Sonya Massey supporters return to NYC's Washington Square Park. Here's what they had to say.
NEW YORK -- Hundreds protested Sunday in Lower Manhattan over the death of Sonya Massey, the Illinois woman shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy more than two weeks ago after she called police for help.
The rally in Washington Square Park was in concert with rallies across the country.
People brought signs, chanted and spoke about the excessive use of force by the police and how shooting Massey, 36, and a mother of two, was not necessary.
Speakers said they will continue to call for justice.
"I'm just so sick and tired of this happening over and over and over again and nothing is being done about it," Charlene Woodruff said.
"You do not have to die. Just like thousands of other people who have lost their lives at the hands of the police did not have to die," Carl Dix added.
Once again, the use of excessive force by police was at the forefront for many who rallied.
"As a woman in America, that's the first thing I might think about, is to call the police to come help me if I feel like someone is coming into my home. Never would I ever have to imagine having to fear the police in a situation like that," Mercedes Funderburk said. "I think there needs to be more, well, training, one. We need to look at how these people are selected to be on the police force, what their mental state is," Mercedes Funderburk said.
Here's what led to the shooting of Sonya Massey
On July 6, she called police from her Springfield, Illinois home to report a suspected intruder. Body-camera video shows a verbal altercation between Massey and Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson as she walked over to a pot of boiling water in her kitchen.
Grayson fired at her three times, killing her. He has been fired and is now charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sunday's vigil follows Thursday's rally in NYC
Massey's name echoed through Washington Square Park on Thursday night. Her family, supported by a community miles away, marched on with their message: "No justice, no peace!"
"It's too traumatizing, seeing Black death replay over and over again. It's unnecessary. It just needs to stop," said Dimez Cartier, of the group We The People.
"I've been out here since 2020 every week, every year ... fighting the same thing," added Rally Rebel, founder of We The People.
