What Happened To Sonya Massey?

She called for a prowler and ended up dead by Illinois cops.

While Republicans claim their is no racism in the United States, their presidential nominee is the very definition of white privilege. His running mate is an example of white privilege despite coming from a troubled upbringing. That upbringing didn't show empathy towards others who may endure his situation.

Our country is so divided.

While gun violence is the leading cause of deaths for children and adults, our lawmakers in Washington are more concerned about the current president being able to handle the challenges of a second term.

The second a person of color is killed by police, some of these stories are amplified by Black women, the base of the Democratic Party. If it wasn't for Black women, you wouldn't have heard about George Floyd, Philando Castile or Eric Garner.

There is an incident that was getting national attention before the Trump assassination attempt. It happened in Illinois and it involved a downstate sheriff's deputy and a Black mother.

J.B. Pritzker, the Democratic governor of the state said this is one of the most reckless decisions that former officer made in his career.

Two Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. to investigate a prowler, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office obtained by ABC News.

“At approximately 1:21 a.m., the Deputies reported that shots had been fired, resulting in a female being struck by gunfire,” according to the sheriff's statement. “Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.”

Sonya Massey, 36, was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. on Saturday after being transported to an area hospital, Jim Allmon, Sangamon County Coroner, told ABC News in a statement.

“An autopsy was performed, and preliminary findings show Ms. Massey died from a gunshot wound,” Allmon’s statement said. “The death remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police and the Sangamon County Coroner.”

The Illinois State Police (ISP), who have taken over the investigation, told ABC News in a statement that they would not yet share body camera footage “to protect the integrity of the legal process and the right to a fair trial in the event charges are filed.”

The sheriff’s office told ABC News in a statement that it requested that the ISP conduct an independent investigation into the incident.

“ISP is collaborating closely with the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office to conduct a timely, comprehensive, and transparent investigation,” according to a statement by the state police.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who Massey’s family has retained as legal counsel, says Massey was shot and killed in her own home after calling 911 to report an intruder. ABC News has been unable to independently verify this information.

“It is extremely hard to imagine how a woman who calls the police out of fear of an intruder ends up shot in the head by the police at her own home,” Crump said in a statement to ABC News. “We demand that all body camera footage from this incident be released immediately so that Sonya’s family and the public can see what happened in those 30 deadly minutes.”

Supporters of the family held a protest in Springfield, Illinois, on Friday demanding justice and accountability in Massey’s death.

White Illinois deputy faces criminal charges.

John Milhiser, the Sangamon County state attorney, indicted former deputy Sean Grayson discharged his firearm inside Massey's home, striking her. He added the review of the case "does not support a finding that (Grayson) was justified in his use of deadly force."

Grayson has been indicted on three counts of First Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Official Misconduct.

Grayson was denied bail during Thursday’s arraignment. Court documents filed by prosecutors say Massey was allowed to remove a boiling pot from her stove. But then the deputy, in an adjacent room, threatened to shoot her – demanding she put the pot down. The account says he then shot at her three times, wounding her in the face.

Grayson, the documents said, had failed to turn his body camera on until after the shots were fired,. But the incident was captured on the other deputies’ camera.

Prosecutors say the other deputy provided first aid until an ambulance arrived – despite Grayson telling him not to do so because of the severity of the injury.

The Illinois State Police took over the investigation. The agency indicated the delay in releasing video was done to protect the integrity of the legal process and the right to a fair trial, in the event charges were filed.

To all the Black firearm owners who support the Second Amendment or former president Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential race, I just want to say...

"YOU'RE GONNA BE SHOT BY POLICE TOO!"

The National Rifle Association never reacts to lawful exercise of firearm use when a Black, Hispanic, Arab, Muslim, Indigenous, LGBTQ or underage teen of color is carrying them.

It is automatic dehumanizing from the far right, police unions and the junk food media.

When white men, women or even some Asians are carrying firearms, the NRA is often parading them around like they're heroes and protectors of freedom.

In about 45 states, I believe it is lawful for you to walk down a street with a firearm.

If you're a Black man walking down the street with a firearm, the random 911 call or the visual spotting from a police officer merits an automatic drawl of a service weapon.

Police officers within seconds are either shooting or premeditated an excuse to use force.

The unions back up their claims of "fearing for their lives" despite the perpetrator not even firing a round. Given that the junk food media loves to paint the aggressor as the victim, the police officer is given the benefit of doubt. The person police shot usually do not get any ounce of doubt. A mugshot of a suspect or a picture of a person posing with money or firearms automatically draws far right conclusions to justification of force.

Enough is enough.

Even fleeing from police with a firearm and not even pointing at them results in police shootings. 

If a person does survive, the state still charges the person for a crime despite the state allowing open carry and lawful possession.

So I just want to say that the Second Amendment is White, period.

A bullet does not care about color. We all bleed red and so many lives are lost to gun violence and Republicans offer no solutions other than "thoughts and prayers" with a touch of "lock em up."

Gun violence is the number one threat in the United States.

I dismiss this ridiculous notion that criminals are the problem, not the guns. Firearms are often obtained through legal purchases. 

Again, having more security, teachers being armed and offering safe rooms are not solving the problem. The problem is lawmakers not willing to stop gun violence.

According to the far right: White shooters are mentally ill. Black shooters are unrepentant thugs and criminals. Gay shooters are active groomers. Muslim shooters are terrorists. Hispanic and Asian shooters are illegal immigrants. According to the far right, almost all mass shooters are registered Democrats because they have liked or done one thing common to the left. Of course, they often share disinformation by using the "Sam Hyde" meme or make bogus social media platforms with the shooter's image as a way to denounce most mass shooters being white or associated with conservative causes. They say a white person should "protect" themselves from protesters and use of firearms are "justified" if they come to a protest to instigate conflict. They say if a shooter is active military or a veteran who supports conservative causes, they are considered a "heroes" and use of firearms are justified. If the shooters are teens, the far right automatically assume the gunmen are Black.

The Republicans usually amplify white victims. Anytime a person of color kills a white victim, it is often wall-to-wall coverage on Fox, Twitter and they force it into national news. They make the case to blame Black Lives Matter, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Democrats, Rev. Al Sharpton and rap music for Black on whatever violence. Republican lawmakers who do not live in urban neighborhoods often troll social media to talk about gun violence or crime in Chicago, Baltimore, Milwaukee and New York City while not doing a damn thing to stop it. If a white person shoots a Black person, the shooter is given the benefit of doubt. White shooters are given glowing profiles about their perfect lives and how friends noticed something but refused to do something. When it comes to Black shooters, automatic vilification. They don't see mental illness. They see it as gang violence, allegedly fatherless homes, Democratic policies or the need for more firearms. The far right and Republicans exploit gun violence in the Black community for culture wars and racism.

Springfield mayor Misty Buscher and Gov. J.B. Pritzker condemned the deputy.

So in closing, expect more.

The website Officer Down is a memorial to those police officers who were killed in the line of duty. Those victims who don't get their names or accomplishments mentioned in the junk food media. Also the website the National Gun Violence Memorial also keeps record of the many individuals killed by gun violence. We are tracking police violence as well. 

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline’s website or the Crisis Text Line’s website.

The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police. 

Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to curb gun violence. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. Let them know you are very tired of your lawmakers embarrassing themselves in the media. You are tired of your lawmakers always being outside their district or state. You elected them to serve their districts and state, not travel across the country or to foreign countries on your taxpayer dollars. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-semitic or in support of terrorism. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and lawmakers avoid influence from lobbyists.