National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers Speaks Out On The Fatal Shooting of Sonya Massey
Since 1967, members of the law enforcement profession have consistently advised community members to call 911 when they need help, especially if they were in need of police assistance. Established nationally in 1999 with the signing of the Public Safety Act signed by President Bill Clinton, it was meant to be a universal means of reporting emergencies and getting immediate help to those who needed it.
However, that changed when Sonya Massey called 911 to report a suspected prowler. It changed because the law enforcement officers who responded to her call for help apparently refused to consider her humanity. It changed because the law enforcement officers who responded refused to consider that she might be experiencing a mentally challenged issue. It changed because the law enforcement officers who responded refused to utilize common sense measures of dealing with someone who was obviously confused and in serious need of compassion and understanding.
Their apparent refusal to engage in any levels of de-escalation practices and procedures, and their alleged fear for their safety from someone who was more than fifteen feet away and armed with only an empty water pot resulted in Sonya Massey being only the latest example of a member of the Black community being killed by a law enforcement officer.
Moreover, the complete and total failure of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office to adequately conduct a review of Sean Grayson’s background, which would undoubtedly have found his troubled history as a law enforcement officer, thus making him inadequately prepared to assume the duties of a sworn, armed member of their agency, makes this that much more egregious.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Sonya Massey was deserving of the safety she initially called for. There is equally no doubt that she did nothing to deserve the fate that was brought upon her, as the video which has been released clearly shows that she was not a threat to the responding officers or anyone else.
It must at once be recognized and accepted that, in communities of color throughout the United States, police use of deadly force, acts of misconduct and abuse have now seemingly grown to epidemic proportions. Where people of color should be able to rely upon law enforcement to keep them safe, they now appear to be terrified of the prospect of their appearance in the community, feeling victimized in the sanctity of their homes, not knowing if their name will be the next to be added to the ever-growing statistics.
No longer can it be claimed that these incidents are simply mere anomalies that rarely take place or are being taken out of context, nor can we continue to disregard the disproportional deaths of Black lives at the hands of those whose duty it is to protect.
While we commend the swift and decisive action taken by the Springfield State’s Attorney’s Office, there must be a stronger effort to create a national registry to detail the specific reasons why an officer was dismissed, with full disclosure of their complete disciplinary record. The process of “agency hopping” must be ended. There must be a systemic change in the institution of policing so that it again becomes a bastion of safety and security for all, and not just an advantage for a few.
