Sonya Massey & the Lost Ambition of Police Reform

As Sonya Massey’s murder at the hands of now-jailed Springfield Police Officer Sean Grayson makes national headlines, advocates for police reform and abolition see just how little progress has been made since the Black Lives Matters Movement’s inception. A neurodivergent Black woman killed in her own home, Massey’s profile overlaps with many other victims of Anti-Black police violence. However, the horrific death of the mother of two has captured attention for its encapsulation of the dangers faced by the most marginalized demographics of the country, and the government’s unwillingness to make meaningful change. On July 6, 2024, in Springfield, Ill., Sonya Massey was murdered by Deputy Sean Grayson. She is survived by her family, including two teenage children and her parents. Massey had called to report an intruder in her home. Shortly after, two officers arrived. One of them was Deputy Grayson. Massey answered the door in her nightgown, letting the officers inside after explaining the situation. Deputy Grayson then asked for identification.& After Massey looks in her purse for a while, struggling to find her ID, deputies point out she still has a pot of boiling water on the stove, obviously from before the deputies arrived. She moves to...