Finals, and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005-2010, a stint that included two playoff berths. He got his start in coaching as a coaching intern with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2004-05 season when the team won an NBA Championship. Before returning to the bench this season, Williams spent two seasons in the Spurs’ front office as vice president of basketball operations from 2016-2018.

Williams also served as one of three assistant coaches for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team from 2013-2016. As a member of Mike Krzyzewski’s staff, Williams assisted the USA to a perfect overall record of 26-0, including gold-medal finishes at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Recognized as a revered friend and role model to many in the basketball community and beyond, at the 2017 NBA Awards, Williams was the recipient of the inaugural Sager Strong Award, an honor named for iconic Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager presented annually to an individual who has been a trailblazer while exemplifying courage, faith, compassion and grace.

Williams was a nine-year NBA veteran as a player, averaging 6.3 points in 456 career games with New York, San Antonio, Denver, Orlando and Philadelphia. His best season came with the Spurs in 1996-97 when he averaged a career-high 9.0 points plus 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists. The 24th overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by the Knicks, Williams’ NBA career began after he earned honorable mention All-America honors at the University of Notre Dame for his senior season in 1993-94 when he averaged 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Williams starred at Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland before heading to Notre Dame where he earned a degree in the school’s College of Arts and Letters, majoring in communications and theatre.

Baltimore's new mayor, Bernard "Jack" Young vows to clean up the city

Baltimore's new mayor has vowed to clean up the city after being thrust into office by his predecessor's resignation amid corruption investigations, but he inherits serious, longstanding problems that have plagued previous administrations.

Bernard "Jack" Young, a longtime leader of the City Council, says he intends to serve only the remainder of former Mayor Catherine Pugh's term and has no interest in running for mayor in 2020. If the Democrat doesn't change his mind, his tenure would last just 1 ½ years.

Young had been Baltimore's interim leader since April 2, when Pugh departed on an indefinite leave for what her lawyer has said was poor health after a bout of pneumonia. Pugh stepped down a month later, mired in a scandal that's put her in the crosshairs of federal, state and city investigators trying to unravel the murky financial arrangements of her self-published children's books.

In a phone interview, Young told The Associated Press he's ready to make changes and is focused on reducing one of the country's highest rates of violent crime and tidying up the city's streets. He aims to bring more investments and jobs, particularly to its most deeply disenfranchised neighborhoods.

"I'm determined to make a dent. I'm not a placeholder — I'm the mayor now. And I'm going to run the city like the mayor," Young said from Detroit, where's he's attending a conference about economic development before his return to Baltimore over the weekend.

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]

1st enrolled African-American at University of Alabama receives honorary doctoral degree

Autherine Lucy Foster was denied admission to the University of Alabama in 1952 and became the first African American to be enrolled at the university for only three days in 1956. Foster was removed from classes after three days because of rioting and threats on her life.

Today the University of Alabama was awarded the 89-year-old Foster an honorary degree. Foster did receive a degree from Alabama 35 years later in 1991 earning her masters degree in education. The difference being that this time her family was there to see her receive her second.