Sonya Massey’s memory should spur federal action for real and meaningful change to policing

– ANALYSIS – (Center for American Progress) – On July 6, Sonya Massey called police to her home for help, but instead, they took her life. The shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman living in Springfield, Illinois, once again drew national attention to the deadly status quo of police violence in this country as well as the unconscionable lack of action that permits these kinds of killings to keep happening. The body-camera footage of Massey’s murder – recently released by the Illinois State Police – revealed an unarmed woman posing no physical threat being shot by a sheriff’s deputy simply for removing a pot of water from her stove. Since then, newspapers and social media feeds have been filled with stories about what happened, what should have happened differently, and what can be done to prevent the next needless tragedy. Massey’s family has called for change, and many others with expertise and influence have done the same. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office has fired the officer who shot Massey, after he had already been discharged from the U.S. Army and worked at six different police departments in just four years. While he has been indicted on murder charges for...