I t was sad but encouraging to see that there was a rally for Sonya Massey. Sad that there had to be a rally for a slain woman who lived hundreds of miles away, but whose father lives in Pine Bluff. Encouraging that the arms of the community are ready to embrace one of our own who is hurting deeply.
The story of Massey has been spreading fast, as well it should. The 36-year-old mother had called the police because of a disturbance. Two deputies came to check things out. The events after that are nothing short of shocking, with Massey becoming nervous and wondering what to do with a pot of water on her stove. It’s almost as if she could see beyond what should have been a calm interaction between herself and law enforcement, all the way to the horrifically tragic end of her life. The story takes the breath away.
But there was plenty of breath at the special Elks chapter meeting held Sunday to celebrate Massey and offer comfort and compassion to her father, James Wilburn, who made Pine Bluff his home several years ago after living a life in California.
The moment was not lost on Wilburn, who urged the 100 or so in attendance to take a stand in life to make things better and to do that by supporting candidates and laws that protect people against police brutality.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Walk, crawl, run, do whatever we’ve got to do,” Wilburn said, encouraging the public to vote.
Early on and quickly, the suspected shooter, Sean Grayson, 30, one of the Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies at the house, was said to have used lethal force when the situation didn’t call for it and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
The real question and issue, of course, is why these types of things continue to happen.
“They’re going to stop shooting our people if it’s the last thing I do,” Wilburn told the crowd, adding that he had called for the sheriff of Sangamon County, where Springfield is located, to step down.
Sprinkled around the meeting space were posters on which were written such messages as “Say Her Name,” “She Should Still Be Here” and “I Rebuke You in the Name of Jesus,” which, according to the body camera footage, was one of the last things Massey uttered.
Said Vivian Flowers, state representative and likely the next mayor of Pine Bluff: “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 … trust me, your vote counts, more than anybody’s. … Accountability is important. Accountability rests with us.”
There were poems read and candles lit, and in a small but powerful way, Pine Bluff put its own stamp on what went on far away and what has become another national tragedy involving a Black person and law enforcement. Is it any wonder why many look at such incidents as a reason for losing confidence in police?
As one poet put it: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” does not mean “Shoot me!”