Tampa hosts vigil for Sonya Massey

Tampa, FL – On July 27, close to 100 members of the community came to a vigil remembering Sonya Massey. Sonya Massey was a Black woman murdered in her home by a police officer.

Since then, the officer was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, but that is not enough, as the murder of Black folks at the hands of the police is an all too common occurrence. As the community honored her life with a table of flowers and sending candles down river, they also called for a change in how policing is handled.

The Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (TAARPR), Andrew Joseph Foundation, Poor Minority Justice Association (PMJA), and more came out. They called for protection of the Citizens Review Board (CRB) and bringing it further by establishing a Community Police Accountability Council for more oversight of the police.

The Tampa Police Department is pushing the city council to dissolve the CRB due to a House Bill 601, a law passed by Governor Ron DeSantis preventing cities from establishing civilian oversight of the police. House Bill 601 is a law in a long list of laws passed by DeSantis to repress protesters and freedom of speech in the wake of the George Floyd uprising.

Gareth Dawkins, a member of TAARPR at the vigil, stated, “The police will always push back against any form of accountability, which is why institutions like the CRB must be protected.”

Another demand pushed by the community was to bring an end to qualified immunity. This fight is personal to the Andrew Joseph Foundation and the Joseph family, as qualified immunity protects from being charged the officer whose actions resulted in the death of their son, Andrew Joseph III.

With these demands the Tampa community shows that they will not stand for police murders in Tampa or anywhere across the country.

#TampaFL #TAARPR #GeorgeFloydRebellion #GeorgeFloyd #SonyaMassey #PMJA #CRB #CPAC #PoliceCrimes