Sign the petition to demand justice for Sonya Massey!
Dear MoveOn member,
"Don’t hurt me."
Those were the first words Sonya Massey said at her front door after calling the police for help.1 Instead of assisting her, Sonya Massey was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve. Sonya Massey deserved to be safe.
What we've since discovered is that the officer who murdered Sonya Massey worked six law enforcement jobs over the past four years, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving under the influence, and was discharged from the Army for "serious misconduct." There was no accountability for him, and no system to flag him in, and now a woman is dead.2,3
It's unjustifiable that someone with Sean Grayson's criminal and professional background would ever be in a law enforcement role. Our justice system refuses to respect Black lives, so now so we must demand more from our elected officials. We need a justice system that holds police accountable, and we need transparency into that system.
In early July, Sangamon County sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson shot 36-year-old Sonya Massey after she attempted to move a pot of water off of her stove at the officer’s request. Sonya Massey called the police for help after she was concerned about an intruder in her home. We must all demand justice for Sonya. What happened to her was unacceptable, and we cannot let this type of police violence, which is all too often directed against the Black men and Black women of our country, continue unchecked.
We're demanding accountability for Sonya Massey and her family. And we're not alone. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly fired Grayson, who was later charged with first-degree murder. Now the U.S. Department of Justice will be investigating Sonya Massey's death, but we have to keep up the pressure.4
As long as police officers like Sean Grayson can continue to hop between law enforcement jobs, regardless of their criminal or professional records, our communities will have to suffer the type of police violence that cost Sonya Massey her life. We've had enough. Demand local and federal officials deliver justice for Sonya Massey now!
Thanks for all you do.
–Soraya, Allison Nakia, Noor, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Body camera video focused national attention on an Illinois deputy's fatal shooting of Sonya Massey," ABC News,July 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194687?t=7&akid=399394%2E40999114%2Epi-W4Y
2. "Sean Grayson Worked In 6 Departments In 4 Years Before Killing Sonya Massey," HuffPost, July 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194688?t=9&akid=399394%2E40999114%2Epi-W4Y
3. "Deputy accused of killing Sonya Massey in Springfield was discharged from Army for serious misconduct," IPM News, July 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194689?t=11&akid=399394%2E40999114%2Epi-W4Y
4. "She Called the Police for Help. They Killed Her Instead." Mother Jones, July 23, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194690?t=13&akid=399394%2E40999114%2Epi-W4Y
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