The family of Sonya Massey is calling for sweeping police reforms in the wake of her death, advocating for greater accountability to prevent officers involved in cases like Massey’s from moving between departments without consequence. During her funeral last month, the 36-year-old’s father spoke firmly to one lawmaker about proposed changes.
“Illinois can be No. 1, State Senator,” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, said to State Senator Doris Turner of Springfield, according to the Chicago Sun Times and WBEZ . “Introduce the bill tomorrow, that when you [resign] in lieu of being fired from a police department, you don’t go on to the next one. You can call it the Sonya Massey Bill.”
As Blavity reported, Massey was shot and killed by former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson inside her home on July 6. The deadly incident occurred after she called 911 to report a possible burglar at her residence. When they arrived, both Grayson and his unidentified partner spoke with Massey before things escalated between both parties.
Body camera footage captured Massey saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” while Grayson demanded she put down a pot of boiling water, per ABC News . He then responded by threatening to “shoot you right in your f**king face” if she did not comply, The Guardian reported. Shots were fired, with a bullet striking Massey in the face. Grayson now faces first-degree murder and other charges in the case.
His law enforcement background has raised concerns, particularly among Massey’s family. According to the Times, Sangamon County is the sixth police department where he has worked in the past four years. He has faced multiple complaints for inappropriate conduct, being verbally aggressive, and other issues. Massey’s loved ones believe that had a law like the one they are proposing been in place, it might have prevented her death.
Turner, who has known Massey and her family since moving to Springfield in 1981, was “devastated” by her death but has expressed caution about the proposed legislation her family is advocating for in the state.
“Before we file any new legislation, we always look at what’s currently on the books,” Turner said, according to WBEZ. “We’ve been looking closely at the SAFE-T Act.”
Before Doris Turner joined the General Assembly in February 2021, Democratic state lawmakers enacted the SAFE-T Act , a comprehensive criminal justice reform package. This law expanded the grounds for decertifying law enforcement officers in Illinois, preventing them from working in any other police departments or agencies within the state.
According to Grayson’s record, he did not have any complaints or misconduct that would have led to automatic decertification. However, under the new discretionary decertification process introduced by the SAFE-T Act, complaints are subject to review.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul echoed Turner’s reservations, highlighting that police departments across the state do not all operate under the same standards.
“There are hundreds of law enforcement departments within the state of Illinois, and they’re not all the same,” Raoul said, per WBEZ. “They’re not of the same quality in terms of their capacity to make sure that they have good policy, implementation and adequate training.”
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