Photo by Darkest, courtesy of GoodFon.com

On July 6, Sonya Massey was shot and killed by Sangamon County Deputy Sheriff Sean Grayson in her home in Springfield, Illinois.

Grayson had become furious when Massey said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” and mere seconds later, shot her in the face. Later, Grayson alleged his actions were defensive as Massey was threatening to attack him with a pot of boiling water. However, released body camera footage shows Massey was clearly non-violent, unarmed, and amiably complying with directions from the officers. When Grayson drew his gun and aimed at her, she had cowered with her hands raised, saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."  

Sonya Massey’s murder is an egregious yet all too common example of lethal police violence in America, where police-perpetrated killings are a major cause of violent death. The US is a world outlier regarding the frequency of fatal police violence, and the problem is only worsening, as 2023 marked the highest number of police killings on record. Data overwhelmingly show that Black and Indigenous men are disproportionately more likely to be killed by police compared to all other groups. According to the best data available, at least 9,893 people have been shot and killed by police in America since 2015. For context, approximately 7,000 U.S. soldiers died in two decades of the Global War on Terror.

Racial violence is a key factor driving police violence in America. Not only did organized police forces originate as slave patrols, they operate in societies that were built on racial terror. The history of Springfield, Illinois, where Sonya Massey was killed, illustrates this living legacy. Over a century ago, a white woman falsely accused Black man of rape, inciting white race riots that violently destroyed Springfield’s burgeoning Black neighborhood. Discriminatory redlining policies further exacerbated economic disparities between Springfield’s Black and white residents.

Today, Sangamon County has one of the highest poverty rates among Black people in the state, with 39 percent of the county's Black residents living in poverty compared with 10 percent of white residents. People living in poverty are more likely to face mental illness, addiction, and housing insecurity and are therefore more likely to engage with law enforcement (due to policies that criminalize poverty), who are statistically more likely to use excessive force against Black people. Today, the militarization of police as a result of the Global War on Terror is another factor fueling the escalation of police violence across the country. From government spending, to equipment, to personnel - militarization is exacerbating existing racial disparities and conditions that result in high numbers of police-perpetrated killings. 

Addressing police violence in our communities requires reckoning with America’s militarized foreign policy that leads to wars abroad and at home. As police forces across the country become more militarized and blended with the Pentagon, they are increasingly being used to undemocratically repress free-speech rights of journalists and organizers working to improve racial justice, protect indigenous and environmental rights, prevent the expansion of cop cities, and end America’s facilitation of the ongoing genocide and occupation of Palestine.

Sonya Massey’s murder is a stark reminder that domestic and foreign policy are intimately intertwined and progress will require solidarity across movements and geographies. In mourning her death, we must not ignore the urgent call to action to end militarism in all forms.