Statement on police shooting and killing of Sonya Massey

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute released the following statement from Executive Director Dr. Sydney McKinney responding to Sangamon County [Springfield, Illinois] Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson shooting and killing 36-year-old Black woman Sonya Massey:

“We are devastated and angered by the police killing of 36-year-old Sonya Massey. She called the police for assistance because she was worried about an intruder, and instead of being helped, she was shot by police three times in her own home and killed.

This should have never happened, and Sonya should be with us today.

We are once again faced with the consequences of police violence and brutality that all too frequently take the life of Black women. Police do not protect or keep our communities safe; they inflict serious harm, and their presence creates a culture of fear.

It is baffling that policing continues to be upheld as an effective model of public safety in the United States, when countless Black women have been killed by the very same police officers who they called for help. When Black people are killed by police, “bad apples” are often blamed and less often held accountable. But at what point will we accept that the culture of policing itself is to blame? 

Racism and gender oppression are inextricably woven into the fabric of the institution of policing. Reforming police practices and procedures is not enough to prevent future tragedies and protect Black women from the violence and harm inflicted upon Sonya Massey, Atatiana Jefferson, and so many other Black women and girls. We must invest in new models of public safety that are community-based and trauma-informed. Black women’s lives and the safety of our communities depend on it."