****Tigger Warning****
Sonya Massey was a cherished member of our community, who found joy in hairstyling and treasured moments with her family. Tragically, on July 6, her life was cut short by the very police she called for help in Springfield, IL. Concerned about an intruder, she reached out to law enforcement, only to be met with fatal violence instead of protection.
Her family laid her to rest on July 19, and the release of body camera footage on July 22 revealed the devastating truth of her death, despite initial misinformation from local authorities. Local organizers have since created healing spaces for the community to begin processing this immense loss. We are fighting to create a world in which Sonya can live.
We invite you to take action on social media and in person to honor Sonya's life and fight for liberation. The toolkit below contains shareable social media graphics and copy. In Our Names Network encourages you to post this content on your accounts and share the document with your networks to raise awareness and extend our collective call to action.
Past Rapid Response Incidents of Violence
***Trigger Warning: Black girl sexually assaulted and beaten***
Alegend Jones, a 17 year old Black girl, was sexually assaulted by multiple male staff members at Youth Villages, a youth detention center in Memphis, TN. She was body slammed by two male counselors from Youth Villages after she refused to strip naked in front of them during an appointment at the Shelby County Health Department. She was later brought back to Youth Villages detention center in Bartlett and beaten by 12 counselors and died from her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
What's the Brave Cave in Baton Rouge?
Call To Action
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***Trigger Warning: Black Woman shot during no knock warrant raid***
Cynthia Soileau was shot in the face by Ville Platte police when they broke into her home to issue a no knock warrant. They also killed her husband in the process and arrested her son for first degree murder because he shot an officer in the process because they thought it was a break in. She is out of the hospital recovering and doctors have said she may never speak again.
Her family has set up a gofundme to pay for her medical bills:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/when-life-turns-upside-down-in-one-day?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
***Trigger Warning: Black Woman dies in police custody***
Kimberly Clark was found unresponsive at the Women’s Jail in Memphis, TN on August 4th. She was arrested on August 2nd, 2023 and arrived at the jail with severe injuries, but she never received medical attention and was found unresponsive two days later. Kimberly's siblings are asking folks to uplift this story because they've been asking for answers and continue to be ignored.
On March 29, Angel Davis was shot by a Philadelphia Landlord-Tenant Officer while being evicted from an apartment managed by Odin Properties, a notoriously negligent landlord that filed approximately 470 evictions against its tenants in just one year. Ms. Davis will soon be released from the hospital and cast onto the street with nowhere for her or her family to stay. Her family is seeking funding to secure new housing and to begin paying medical bills.
You can donate to her GoFundme Campaign here
On February 24, 2023 39-year-old Adrienne Arrington was killed in a police shooting in Pittsburgh’s St. Clair neighborhood. Police were responding to a call in the neighborhood after someone reported a suspicious person in the area. Authorities found Adrienne Arrington in an abandoned residence in the middle of a mental health crisis. The homicide is currently an ongoing investigation, and the same has been confirmed in a press release by the Allegheny County Police.
