Welcome to The Progress Pages:  AAGJC's Journal for Change  

Our hearts are deeply hurting this week as we mourn the loss of Sonya Massey. On July 6th, Sonya was shot and killed by a law enforcement officer in her own home in Springfield, Illinois. Her life matters, and she should still be with us. 

 

Sonya Massey was a beautiful, 36 year old mother to two teenagers who was shot and killed by law enforcement in her kitchen after calling 911 for help. She believed there was someone lurking around her home. Sonya was concerned for her well-being, and called law enforcement for protection. Within moments of arriving, Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson began violently threatening to shoot her "in the f****** face" for following his own instructions, and killed her seconds later. Sonya did not have a weapon. She did not harm or threaten to harm the officers. She was not behaving violently. In a moment where she needed and deserved help and safety, Sonya's life was horrifically taken. The officer that killed her, Deputy Grayson, did not have his body cam on, discouraged other officers from providing aid after he shot her, and lied to dispatch - stating that her gunshot wound was self-inflicted. The only reason we know the truth is because of other officers that did have their bodycam footage on, and because Sonya's family is bravely fighting for justice through their grief. May Sonya Rest in Peace, and may we continue to #SayHerName.

 

One of AAGJC's key areas of focus is Law Enforcement. Our organization was formed in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. Four years later, and we are watching a young black woman be murdered in her home by the very people who she called upon to protect her. We cannot overstate the importance of dedicated on-going work to end systemic racism and oppression.

 

Duality is central to our work, meaning that we strongly believe in two things being true at once. It is true that we believe in building bridges, working *with* the systems we want to see change, and supporting our local officers. It is ALSO true that we strongly believe in police transparency, strong accountability practices, and putting policies and procedures in place to improve our justice system. 

 

There were several grave mistakes made from the moment officers arrived, which continued in the moments after Sonya was killed, and have extended to the days and weeks since. We want to strongly emphasize that these are preventable, and can change through improved policies and procedures in your local police departments. We are ALL capable of being changemakers in our community, and addressing these issues that may also be present in your local police department is just one way to start. 

 

We will continue to #SayHerName and to do all that we can to end systemic racism in Johnson County and beyond.