Sean Grayson

[Jamie123]

https://www.illinoistimes.com/news-opinion/union-for-sheriffs-deputies-wants-grayson-reinstated-18845161

I get that a trades union has a duty first and foremost to its members. (We saw recently a case where this was forgotten - where the National Federation of Subpostmasters threw its own members under the bus and stood foursquare behind the employers.)

I also get that any person is innocent until proven guilty, and until a jury rules otherwise Sean Grayson is technically innocent.

However the whole thing is on camera. He shot dead an unarmed mother of two (I don't care that she was black - that's irrelevant) in her own home, cowering behind a kitchen counter, with her hands up, on the pretext that she could have picked up a nearby pot of boiling water and thrown it at him.

And even if she had, it would have given him nothing worse than treatable burns. He, on the other hand, deprived her of every remaining hour of her life. Just imagine the life she might have had in all her remaining years - being there for her children and grandchildren - growing old with her family around her. All that was taken away in an instant because one public official "felt threatened" - and not even by anything fatal - just something that would have given him temporary hurties.

Not only that, but the police initially tried to cover it up by blaming the shooting on "intruders". If Greyson was so convinced he was in the right, why didn't he tell the truth in the first place instead of trying to lie his way out of it?

And does the Fraternal Order of Police give one word of condolance to the family? Not a bit of it. They think the worst tragedy is that Grayson has lost a few days' wages, and wants him reinstated and reimbursed - along with all his "benefits" and "appropriate relief".

I hope that "greivance" goes straight in the bin.

Edited August 1, 2024 by Jamie123
Spelled the guy's name wrong

[LDSGator]

A lot of police officers are deeply disturbed by this as well. 

[mikbone]

Two things need to happen.

1) No

2) Union needs to be publicly reprimanded and shamed. 

[NeuroTypical]

I haven't watched the bodycam footage or looked into the details too deeply, so I can't really opine one way or the other.

[LDSGator]

20 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

I haven't watched the bodycam footage or looked into the details too deeply, so I can't really opine one way or the other.

I advise you not to. It’s not a pleasant viewing experience.   

I highly doubt Sean Greyson has a conscience (and I don’t have much of one either) but watching the video stuck with me. I can’t imagine being there. 

Edited July 30, 2024 by LDSGator

[Jamie123]

On 7/30/2024 at 6:14 PM, NeuroTypical said:

I haven't watched the bodycam footage or looked into the details too deeply, so I can't really opine one way or the other.

Looking at the footage again it's hard to be sure exactly what is going on because there are things piled up on the counter in the way. When I first saw it I thought she must have put the pot down while she was saying "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ" - especially because some reports said she had her hands up when they shot her. (You can't hold a pot of water and at the same time hold your hands up.) So maybe she was still holding the pot when they shot her, and maybe they did think that she might throw it at them.

Several things stand out though:

• The police told her to go and deal with the boiling pot. They had already suspected she was unstable when they asked about her mental health. If they thought she was unstable and was likely to do something violent, why did they let her anywhere near boiling water? They could easily have dealt with the boiling pot themselves.
• She was on one side of the counter and Greyson was on the other. He had plenty of space behind him to retreat into. He didn't because retreat would have made him look weak. He preferred to be the tough no-nonsense guy, barking orders and pointing guns. (And oh yeah - he looks really tough barking orders and pointing guns at a middle-aged lady, doesn't he?)
• Barking orders and pointing guns at a (possibly) unstable woman was not going to deescalate the situation was it? Even if she had no intention of throwing the water, what was more likely to make her panic and do so than that? Greyson was himself creating (or at least worsening) the danger he perceived himself to be in.
• I'm not a cop. I live in a country where cops are very rarely armed, because criminals are also very rarely armed. So I'm not an expert. But in my layman's opinion, lethal force should be used as a last resort, not a first response. Certainly not to avoid retreating from a perceived threat that was unlikely to be lethal anyway.

Grayson knew the dangers of being a police officer. He knew that he was likely to face unstable people, and he knew he had a duty of care towards them. He had responsibilities beyond protecting himself from a potential scalding by nasty-splashy-hurty-boily-hot water. (Which he could almost certainly have escaped anyway, had he not been so eager to play Mr. Tough Cop.)

What he did might have been (somewhat) excusable from an inexperienced civilian, but not from a trained law enforcer. "Grossly-over-charged-for-political-reasons" nothing. First degree murder is exactly the right charge. I hope the jury and the subsequent appeal judges will see it that way too.

Edited August 1, 2024 by Jamie123

[LDSGator]

If only someone here was a cop to give his perspective. @pam? @Vort? @The Folk Prophet? @Just_A_Guy? Hmmm….

[Jamie123]

I'm sorry I've developed a bit of a morbid fascination for this topic. None of us should be so outraged that we forget to pray for Sonya Massey's family. But a couple of updates:

1. The Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council have withdrawn their grievance against the Sheriff's Department and are no longer demanding Grayson's reinstatement. (https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/07/30/police-union-wont-fight-firing-of-deputy-who-killed-sonya-massey/74603216007/) Other police trades unions (particularly those who also call themselves "fraternal orders") are distancing themselves from that union. I think it's right they should support Grayson through his trial (that's what you pay a union subscription for!) but public tub-thumping making him out to be the wronged party shows utter disrespect to the victim and her family.

2. We now have the footage from Grayson's own bodycam, and many YouTubers have posted analysis of it. The Civil Rights Lawyer's video is quite good - it answers a few questions I had.

Edited August 1, 2024 by Jamie123