NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place in New York City on Wednesday evening to honour African American activist Sandra Bland who died in a jail cell in Texas, vigil organizer and Hunter College student Sophie Menan told Sputnik.
"Tonight we are going to have a candlelight vigil for Sandra Bland to honour her memory and also honour the memory of other black females killed by police brutality," Menan said Wednesday.
The vigil will take place in New York’s Union Square Park at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and at least 1,000 people are expected to attend, Menan noted.
On December 21, a grand jury denied issuing any indictments in Bland’s death — a decision Menan said made her feel "disappointed and frustrated," and one that falls into an overall trend of racism in the United States.
"I believe this case is very unfortunate of the lack of respect for black bodies in the country," Menan maintained.
As long as the United States has existed, she added, African Americans have been dehumanized, but in the past two years, young people have tried to change the situation.
Police killings or deaths under suspicious circumstances, particularly of African Americans, have cased protests throughout 2015 in the United States and widespread calls for police reforms.
