Bernie Sanders: Sandra Bland 'Would Be Alive Today if She Were a White Woman

Democratic presidential candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday night that there is “no doubt” that Sandra Bland would be alive today had she been white.

“Sandra Bland should not have died while in police custody,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that she, like too many African Americans who die in police custody, would be alive today if she were a white woman,” Sanders declared.

“My thoughts are with her family and loved ones tonight,” Sanders continued. “We need to reform a very broken criminal justice system.”

Sanders' statement came after a grand jury determined Monday evening that no felony crime was committed by the sheriff's office or jailers in the death of Bland, who, according to the Associated Press, was pulled over on July 10 by a Texas state trooper “for making an improper lane change.” The 28-year-old was arrested for assault after becoming confrontational with the officer. She was found dead in her jail cell three days later. A medical examiner determined that Bland died by hanging herself.