Local pro-Palestinian groups gathered on July 28 in Cincinnati's Downtown neighborhood to protest Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, a common sort of demonstration since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent deadly counter offensive in Gaza. This march, which started at Fountain Square, specifically called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's U.S. Congress address on July 24 that organizers said attempted to "justify his war crimes and the systematic slaughter of Palestinian lives."
But this protest featured a unique theme compared to the regular anti-war demonstrations organized by Students for Justice in Palestine UC, Cincinnati Palestinian Solidarity Coalition, Palestine Diaspora Movement and others. Demonstrators and organizers held signs and shouted for their support of justice for Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black Illinois woman who was shot and killed in her home by law enforcement on July 6.
“Today I am here in honor of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was brutalized by the police after she had called for help. I am here to let her name be known," said Cynthia Morrison.
Massey was killed at her home in Springfield, Illinois after deputies responded to her 911 call about a possible "prowler," according to the Associated Press.
Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who is white, was fired and charged in the shooting death of Massey after he allegedly shot her in the head for holding a pot of boiling water and "rebuking" them "in the name of Jesus." Prosecutors say Grayson also discouraged the other deputy on scene from providing medical care to Massey after the shooting.
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges related to Massey’s killing. Reports also indicate that Grayson has worked in six different law enforcement agencies in the last four years, has been charged twice with driving under the influence, and was discharged from the military for misconduct.
Morrison said Massey's death is an example of systemic injustices that impact people of color near and far, including Palestinians.
Keep scrolling to view pictures from the July 28 protest.
Photos by Lydia Schembre
A civil rights attorney for Massey’s family has said she dealt with mental health struggles.
Grayson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges related to Massey’s killing. Reports also indicate that Grayson has worked in six different law enforcement agencies in the last four years, has been charged twice with driving under the influence, and was discharged from the military for misconduct.
Morrison said Massey's death is an example of systemic injustices that impact people of color near and far, including Palestinians.
“I believe that all of our liberation is collective," she said. "In America, we face a lot of oppression in the Black community and the Native American community. I believe that all of us oppressed people need to stand together. We are here with our Palestinian brothers and sisters today so that we can show our solidarity, all of us together. Because we are not going to stop fighting. We need people to understand that. You can’t just push us into a hole and make us be quiet.”
Keep scrolling to view pictures from the July 28 protest.
Photos by Lydia Schembre
