One of the biggest initial questions in Sandra Bland’s case was why, at the time she died, she had been in jail for nearly three full days after being arrested on a relatively minor charge. The simple answer is that she hadn’t yet been able to come up with the $500 required to post bond and gain her release; per information and images provided by Waller County, Texas, officials at a press conference, Bland may simply have been having trouble getting in touch with friends and family members to arrange the transaction.
A Waller County administrator named Trey Duhon showed video footage to reporters of Bland making calls on Saturday afternoon after her arraignment:
Bland also apparently placed a phone call on Friday night at about 10 p.m., which authorities said they believe was made to 57-year-old LaVaughn Mosley, a male friend who lived in the area. (Bland, a Chicago-area resident, was in Waller County to interview for a job at Prairie View A&M, her alma mater.) It’s not clear whether Mosley made attempts to help Bland find bail money.
