"Justice for Sonya Massey: A Reflection on ModeRn Racism and Accountability
What an exhausting week last week was for America. There is so much to talk about, from the rise of Kamala Harris to the out-of-hand killings in Philadelphia. There was the embarrassment of America as we received Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, one of our greatest allies. Our leadership was completely absent. The President was licking his wombs in Delaware and Harris was at a sorority meeting, pretending to be ADOS. That was a disgrace, and super disrespectful. Unfortunately, the most devastating thing we witnessed last week was the killing of Sonya Massey. Words can’t explain.
Sonya Massey’s unfortunate killing in cold blood is devastating. I am convinced that without the body camera, the story of what happened in that house would have forever been covered in lies and distractions. Thanks to video cameras, we can all attest to a crime that was not just tragic; it was downright evil.
The police in Illinois were called by Sonya Massey because she believed she had heard a prowler. When the police officers arrived, Sonya came outside and stood with them. She was acting strangely, as if she was afraid, and she invoked the name of Jesus repeatedly as she spoke with the police. The police seemed to reassure her that she was safe. They let her know they had searched the property and found no one there. Despite this, they stepped inside to get her ID for the report.
Once inside, Sonya couldn’t find her ID, and a pot had been boiling on the stove. One of the officers pointed out the pot—you could see the steam rising in the video. Sonya got up to turn off the pot, and this is where the friction escalated. As Sonya took the pot from the stove, she turned and headed toward the police—it appeared she may have been going to pour the water into the sink. As she turned, she asked the officers why they were backing up. One of the officers said, “That’s a hot pot.” The two officers laughed a little, and then she said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” That’s when one of the officers became enraged. He yelled, “I’ll shoot you in your fucking face: She screamed, “I am sorry, I am sorry,” as she knelt down beneath a counter. Then, just like that, the officer shot her three times, killing her instantly.
To be honest, the police had no real reason to enter her home. Had she been in her right mind, she probably would not have allowed them in. She had called for help; they helped her and should have left. Both officers seemed pretty calm, but once inside, you could sense growing frustration as Sonya searched for her ID. She even asked at one point for one of the officers to hand her a Bible.
The officer, Sean Grayson, only seemed to be slightly annoyed, but as she turned with that pot, both officers stepped back. They both had the same fear that she was going to throw the water at them.
But she did not.
What’s unclear is if she had the pot in her hand when she dropped down. Nevertheless, when she said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” it seemed to trigger Officer Sean Grayson. A rage took over, and he shot and killed Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old woman suffering mentally in that moment.
Intertwined within all this is the experience no Black American ever wants to encounter. There was a longer thread of racism ever-present in that house. The towering white men looking over a Black, feeble person clearly in need of medical assistance, failed to see her humanity because of that thin thread. There was the whimpering and the pleading for a second chance from Sonya’s bowed-down frame.
A testimony in video. Watching, my mind went back to August 1964 when Fannie Lou Hamer gave her testimony at the Democratic National Committee after being arrested and beaten in Winona, Mississippi, for exercising her right to vote. There was no video, only her words that told the story of the abuse she suffered at the hands of the police. We had to use our imagination to think of the way evil manifested inside the cell. Then there was Sandra Bland—whose arrest had been videotaped, but her death behind bars wasn’t captured by a single camera.
In Fannie Lou’s case, there were no convictions for that crime. In Sandra’s case, there was a cover-up and no charges for the crime. But with Sonya Massey, we have the video camera; we see what occurred, and justice will be served. To think this will never happen again is a fallacy. The thought that it could have been me or you is visceral and real. Perhaps the officer wasn’t a racist; perhaps he never saw her as human—but we witnessed the event, and what happened can’t be denied or reshaped or reframed. Grayson was fired immediately and charged. His audacity is just the same as those officers that beat Fannie Lou, as he has pled not guilty. But we wait for the jury to decide.
I will say, just off-topic, there are two people running for the presidency, and only one supports cameras for police officers, and that is Donald Trump.
What is also shameful is how one family’s tragedy becomes another man’s pursuit. Right after hearing about Sonya Massey’s death, I watched her family hold a press conference with Benjamin Crump himself, the money man. Crump exudes payday. He is like that eel lingering below the surface, waiting on another senseless death of a Black person to build on his wealth. Talk about a walking, talking ambulance chaser pretending to be an advocate for justice.
Every single court case he fights comes to an end, and he disappears back into the depths of darkness only to arise again at another death or police shooting. If the case involves a cop and a Black person, Crump suddenly appears with a big smile, trying to articulate the matter with some random slogan. George Floyd’s death was “get off my neck.” I suppose Sonya’s may be: “She called for help and got a bullet to the head.” It doesn’t even register with any impact because we are sick of slogans.
I am sick of the story of a white cop killing a Black person being told as if every individual in an entire police force is corrupt. Or as if the white police are running around hoping to shoot another n****r (using for context). At the same time we pretend crimes like those committed by Officer Grayson, can be eliminated. If we are good enough to one another the entire world will be good. It’s unfortunate but a grim reality that people can change and transform, but it’s not always for good. Evil is ever-present in the heart of every individual, and therefore, every system that governs our lives will continue to exhibit its wickedness in one form or another as long as man is born with motivation and aspiration.
What we witnessed in Sonya Massey’s home was no doubt wicked. As a community we can be hopeful,. Considering Fannie Lou Hamer was only able to articulate the beating she suffered for attempting to exercise her right to vote and because Sandra Bland and so many other blacks that were murdered at the hands of police officers, we now have body cameras that capture the dark moments of injustice. ,Sonya’s death although very tragic speaks to changes in our nation that have benefited the American Black community.. We are no longer living in 1964—we are indeed in a digital age. With Sonya Massey, although her life was taken by evil and viciousness, we have the video. We can all witness everything that had occurred.
To hear some American Blacks, like Officer Brandon Tatum, a YouTuber, who has viewed the video and somehow finds ways to justify the actions of the police officer in this incident, is truly disheartening. You can condemn the officer’s behavior without condemning the entire police force. That’s what we did after George Floyd; we started campaigns to defund the police, condemning the entire institution. Again, I believe Kamala Harris was a significant supporter of the progressive initiative to defund the police, as if crime doesn’t exist.
Today is not 1964, and it’s not 2019—it’s 2024, we should have confidence that Justice will be delivered for Sonya thanks to the video camera. For Sonya, I pray that the gates of heaven opened and received her soul, just like Stephen. As for the officer, unlike in 1964, justice will be served. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. That’s justice.
Men like Benjamin Crump, who seem to measure justice by the size of the check in their hand, perpetuate this cycle. As tears fall from yet another grieving family members eyes, he will come to eat every crumb that drops from the table, profiting from their pain. True justice should not be commodified but should honor the memory and dignity of victims like Sonya Massey.
