Phrases like “Say Her Name,” “She Should Still Be Here” and “I Rebuke You in the Name of Jesus” were written on posters and printed on purple-colored shirts as a Pine Bluff Elks chapter held a Sunday evening rally in memory of Sonya Massey.
But the common theme of the rally was voting, as civic leaders encouraged the public to vote for those who will promote changes in the law to better protect people against police brutality and use of excessive force.
Massey, 36, was reportedly shot to death in her home near Springfield, Ill., by a Sangamon County sheriff’s office deputy on July 6. Massey’s father, James Wilburn, is a Pine Bluff resident and member of the William Townsend Elks Lodge on U.S. 79B.
The deputy, Sean Grayson, 30, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He reportedly pleaded innocent to all charges.
“Walk, crawl, run, do whatever we’ve got to do,” Wilburn said, encouraging the public to vote. He added that some federal laws against police misconduct are already in place.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“If the state doesn’t get (Grayson), the feds will,” Wilburn said.
He spoke to a crowd of about 100 inside the lodge but did not go into specifics of the case, citing the request of his lawyer, noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
“They’re going to stop shooting our people, if it’s the last thing I do,” Wilburn said. He also called for the sheriff of Sangamon County, where Springfield is located, to step down.
According to multiple reports, Grayson pleaded guilty to two DUI charges from 2015-16, one of which led to his separation from the U.S. Army, and he had previously been accused of bullying behavior.
“Say His Name” or “Say Her Name” has been a common phrase to honor Black victims of police brutality in the past decade. The released bodycam footage shows Massey, 36, uttering “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” when she took a pot of water off a burner while talking with officers inside her home.
“You better f****** not. I swear to God I will f****** shoot you right in the f****** face,” one of the officers shouted before ordering Massey to drop the pot, body cam footage appears to show. At that point, Massey was shot.
Massey apparently had called police to report a possible intruder on her property. “I heard somebody outside,” she said on the video. An officer responded; he walked around the house and through neighboring yards and did not see anyone suspicious.
The conversation between Massey and sheriff’s deputies appeared to be winding down before the officer asked whose damaged car was parked behind the house in her driveway. Massey said she didn’t know, and the deputies calmly entered the house moments later, requesting information on the damaged car and Massey’s identification. Massey then took a pot of steaming water off a burner before the confrontation turned fatal.
A funeral for Massey was held July 19. Wilburn said he recently received a call from Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic nominee for president.
Members of Wilburn’s family attended the rally Sunday. He sat in the middle of the room facing a panel of civic leaders including Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington and Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr.
“I’ve never been at a loss for words,” Woods said, opening his comments.
No matter how one analyzes the case, the conclusion is still the same, Woods said. He called Massey’s shooting death “murder.”
Woods said citizens are protected by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
Washington said Pine Bluff police have been keying in on training for their officers, noting the establishment of the Det. Kevin D. Collins Center at the Civic Center. She also shared a prayer for all law enforcement officers to improve interaction with the public.
“For any of you who thinks your vote doesn’t count, for any of you who are upset or believe your vote doesn’t matter because they’re going to do what they’re going to do anyway, trust me, your vote counts, more than anybody’s,” said District 65 State Representative Vivian Flowers, the Democratic nominee for Pine Bluff mayor in the November general election. “Think about the role of prosecutor. The prosecutor is elected. They make the decision whether or not to prosecute a crime. … Accountability is important. Accountability rests with us.”
The Rev. Jesse Turner, the longtime leader of the Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration, outlined voting statistics for the city during a runoff election in 2022. Of 16,542 registered voters, 4,696 were inactive, and only 4.8% of the active voters participated in the election. Pine Bluff’s population in 2022 was 39,495.
A candlelight vigil was held during the rally as trumpeter James Horton performed a selection. Leslie Alexander and Alexis “Red Lipstick” Grady also read poems they created honoring Massey’s life.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” is not translation for “Shoot me!” Grady said.
James Wilburn, the father of slain Springfield, Ill., resident Sonya Massey, addresses the crowd as District 65 State Rep. Vivian Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, listens Sunday evening inside the William Townsend Elks Lodge in Pine Bluff. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. addresses the father of slain Springfield, Ill., resident Sonya Massey as poet Leslie Alexander listens. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Trumpeter James Horton performs a tune at a rally honoring the life of Sonya Massey. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
A visitor holds a candle during a vigil honoring the life of Sonya Massey. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)