WHY PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE POLICE

It was announced today that a coalition of police unions representing a total of 241,000 officers nationwide has officially endorsed the candidacy of a criminal convicted of 34 felonies, found guilty of operating a fraudulent business, and found guilty of sexually abusing a woman.

And then there is this, from Huffington Post:

Sean Grayson Worked In 6 Departments In 4 Years Before Killing Sonya Massey

Sean Grayson — the Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with murder after he shot Sonya Massey in her apartment while she wielded only a pot of water — worked six law enforcement jobs over the past four years, pleaded guilty to two charges of driving under the influence, and was discharged from the Army for “serious misconduct.”

Now Massey’s family wants answers on how Sangamon County came to hire him and put a gun in his hands.

Grayson, 30, was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder by a grand jury on July 17. He and another Sangamon County deputy responded to Massey’s home after she called about a possible intruder. The local district attorney’s office released a 36-minute body camera video on Monday that showed Massey, a Black woman, unarmed and ducking for cover moments before Grayson shot her in the head.

Massey’s family says Grayson should not have been working for the department due to his past. “There were all these red flags, and yet they still made him a deputy in this county,” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, said at her funeral.

Grayson worked part-time with the Pawnee Police Department from Aug. 11, 2020 to July 26, 2021, and then took another part-time job with the Kincaid Police Department from Feb. 4, 2021 to May 18, 2021, according to records from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Two days later, Grayson started part-time with the Virden Police Department on May 20, 2021. Then, on July 20, 2021, he started working full-time with the Auburn Police Department. After leaving Virden in December and Auburn the following May, Grayson worked full-time with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office beginning in May 2022. He left in April 2023 and started working with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May of that same year, records show.

Grayson had no prior documented use-of-force complaints while working for Sangamon County or other departments, the sheriff’s office told HuffPost in a statement.

He did, however, plead guilty to misdemeanor offenses for driving under the influence in 2015 and 2016, according to online court records.

The first incident was on Aug. 15, 2015, when the Virden Police Department arrested Grayson for DUI and he pleaded guilty. He was charged with a DUI again the next year in July after he was arrested by the Macoupin Sheriff’s Department, according to charging documents obtained by HuffPost.

Grayson was also discharged from the Army for serious misconduct, according to Illinois Public Media. IPM reported that Army officials declined to release any details about the misconduct, citing Defense Department policy.

On July 6, Grayson and an unidentified deputy questioned Massey in her home, asking for her identification. When Massey went to the kitchen to turn off a boiling pot of water, the other deputy moved back and said he was moving “away from your hot steaming water.”

From the kitchen, Massey responded: “I rebuke you, in the name of Jesus.”

Grayson, standing in the living room, then escalated the encounter.

“You better fucking not, or I swear to God, I’ll shoot you in your motherfucking face,” Grayson told Massey while putting his hand on his weapon.

He immediately drew the weapon, and Massey, still in the kitchen and away from the deputies, ducked and raised her hands. “Ok, I’m sorry!” Massey said to Grayson.

Grayson fired three shots, killing her.

Massey’s killing sparked national outrage. President Joe Biden expressed he was “heartbroken” for Massey’s children and entire family.

“Sonya Massey, a beloved mother, friend, daughter, and young Black woman, should be alive today. Sonya called the police because she was concerned about a potential intruder. When we call for help, all of us as Americans – regardless of who we are or where we live – should be able to do so without fearing for our lives,” Biden said in a statement on X.

“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.”

Massey’s father called for Sheriff Jack Campbell’s resignation during a press conference on Tuesday.

“I will say again, I am calling for the sheriff’s resignation. Because I think it is a culture to treat this family this bad,” Wilburn said.

“If it were not for this camera footage, we as a people, they would have lied their way right out of this. So he needs to resign.”

The sheriff’s office released a statement the day Grayson was indicted on murder charges and stated that his actions that night did not meet the standards practiced at the department. He was additionally charged with official misconduct and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Sangamon County District Attorney John Milhiser’s office said it had determined that “the evidence did not support a finding that former Deputy Sean Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force, and the case was presented to a Sangamon County Grand Jury.”

I’ve learned first-hand about America’s “police problem,” from 57 years ago when I became involved in the LAPD’s first “police riot” at Century City, through five “reforms” of the LAPD that generally last about four years before there’s need for another one. In 1970, I reported the trial of “Los Siete de la Raza” in San Francisco, a case where the “good cop” (who really was) was killed by the incompetence and ignorace of his partner, the “bad cop” who really was someone who should never have been a cop, who managed to convince the San Francisco DA that the “murderers” were the seven kids they stopped for the crime of moving their friend’s furniture into a new apartment. And this crap continues to happen because the method and administration of American policing is the problem.

There are too many “fine messes” we have to deal with, but the continuing problem with the police is certainly in the top five. Thanks to all of you who support this work with your paid subscription. It’s only $7/month or $70/year.

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