Decatur residents demand police reform, accountability in wake of Perkins’ murder
The Decatur community has been shaken to its core after the tragic murder of Steve Perkins, a beloved family man, fitness enthusiast and community member. As residents rally for justice and police reform, they are united in their quest to ensure that Perkins’ murder will not go down in vain and that policies are put into place that will prevent another lost life.
Perkins, 39, was killed in the early morning hours of Sept. 29, 2023, by Decatur police, and the circumstances surrounding his death have left residents shaken and seeking accountability. He was shot seven times.
Neighbors’ surveillance camera footage shows three Decatur police officers entering Perkins’ neighborhood and walking through other neighbors’ lawns. Later the footage shows a tow truck driver arriving to repossess Perkins’ pickup truck. In the footage, Perkins can be heard yelling, “Hey put my truck down!”
Gunshots can be heard within seven seconds of Perkins stepping outside of his home. The video reveals that shots were fired only four seconds after Perkins shouted at the tow truck driver.
Justin Shepherd, a retired army sergeant and neighbor, described the horrifying events that unfolded in the quiet neighborhood. Around 1:47-1:50 a.m., Shepherd heard a barrage of gunshots—18 shots in total—ringing through the night. As he looked out of his window, he saw Perkins lying lifeless on the grass of Perkins’ lawn, surrounded by police officers.
“I thought someone was trying to kill me, because I heard the gunshots hitting my house,” Shepherd recounted. Shockingly, he discovered that at least six bullets had struck his home, yet the police have not asked for the bullets or seen all the entry points.
The harrowing incident left Shepherd feeling like a suspect in a murder as law enforcement officers kept a watchful eye on him while he was restricted from entering his home in the aftermath of the murder. He was finally allowed back into his residence around 7 a.m.
Protestors are calling on the city of Decatur to fix its flawed police policies and for elected officials to hold law enforcement officials accountable, but so far their requests have gone unanswered by the city and the Decatur Police Department. The community has protested daily since Perkins’ killing and does not plan to stop until justice is served and change is made.
Family members have requested body camera footage from the police officers who shot and killed Perkins, but so far that request has been denied by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, who is in charge of the investigation. ALEA director Chris Inabinett has cited Alabama law claiming that releasing the footage could “affect an ongoing active law enforcement investigation or prosecution.”
Decatur City Councilman Billy Jackson has called for Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion’s resignation or termination, but Mayor Tab Bowling has said they do not plan to terminate the police chief. Additionally, Pinion has said he has no plans of resigning.
Jackson said that policies and procedures stop with the police chief. He also said that the city council, mayor, and police chief all can implement policies.
Alabama Values Progress reached out to Pinion and Bowling to ask if they are planning any policy reform within the police department. Bowling referred AVP to Decatur Police Public Information Officer Irene Cardenas-Martinez, who said that any new policies and procedures will be placed on the DPD website and social media so that Decatur residents will have access to them.
On Nov. 17, Pinion announced that the internal investigation into the shooting of Perkins found that the officers involved violated police department policy.
“I found reason to believe that policies were violated and the final report and findings were sent to the Legal Department and outside counsel late this afternoon to prepare the formal documents to move forward the discipline process,” he said. “Under our merit system rules, a chief of police cannot issue discipline beyond written reprimands and it is my professional opinion that such discipline is warranted. The Mayor will conduct a review and make a final determination if discipline is warranted and to what extent.”
Pinion said that while his department’s policies and procedures are accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, he plans to conduct a review of all policies and update or add policies that could help prevent an instance like this from happening again.
The chief also apologized for Perkins’ truck being repossessed while he was shot and killed in his yard.
“I also want to address reports in the media about Mr. Perkins’ vehicle being repossessed by the recovery company shortly after Mr. Perkins was shot,” he said. “This is true, and while no policy exists for every potential situation a police department may encounter, I fully understand why the officers’ decision to allow this to occur caused additional hurt to Mr. Perkins’ family and our community. I am sorry for the additional pain caused and pledge we are working to address the culture of our police department to ensure compassion remains at the top of our core values.”
Ultimately, Bowling will be the one who will decide if there should be any disciplinary action and what the level of action would be.
Community members stand in solidarity
Annesha Saafyiah, a close friend of the Perkins family and organizer with Standing in Power, spoke emotionally about Perkins, describing him as a wonderful, intelligent, and helpful human being. She urged the community to come together, push for justice for Perkins, and work toward positive change and leadership within Decatur.
