Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) released the following statement on the murder of 36-year old Illinois resident Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman killed by a sheriff’s deputy after calling 911 to respond to a possible intruder in her home.
“Like so many in the Black Community, the murder of Sonya Massey is yet another devastating reminder of the unjust battles our community is forced to live through each and every day. A mother, daughter, and friend to countless individuals—Sonya Massey should be alive today but for the excessive use of force and inexcusable behavior of an officer with a questionable law enforcement tenure.
“Time and time again, our communities—particularly the Black community—are asked to put faith and trust in our institutions, especially law enforcement, that they will be there to protect us in our time of need, just like Sonya did when she called 911 for help. And time and again, this trust is broken.
“The typical sentiments of shock and pained devastation deeply diminish the repeated pain the Black community feels watching the final moments of one of our own online, and the persistent fear that we have that we or someone we know might be next.
“While I support the Springfield State’s Attorney’s office swift action in charging the officer with first-degree murder and commend the Department of Justice for opening an investigation, make no mistake—no action will ever bring Sonya Massey’s life back or erase the grief her family feels from her absence. As a former public defender and civil rights lawyer, I have seen too many families experience this same wrenching pain, and it was my experience defending the defenseless that spurred me to go into legislative work and change the broken system that led us to this moment.
“For Sonya, her family, and so many families just like hers, this must be the watershed moment to implement reforms like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that seek to prevent these avoidable deaths, root out individuals who should never be in these positions of power, and bring forth the justice and protection we rightly deserve.”