The Massey Commission held its final full meeting Oct. 27, approving a list of calls to action. They include police reforms and expanding behavioral health systems while inviting participation from all facets of the Springfield community.
The Massey Commission was created by Sangamon County Board Chair Andy Van Meter and State Sen. Doris Turner to address “systemic issues in law enforcement practices, mental health responses and community relations” one month after Sonya Massey called 911, only to be shot and killed in her home by a sheriff’s deputy.
The meeting was on the same day attorneys for Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Massey, rested their defense of Grayson in a murder trial brought forward by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office.
Kelly Hurst, the commission’s managing director, reminded attendees of the commission’s goals.
“Our call to action from the beginning was about justice,” Hurst said. “Every recommended call to action, every action, step and every measure of progress has been included not as a checklist, but as a way to hold ourselves accountable and ensure that this work leads to real change.”
She emphasized how the commission focused on the lack of trust between marginalized communities and police.
“How do we start trusting one another first and foremost? One of the things I heard over and over again was, ‘We don’t need to rebuild trust, it’s never been there.’ We need to build it from the ground up. We simply do not have it. There is not a lot of trust here; so, the commissioners worked to build that trust,” Hurst said.
Sunshine Clemons, commission member and cofounder of Black Lives Matter Springfield, said her confidence in the commission’s work grew over the past year of meetings and discussions.
“Everyone up here has poured at least some portion of their soul into this work. I’m grateful to have been a part of this work and I wanted to say that because I was very vocal in the beginning – I did not have faith in this commission,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that on the back end, I also say I believe that we have put forward something that will make our community better.”
Clemons also asked attendees and the greater Springfield community to take part in the changes the commission is seeking to enact.
“Wherever you see an organization that you are affiliated with that can align themselves with one or all of these calls to action and help move it forward, get on board. It’s going to take all of us, that is what community is,” Clemons said. “There’s a framework here, we can all move forward with this.”
Ken Page, president of the Springfield ACLU chapter, said during the public comments that amending local, state and federal legislation is a secure path to forge lasting change. He credited legislation within the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping set of statewide criminal justice reforms enacted in 2023, for keeping Grayson detained while his case plays out in court.
“Legislation is extremely important on every level – the national level as well – but America has not changed her ways without litigation. We had to go into the courts for America to change her ways,” he said. “(Systems and institutions) were designed to do what they’re doing, and the foundations of those systems were built on racism. In order to change it, we have to go under and look at the foundation – the foundation should be changed. In order to change it, you have to take it down and build it back up.”
Ken Pacha, a community activist and regular speaker at Springfield City Council meetings, said during the public comment period that the people of Springfield and Sangamon County, not the commission, are now responsible for making change happen.
“In a year’s time, I don’t want to hear that the Massey Commission didn’t do enough or that this didn’t mean anything. It is up to us to make it mean something. It is up to us to make people uncomfortable with the things we have to say about their leadership or lack thereof,” he said.
Massey Commission calls to action approved on Oct. 27:
- Authorize the installation of a commemorative plaque honoring Sonya Massey and those affected by systemic injustice
- Establish a countywide interoperable crisis response and dispatch framework
- Establish a pilot program to expand crisis responder qualifications and integrate individuals with lived experience into behavioral health response systems
- Establish enhanced law enforcement vetting and hiring standards
- Establish countywide psychological evaluation standards for first responders
- Establish countywide standards for in-person anti-racism, de-escalation and crisis intervention training
- Expand law enforcement recruitment pipelines and requiring data-driven cluster
hiring practices - Convene a countywide mental health and public safety coordination summit to address service capacity and continuity of care
- Define strategic priorities for the Sangamon County 708 Mental Health Board to advance access, equity and system coordination
- Urge the Illinois General Assembly to enact qualified immunity reform to strengthen civil rights accountability
- Establish a countywide transparency and accountability dashboard for law enforcement oversight
- Establish the Civilian Oversight Board of Sangamon County
- Establish a coordinated police accountability and transparency framework
between the city of Springfield and Sangamon County - Establish the Annual People’s Scorecard Summit to monitor and report progress on
Massey Commission reforms - Require countywide health, wellness and social vulnerability data tracking and public accountability systems
- Establish a countywide transit equity analysis and mobility access framework
- Require comprehensive equity and accessibility reviews and departmental
inclusion plans - Establish a Sangamon County Resources Portal to consolidate and expand access to community services
- Establish the Sangamon County Opportunity Access Plan and Equitable Economic Development Framework
- Require the publication of anonymized lending and borrower data to ensure financial transparency and consumer protection
- Prioritize additive job creation, ending extractive incentives and expanding workforce training for marginalized residents
- Advance equitable housing, community revitalization and minority contractor capacity across Sangamon County
- Expand preventive and primary care access through an integrated mobile health network and diverse workforce development strategy
- Establish an annual Sangamon County Civil Rights and Accountability Summit
- Support the expansion and countywide replication of school-based peace rooms and social-emotional learning programs
- Urge comprehensive review of the Massey Commission final report and workgroup findings
- The Sangamon County Board, in cooperation with the Sangamon County Sheriff, conduct or have conducted a compensation, training and evaluation differential study for deputy sheriffs that compares with the Springfield Police Department after first implementing: 1. More efficient use of financial resources and 2. Areas of concern identified in the Massey Commission’s calls to action and settlement with the Department of Justice.