“We don’t want our children to grow up in a world where the police can kill our own. Can come to anyone’s home and kill you. We have to do this now. It may seem draining. It can be unhopeful at times. We can’t give up as a community,” she said. “To make sure this never happens again, the city of Decatur has to be the standard and not uphold bad policing. Cops need to be held accountable and be decertified. We want to make sure that the cops are trained and they get out in the community and care about the community they serve.”
Community members have rallied to demand transparency and accountability from the city of Decatur, striving to ensure that no more unjust harm is done to their community. They want to see changes in law enforcement policies and an end to qualified immunity, which has often shielded police officers from accountability.
Alabama State Chapter of NAACP President Bernard Simelton has been calling for a comprehensive review and revision of the state’s policies on the use of deadly force by law enforcement. The state NAACP office is just 15 miles away from where Perkins was killed.
Simelton questioned the necessity of such a response with officers firing 18 rounds, asking, “Was that necessary?”
His call for reform centers on the need for more extensive training to emphasize the importance of exercising the right judgment over hasty decision-making.
An uptick in requests for police accountability
Requests for police accountability and reform aren’t new with small changes being implemented across the country since the 2020 murder of George Floyd, but more needs to be done.
The Marshall Project reported in May around the third anniversary of Floyd’s death that states have passed hundreds of reform bills and some cities have rolled out alternative programs for mental health calls, but the overall police footprint has remained unchanged. Congress has also failed to pass any comprehensive police reform.
Recent data from a survey conducted in more than 100 police departments underscores the pressing need for police reform initiatives aimed at mitigating racial disparities. In the majority of cases, people of color were found to be underrepresented by over 10 percentage points when compared to their local population demographics, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue.
While promoting diversity within police forces is a popular approach to tackle these disparities, a longstanding debate persists regarding its ability to singularly improve policing outcomes. The tragic event in January 2023, involving the police killing of Tyre Nichols by five Black members of the Memphis police who were later arrested and charged with murder, has reignited this debate. It underscores the importance of exploring multifaceted strategies to create a more equitable and just society for all.
In Alabama, the only movement seen at the state level is a bill passed during the 2021 legislative session that created a database to track bad actors in police departments to help prevent them from going to other agencies across the state.
Alabama’s House Democratic Caucus is working on a few bills to reintroduce for the 2024 legislative session around police reform and chief of staff Luke Kiszla said representatives are working to get more details and facts around the Decatur situation in order to file a bill that would be an appropriate solution.
“We are continuing our work and will absolutely be focused on any policies that could avoid situations like Decatur,” he said.
Kiszla said that citizen review boards are being created at the local level in Birmingham and now Montgomery with other places hopefully coming in the future. These boards are put into place to help build trust among the community and law enforcement officials while also providing transparency to the public about police operations and allowing for police complaints.
“At the end of the day, that’s one of the policies that will directly give citizens some power in situations like what happened in Decatur,” he said. “There have been bills in the past to require the creation in each city or town but those have faced an uphill battle. Right now, we are working with local community leaders and government officials to aid in the creation of these boards wherever the local government has the willpower.”
Decatur’s history of racial discrimination and violence
Decatur is no stranger to a history of racial issues with a legacy marked by a long history of hatred, violence and discrimination toward Black people.
Community organizer Terrance Adkins emphasized the historical significance of Decatur where the fight for racial justice has deep roots. Adkins mentioned the Scottsboro Boys who were wrongfully accused and convicted of raping two white women in 1931. Tommy Lee Hines who was wrongfully accused and convicted of raping a woman in 1978, and now Steve Perkins who was wrongfully accused and killed at the hands of Decatur Police.
“I do see dots being connected between all three of these cases,” he said. “And violence against black people across this country, especially those who descend from slavery. All of these things mirror each other in a way that if you don’t put them together, you will miss the whole story. If you don’t put the 92 years of history together, you’re missing the mark. They were wrongfully accused and there is no refuge for them because they are black men.”
Marquise Gray, a friend of Steve’s brother and a local pastor, echoed the sentiments of the community, emphasizing the need for better leadership, empathy, and accountability. He described how Steve’s death had galvanized Decatur, leading to peaceful protests and demands for policy reform in the police department.
“His death will not be in vain because we aren’t going to let it be in vain,” he said. “It has to start with leadership. From the top to the bottom, there is no accountability. The people are trying to ask for it the right way. We’ve had revivals, we’ve had services, we’ve had peaceful protests. We’ve done everything by the book and they are just not caring.”
Standing in Power is asking those who want to get involved to join a petition to have the police chief terminated. The petition has nearly 2,500 signatures and can be signed at tinyurl.com/DPDChiefMustGo.
