Massey Commission

The work continues!!

Our 10th anniversary is approaching on July 9th! To celebrate our anniversary AND further the work of the Massey Commission, we are partnering with the Illinois Accountability Coalition to host a community mutual aid block party and you're invited! Save the date and be ready to join us at the Boys & Girls Club on JULY 11TH for

🚨FREE BRAKE LIGHT REPAIRS,
🌭 Free Food,
🩺Free Health Screenings,
⛹🏿‍♀️ Family Friendly Activities and
🗣️ Conversations about how we can hold public officials accountable to enforce our civil rights and end qualified immunity in Illinois!

You do NOT want to miss this event!!

Share with friends and family and stay tuned. More details to come!!!

10yr Anniversary Brake Light Block Party Celebration

It's been several months since the Massey Commission completed its work, and I know many people in the community have been wondering what comes next.

That's a fair question.

The Commission may have sunsetted. The responsibility did not.

While much of the work happening now is less visible, I want the community to know that many of us who were involved in and around the Commission have not walked away. Conversations continue. Relationships continue. Organizing continues.

Some of us have spent the last several months focused on a question that has always mattered to me: What happens after the report is written?

Communities are often very good at identifying problems. We are less practiced at building the structures necessary to sustain solutions over time. Reports do not implement themselves. Recommendations do not move forward on their own. Momentum must be intentionally cultivated.

Behind the scenes, people are continuing to deepen their understanding of the landscape through anti-racism education, relationship-building, and long-term planning. Work is underway to create durable infrastructure that can help carry this work forward beyond any single commission, meeting, or moment.

There is still much to build and there is also reason for hope.

In the coming months, you'll hear more about efforts to establish a community-based entity focused on implementation, accountability, education, and connection. I know that all this uncertainty can create anxiety. I know many people are waiting for signs that the energy, testimony, and courage shared during the Commission process mattered.

It did.

The work continues. The relationships remain. And many of us are still committed to helping Sangamon County become a place where safety, dignity, belonging, and accountability are not aspirations, but lived realities.

Kelly, Sontae L. Massey, & Adam White

Don't forget to wear your purple and bring your yard signs to the Black Lives Matter SPI Car Procession today! Show up for Sonya Massey, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the many others who have lost their lives due to police violence! 💜💜💜💜

1:00- Car Decoration & line up (BLM-SPI will have window markers on site)
1:30- Program starts

https://facebook.com/events/s/black-lives-matter-solidarity-/910852295303717/

New Mental Health Committee anticipates focusing on adolescent care

Chair: Adolescents of all races have some of the same mental health problems.

“The only difference between the problems of adolescent males in the black community, and adolescent males in the rural communities is pigmentation,” said Nardulli. “They all have the same alienation problems. They all have the same substance abuse problems. We certainly need to address mental health needs in the black community, but I also think we need to focus on rural communities.” 🤔🤔🤔

https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-new-mental-health-committee-anticipates-focusing-on-adolescent-care/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=jetpack_social&fbclid=IwdGRjcASHvY1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4NwtKw3FTmlo60Xg-xW92J9klwrhMaiHFEfvU2OOUM9TvXwjEc0coACEPb1g_aem_xLTqDbDzBE-6GW1psn8oaw

New mental health board eyes hiring executive director

"This is brand new," admitted Nardulli, who was elected the board's chair. "In terms of creating an (entirely new) agency, there's nobody on this board who's done that. Hopefully, the trust this board and initially the (Sangamon County Board) have placed in me to try to get this to that end is well placed.

The mental health board, which will be responsible for evaluating community needs, establishing funding priorities and overseeing the distribution of resources to local service providers, was recommended by the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission at the urging of the Massey Commission.

The Massey Commission was formed following the murder of Sonya Massey, a Black mother of two children who was fatally shot inside her home on July 6, 2024, by a now-former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy. Massey had been the subject of a mental health call the day before the shooting.

The board is hoping to put together a job description by the June meeting for an executive director.

https://share.google/kUz6LAIQj5VAiGsuC

💜💜💜💜

The Massey Commission included ending qualified immunity among its official Calls to Action for community reform. This landmark endorsement highlights growing recognition that real accountability is essential to rebuilding public trust in Illinois. But...what IS "qualified immunity"???

Qualified immunity is a doctrine invented by courts that often prevents people from holding government officials accountable for violating constitutional rights unless they can point to a prior case with nearly identical facts. That “gotcha” requirement shuts the courthouse doors to many victims—even when the right is clear.

How does ending it help Illinois?

Ending qualified immunity ensures Illinoisans can present their civil rights claims in court. It promotes consistent standards, deters misconduct, and strengthens trust between communities and public institutions.

On July 11th, Black Lives Matter SPI will be hosting a . Come out learn more and sign up to support ending qualified immunity in Illinois!!

https://facebook.com/events/s/brake-light-block-party/940289618990417/

Bring your signs, wear your purple and continue to SAY HER NAME!!!