SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — There was a funeral. There have been constant rallies and calls for change. The case has gotten international attention.
Now, one month after Sonya Massey was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy, her family hosted a vigil back at her home on Hoover avenue where it all happened.
“We just tried to plan this (candlelight vigil) for her, because we haven’t had one for her yet,” Shadia Massey, Sonya’s cousin said.
The vigil packed the small street. Her family, who is still processing it all, said the support has helped them a long these thirty days, but their path towards healing will go much longer.
“The community has been awesome and great for us, with us being together, and not just the Massey family having to do this by ourselves,” Massey said.
The mission though hasn’t changed. The family, along with activists and community organizers, are still calling for reform.
“I think change is going to happen, regardless of if (Sheriff Campbell) wants it or not,” Teresa Haley, President of Visions 1908 said. “It needs to happen in order for out community to heal.”
With one month behind them, the family says they are still focused on that goal.
“We just want her name to stay out there. We are not letting this go. We will make sure justice is served,” Massey said.
Pritzker weighs in on how Campbell has handled the case
Governor J.B. Pritzker was asked if Campbell should resign. So far, Campbell has had four county board members, all of who are democrats, call for his resignation, and the family of Sonya Massey has also called for his resignation.
But Campbell says he is staying put.
Pritzker avoided saying whether Campbell should keep his job, but he did make it clear he hasn’t been happy with the way the county has handled this case.
“How did the sheriff end up hiring this person?” Pritzker said Tuesday. “Must have known their background. Must have. No one hires somebody without checking out the hire’s background. And so I have a lot of questions. And I’m so far disappointed with the answers that I’m hearing from the sheriff. But you know, I think that that the community is reacting the way that I think is appropriate, protesting, making their voice heard, asking for change.”
Springfield Police head into National Night Out aiming to rebuild relationships
Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette knows his department didn’t hire Sean Grayson. But he acknowledged that Grayson’s actions caused severe damage to the relationship between the community and all law enforcement in the community.
“It may not be my fault… for what transpired, but we will bear the shame and guilt for what a fellow law enforcement officer did in our community,” Scarlette said at a Springfield City Council Meeting last week.
The weight of that carried over into National Night Out, an annual event for the department which became one of the first community outreach events the department and city solely sponsored since Massey’s death.
Scarlette said events like these will continue to be more important as they look to rebuild relationships with the community.
“I think that is what we have to do, I think our agency has done that with events that have happened nationally,” Scarlette said.
City Aldermen helped facilitate the national night out events. Ward 5 Alderwoman Lakeisha Purchase said she plans to continue holding events like this to help the community meet officers and learn about their roles and policies.
But she also said she knows it’s time for some difficult conversations to be had in the city.
“We already come out, so all we have to do is continue to continue to be positive, and we also to have to have some uncomfortable conversations,” Purchase said. “I am not going to sit here and pretend like everything is good. There are some uncomfortable conversations that we have to have.”
Purchase said she plans to have another community forum with law enforcement leaders in the near future.
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