On a night when the Sangamon County Board officially voted to establish the Massey Commission to address police practices following the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Springfield woman strongly objected to its creation.
“I think it’s a joke,” Haley told The State Journal-Register, after he dismissed the commission as “phony” in public comments he made Wednesday during a special board meeting at the Bank of Springfield Center. “I think it was put together very quickly to check the box, to say we’re doing something.”
The commission was convened last month by Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter and state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, with an eye toward addressing systemic problems in law enforcement practices, mental health responses and community relations.
More: ‘Your pain – we heard it.’ Massey Commission holds first listening session
Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and mother of two, called 911 in the early morning hours of July 6 because she thought she heard someone outside her home, which is in an unincorporated area of Woodside Township.
Former deputy sheriff Sean P. Grayson shot Massey in the face after the situation surrounding a pot of boiling water quickly escalated.
Grayson’s tenure at the sheriff’s department has been questioned, as he bounced from agency to agency before landing in Springfield in 2023. His criminal history also includes two DUIs and a questionable discharge from the military.
The commission, chaired by Jerry Kruse, dean and provost of the SIU School of Medicine; the Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, pastor of Union Baptist Church; and Nina Harris, chair of the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion, held its first listening session on Monday.
While the names of the 12 commissioners have not yet been made public, McJunkins reported after Monday’s meeting that there are nine members on board, including a member of the Massey family.
Others expressed different concerns on Wednesday.
Jenna Broom said that with a lack of subpoena power, “this committee is really a dead end. I hope there is a way for all the requested data and documents to be received.”
Breonna Roberts added that “transparency about who is being appointed” is needed and that appointees with questionable backgrounds or insufficient experience risk the commission “making the same mistakes that got us here.”
Roberts also urged the board to reconsider the committee’s co-chairs.
“Sangamon County deserves better,” she said.
Haley, who has her own public relations firm, is associated with the Massey family. Several members of the Massey family, including Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, were present at the meeting.
Haley called it “disrespectful” that a committee is formed and co-chairs are appointed without the commissioners themselves being allowed to determine who will be co-chairs.
“That’s bold transparency,” Haley said. “That’s what gets people to buy into it.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared in the State Journal-Register: Sonya Massey Commission Gets Full Approval Despite Public Opposition
