By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan
July has come and gone, a month that sent shockwaves through the U.S. political landscape. The month was bookended, as well, by events that signify both remarkable progress and the ongoing peril of being a Black woman in America. Progress, as Kamala Harris became the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to become a major party nominee for president, and, as another sign of progress, on July 31st, three Black women journalists questioned former President Donald Trump in a contentious interview at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Chicago. But being a Black woman in America is still perilous, as evidenced by the police killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black single mother of two.
Massey was killed by police inside her home in Springfield, Illinois, after calling 9-1-1 for help at around 1 AM on the morning of July 6th, concerned over a potential prowler. Massey’s killing was senseless, but it didn’t follow the typical trajectory of a police killing of a person of color, as the white officer who killed her was subsequently fired and charged with first-degree murder.
Sonya Massey’s murder by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson was captured on video, on the body camera worn by his partner, believed to be Deputy Dawson D. Farley (the sheriff’s department has yet to confirm his name). Grayson only turned on his camera after the shooting. The Illinois State Police took over the investigation into the shooting, but didn’t release the body worn camera footage until July 22nd.
The video documents the two deputies entering her home, and, after asking for her identification, instructing her to take a pot of boiling water off the stove, which she immediately rushed to do. It shows Massey, a small woman in a nightgown and robe, holding a small pot of water with two hot pads next to her kitchen sink. Sean Grayson, a hulking 30-year-old man, was ten feet away, in the living room, separated from Massey by a counter.
This is important, as Grayson’s recorded reason for what happened next was “I’m not taking f—ing boiling water in the f—ing head.” There is no indication from Farley’s body cam video that Sonya Massey intended to throw the hot water at either officer.
Sonya Massey’s family is being represented by renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. He described his reaction to the body camera footage, speaking on the Democracy Now! news hour:
“This is the worst police shooting video that I’ve seen. It is so senseless. The video is disturbing, but the audio is equally disturbing. When you look at that video and you see him [Dep. Sean Grayson] move around the counter, even though he’s trying to allege the reason he shot her was because he feared that she was going to throw hot water in his face from the pot — the very pot that he sent her to get — and then he moves around the counter…from an objective observation, looks like to get a better shot. When his partner says, ‘I’m going to go get my CPR kit,’ he says, ‘No, it’s a headshot. Don’t worry about that. It’s not going to make a difference. She’s gone.’ And then, at one point in the video, he says, ‘Just let her f—ing’ — and he doesn’t finish his statement, but a logical person can conclude he said, ‘Just let her die.’ It’s troubling on every level. She needed a helping hand…She did not need a bullet to the face.”
The video captures Grayson interacting with officers who arrived after the shooting, referring to Sonya Massey saying, “This f—ing bitch is crazy.”
Recorded police radio traffic includes evidence that the fatal gunshot wound was initially reported as “self-inflicted.” The shocking details of her murder remained vague until the body cam video was released, almost two weeks later. Sonya’s family had no idea she was killed by police until it was reported in the news.
A GoFundMe page for Sonya Massey’s family reads in part,
“Sonya is remembered as a caring and loving mother to her two children, a 17-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter. Sonya loved cooking, doing hair, nurturing her children, and spending time with her family. She was also a devoted church member.”
Both President Biden and Vice President Harris issued statements supporting the Massey family. Harris called on Congress “to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act…In this moment, in honor of Sonya’s memory and the memory of so many more whose names we may never know.”
Sonya Massey must now be added to a too-long list of Black women killed by police: Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Atatiana Jefferson. Throughout the next three months of this year’s election, let’s remember to say their names.