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Breaking: Rest in Power Sonya Massey
Media Contact:
Erin Gill-Wilson, Executive Director
erin@urbedadvocates.org
Our hearts break to hear of the untimely and tragic passing of Sonya Massey, we extend our support to her family and community. May justice be reached and may she rest in power. As students in the city of Philadelphia, we are ignorant of the heinous acts of the police towards people of color, specifically Black people. Historically there has always been an extreme abuse of power by law enforcement, we’ve seen this all too often publically and in our own lives and communities. Nationwide, advocates and activists have been fighting to reform the police and criminal justice system.
On July 6th, around midnight, Sonya Massey called the police for help to investigate a possible prowler. In a 36-minute bodycam video released by the Sangamon County police department, we see Massey met with hostility from Deputy Sean Grayson. After asking questions about a car in the driveway, he questioned her mental health. This is the moment that she made it known that she indeed takes medicine for a mental health-related illness [1]. After further dialogue, the officers asked to come inside her house to get her identification. She was compliant. There was never a moment during their interaction where Massey was not cooperative. As seen on body cam footage, he asks Massey for identification. Massey is very anxious but still cooperative.
Moments of them being in her home things take a turn for the worse. The officer alerts her that she has a pot on the stove saying “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.” Massey walks over to turn off the stove and dump the pot. Officer Grayson backed away from her as if she was a threat. Massey asks the officer why is backing up and he tells her he doesn't want to be burned. Massey rebuked them stating “ I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” The officer screams at her that she should put the pot down or he will shoot her in the face. She lets go of the pot and he points his gun at her. She covered her face with two red oven mitts and shots were fired. She ducked behind her counter. Amid the officer shooting at her, she popped back up, grabbed the pot, and threw the water. Sonya Massey was fearful for her life. She never once threatened the officers and remained cooperative during the entire exchange. Officer Grayson took her life when all she did was call for help.
We are disgusted and exasperated by the murder of Sonya Massey. Time after time we have lost many people of color at the hands of the people who are sworn in to protect us. It is a great evil that we are facing and it needs to be abolished. Abolishment can not happen by amplifying anti-racist and bias sensitivity training. Those trainings are not as effective when it comes to shifting the narrative of deep-rooted racism that the police have towards Black people. We believe that there needs to be a zero-tolerance discrimination and racism policy. This is to ensure the safety of Black people from bigotry and racist police officers.
In Philadelphia, there has been a surge in police presence in schools for children as young as five years old. Imagine the fear they have instilled in their hearts and minds due to such acts. Black youth are not strangers to the dangers of the justice system. Black students in Philadelphia especially are criminalized at higher rates making them more susceptible to be victims of police brutality. With the news of the brutal shooting of Sonaya Massey, we are frightened for our lives and the lives of other Black people. If Black people can't call the police for help without getting shot how can we feel safe?
In Sonya Massey’s case, she did not have a gun. However, her life was still taken by the misuse of a gun. This has become a huge problem, especially in the city of Philadelphia. Contrary to public assumption citizens are not the only people misusing guns and perpetuating gun violence It is also seen with law enforcement. This could contribute to the normalization of gun-related deaths because the people who are supposed to be helping us eradicate the problem of gun violence are also taking innocent lives with guns. The students of Philadelphia are tired and are starting to take this problem into their own hands. We desire effective and impactful change. No more lives lost to gun violence. No more Black lives lost to the misuse of power by police officers. No more racist and biased policing in our communities. Abolition now.
Rest in Power Sonya Massey
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/26/sonya-massey-autopsy-killing/
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UrbEd, Inc. is a youth-led advocacy and educational policy nonprofit, reimagining the quality and equity of Philly public schools.
