Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti once wrote that if you want to dispossess a people, the simplest way is to tell their story and start with “secondly.” I have been thinking about that idea often because history is full of stories that begin too late. Many Americans were introduced to Juneteenth only after it became a […]
Sonya Massey
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Antiracism training and building the beloved community
A piece of artwork hangs over my desk. For more than 20 years of ordained ministry, it has reminded me of connections with others and a touchstone when the path is cloudy. It is an inscribed painting of the “Golden Rule” as translated from many faith traditions and ethical systems of the world. We share […]
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Good trouble
Being a resident of this town often reminds you of the Vachel Lindsay poem Springfield Magical. Lindsay describes Springfield as “the City of my Discontent” and any longtime resident would second his sentiment. As a native of Springfield, I am all too familiar with the feeling of discontent this city breeds. Growing up here, I […]
Posted inNews
Massey family to receive $10 million settlement
Sangamon County government will be spared from a lawsuit and a potentially embarrassing trial under a $10 million settlement with the family of Sonya Massey. The settlement, the largest of its kind in Sangamon County history, was reached last week, County Board member Craig Hall told Illinois Times on Feb. 6. As part of the […]
Posted inNews
A pledge to improve
The Jan. 16 agreement between Sangamon County officials and the U.S. Department of Justice ended a federal race and disability discrimination probe of county government but failed to satisfy critics in the wake of the police-involved killing of Sonya Massey. Sheriff Paula Crouch said in a news release from the county that the DOJ review, […]
Posted inNews
Sheriff Jack Campbell to retire
Embattled Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell announced Aug. 9 that he will retire by the end of the month amid calls for his resignation by critics of his hiring of the deputy charged with murder in the July 6 shooting death of Sonya Massey. In the five-paragraph statement from Campbell, issued at about 3:15 p.m. […]
Posted inNews
Sheriff defends hiring process
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell on Aug. 1 defended his agency’s vetting of former deputy and accused murder Sean Grayson. Campbell, 60, has said he won’t resign amid public criticism in the wake of the shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman, at the hand of Grayson, who is white. And Campbell disagreed with […]
Posted inNews
Bodycam video of Sonya Massey death released
Here is video from the body-worn cameras of two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies who entered Sonya Massey’s Woodside Township home on July 6. Massey, 36, received a fatal head wound, allegedly from a 9mm handgun fired by Deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder in the incident, and authorities have said […]
Posted inNews
Argument about pot of water leads to murder charges
A Sangamon County deputy sheriff fired his gun three times at Sonya Massey in her home after the unarmed 36-year-old woman held her hands in the air, told him “I’m sorry” and ducked for cover behind a counter. That information was part of the successful argument a Sangamon County assistant state’s attorney used July 18 […]
