SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Sonya Massey’s death is reigniting conversations around law enforcement reform, and her family is leading the charge.
They are calling for real, systemic change across all parts of government after the Springfield woman was shot and killed in her home by a former sheriff’s deputy for Sangamon County earlier this month.
Her family has heard from officials from all levels of government from city hall to the White House. They already have some ideas for them.
Massey’s father, James Wilburn, doesn’t want all of this to happen again.
“Introduce the bill tomorrow,” he said.
He first spoke up publicly at her funeral, and started calling for change.
“In this country, you need to pass the George Floyd Policing Act,” he said.
The family’s attorney Ben Crump said “the video will shock America’s conscience” before the body camera footage was released Monday.
It didn’t take long for America to be shocked. Shortly after the video was released, social media released an outpouring of support for Massey’s family, including many Illinois politicians.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre started off Wednesday’s White House press briefing with a statement on Sonya Massey. Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris previously addressed the shooting.
“All of us as Americans, regardless of who we are or where we live, should be able to do so without fearing for our lives,” Jean-Pierre said. “Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often, Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways that many Americans do not. Sonya’s family deserves justice.”
Massey’s family also met with Governor Pritzker this week, and he promised further action on police reform in the state.
“The Governor and Lt. Governor participated in a private, intimate meeting with the family of Sonya Massey,” Alex Gough, a spokesperson with the governor’s office, said. “While the details of what was discussed will remain private, the Governor committed to a partnership with the Massy family to further efforts for racial justice in Illinois.”
But Massey’s family want to see changes on the local level too, including in law enforcement hiring practices.
Wilburn questioned if Grayson could be hired. He was charged with two DUIs, one in 2015 and one in 2016. He had also worked at six different police departments since 2020.
“Mr. James Wilburn, her father, was a little more forceful. He talked about why he don’t understand why he was ever heard in the first place,” Crump said. “The fact that he had to do as Mr. James says he’d been the that it was six times in four years.”
Wilburn has also called for the Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign. An online petition calling for Campbell’s resignation has gathered more than 5,000 signatures, but the county said in a statement he will not resign.
WCIA has obtained some of Grayson’s hiring records, including from the Auburn Police Department. He cited the reason for leaving his previous department, the Kinkaid Police Department, was not meeting the residency requirement of living within 10 miles. He also listed his DUIs on his applications.
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