SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Dozens took to the street of Springfield Thursday evening to keep Sonya Massey’s name alive.
Advocates were also chanting, “Black Lives Matter,” as the crowd marched from Unique’s Bar and Grill to the Sangamon County Complex. Many were carrying signs with Massey’s name on it.
It’s one of several protests to happen in Springfield since her death earlier this month.
Since her death, the Springfield community has come together in support of Massey’s family, calling for accountability.
“I came out here to social justice, for saying, I feel like what the cop did wasn’t right at all,” Jada Brimmer of Springfield said. “I feel like we should all be out here standing up for Sonya and her name.”
Massey, a Black woman, called 9-1-1 concerned someone was trying to break into her home.
Sean Grayson and another unnamed deputy, who are both white, responded, and body camera video released Monday shows within minutes Grayson shoots Massey in the face after she moved a pot of hot water from the stove.
Grayson has pleaded not guilty.
After more protests, the fight for justice continues.
“We want full justice and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” Tiara Standage, the CEO of Intricate Minds said. “So we don’t want people to set this aside or forget about it or anything. We want to keep our name relevant in the community.”
State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) has known Massey and her family for years.
She says the community went through the same process of calling for change after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
“That was a time when the voices had been heard and things were going to change,” Turner said. “But unfortunately, we see right here in our community that there’s still needs to be change.”
Those calls don’t end in Springfield. Communities across the country have joined in across the country. On Wednesday, a Black Lives Matter group rallied in Connecticut protesting her death.
“This is happening all too often and we want it to stop and we’re showing that from, you know, the East Coast to the West Coast, north and south,” Turner said.
Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the Massey family. He also represented the family of George Floyd.
“We think about what’s going on with the presidential politics in 2020 it was the George Floyd torture video that galvanized people in our community to act,” Crump said in an interview for CBS This Mornings. “In 2024, I believe it’s going to be the Sonya Massey shooting video that galvanizes people in our community to act.”
The autopsy of Massey was released Friday.
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