07/30/2024
A Black woman at her own home called 911 due to a suspected intruder. This officer came in, shot her three times, killed her with one to the head, and refused for his partner to render aid. Say her name: Sonya Massey.
Sonya’s ex*****on by Sangamon County deputy sheriff, Sean Grayson, is not an isolated incident. It’s the latest example of law enforcement officers shooting Black people in their homes across the country. It highlights the persistent trend of police exacerbating violence against Black womxn and those struggling with mental health. And it is a callous, callous reminder of just how unloved we are in this society.
“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman,” echoed Malcolm X more than 60 years ago, and it breaks our hearts to see time and again it remains true.
Sonya was just 36, living in Springfield, Illinois, and a mother to two precious teenagers, but we’re not going to justify her life with accolades or niceties. She was a Black woman who feared for her safety, and did what she was told to do and that’s to call on those who are sworn to protect and serve her. Instead, she was met with her real intruder and her unthinkable death.
Sonya needed care and support—not brutal, inhuman state violence. Sonya, and so many others like her, should be alive today. She deserved to live, to be taken seriously, to be protected and cared for. Sonya’s family thanked State’s Attorney John Milhiser for his quick action in filing the charges. But they made it clear that they want more than just convictions to believe justice is served. They want to see “total justice” and systemic change at the state and local levels. WE DO TOO.
Rest in peace, Sonya Massey. 🌹
