Speak out/Protest the police execution of Sonya Massey: STOP KILLING US!

“If this was the only thing wrong with this system, that would be more than enough reason to wipe it off the face of the earth!” Leo of the Revcom Corps Chicago, quoting Bob Avakian

On July 6, 36-year-old Sonya Massey shot in the face and killed by a pig from Springfield, Illinois. When a video was released of her cold-blooded execution, people in Springfield, across Illinois, and across the country were outraged. Another black person gunned down by marauding, murderous cops! If Revolution wrote last week: “Heartless pigs enforcing a heartless system. REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!!”

On July 26, THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity gave a speech condemning the murder of Sonya Massey outside the Revolution Organizing Center on Chicago’s South Side, one of the largest black centers in the United States. As Leo spoke the words at the top of this article, he and another member of the Revcom Corps were surrounded by people holding signs with photos of people killed by police. They were facing a large number of TV cameras and reporters, and the news was broadcast on all the local TV stations that evening.

The speech was led by another member of the Revcom Corps, who also led the crowd in chants: “From the slave hunters, to the KKK, to the murderous cops of modern times, convict the cops and keep them in jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell”; “Say her name, Sonya Massey”; and “No more! Stop killing us!”

As we canvassed the neighborhood around the Revolution Center, revolutionaries discovered that nearly everyone we reached had seen the video of Sonya being shot in the face by a Springfield pig after she called 911, fearing an intruder. The outrage was palpable.

Several people spoke at the meeting, including a local resident and a small business owner who shared a photo of Paul O’NealA young man he helped raise was killed by Chicago police in 2016.

The Rev. Jennifer Stephens, a Methodist minister from North Side Chicago, read a statement condemning the shame, calling on people to remember Sonya’s humanity, and ending with, “No more! Enough is enough!”

Gloria Pinex held a poster with a photo of her son Darius, who was killed by Chicago police in 2011. She said, “I stand here in solidarity, with my family and all the other families who lost their lives at the hands of police. I’m angry all over again. My son has been gone for 13 years, 13 long years and there is still no justice for him. So once again. I stand here, ‘No justice, no peace,’ and yes, I’m with the revcoms. Ten toes down.”