Justice for Sonya Massey

The Communist Party USA stands in solidarity with the family of Sonya Massey, who was brutally murdered by a Springfield, IL police officer, after she called 911 out of concern for an intruder. She was slaughtered in her own home on July 6.

Unlike many other cases of racist police violence, in this instance, the officer who committed the crime was indeed charged with murder. However, this would not have been a reality without the mass uprising of 2020 in response to the brutal murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It is capitalist society, rooted in exploitation and oppression, that perpetuates this violence.

The working-class is fed up with the criminal behavior and lawlessness of the police forces who occupy their neighborhoods. The year 2024 is on track to be one of the deadliest years for police victims in the history of the United States. Massey's murder also joins the deadly trend of police abuse and murder of Black women and Black disabled people.

The CPUSA demands justice for the family of Sonya Massey and for officer Sean Grayson to be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law for the brutal murder in Massey's home.

We struggle for a future where Black people are safe and secure in this country and demand concrete steps toward achieving that goal. One of those steps is the immediate passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which has been stalled by racist and reactionary forces in Congress.

We also call on all Party clubs and districts to advance the struggle against racism and host vigils and street actions demanding justice for Sonya Massey and all victims of police crimes. We believe that if the community had a direct say in police policy, oversight, budgets, and hire/fire authority, then police would be held accountable. We reaffirm our demand for community control of the police departments in every jurisdiction across the country.

Images: Family of Sonya Massey is meeting with law enforcement by NAACP (Creative Commons); Sonya & Daughter by Paul Bence (CC BY-NC 2.0).

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