Say their names. Floyd. Bland. McAtee. McClain. Lyles. Castile. Clark. Sarey. Strickland. Say their names, the names of all of those who left too soon who left mother’s weeping, say all their names, and now say Massey.
They say, on July 6, 2024, four days after the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Sonya Massey was shot in the face by a deputy from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois.
They say, she was shot in the face while holding a pot of boiling water in her own home. They say, she was shot in her home after she said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” They say, she was shot when she ducked for cover. They say the Sheriff’s deputy who shot her discouraged another sheriff’s deputy from providing Sonya medical aid.
They say the deputy has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
They are saying Sonya’s case will be a focal point for discussions on racial justice and police reform in Sangamon County and beyond. They said that in the 90s when they senselessly beat Rodney King. They said that in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. They say the same things. So tired of hearing the same things.
Stop saying things. Do something. Look deep and hard at the cultures that fail to teach carefully. Teach officers to see a human being in Sonya, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an indispensable ingredient of our community. Hold leaders accountable for allowing cultures that give birth, reaffirm, and reinforce decisions and behavior that caused Sonya’s death. Act. Stop saying.
Enforce the 60-year-old civil rights act not just against individual officers but against departments that create a cultures that take too many people away, too soon, and leave too many families devastated. Do that. Please.
Photo credit: Courtesy Ben Crump Law via AP
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