Motorcyclists rally to protest fatal police shooting of Steve Perkins
Oct. 15—The deafening roar of 100 motorcycles revving in unison echoed off the walls of Decatur City Hall on Sunday afternoon as motorcyclists joined others in protesting the fatal police shooting of Steve Perkins.
The long line of motorcycles, many of which had staged at Ingalls Harbor, drove east along Lee Street Northeast. As they approached the City Hall driveway, men moved orange pylons so they could gather along the driveway and then stop in the parking lot.
After the motorcyclists had disembarked they walked to the City Hall steps where the protesters gathered in prayer. The prayer leader asked that God "touch the hearts of the mayor, the police chief," and of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency personnel who are heading the investigation into the Sept. 29 shooting. "We ask that Steve's death not be in vain," he said.
A motorcyclist stood in front of the crowd in a light drizzle and cool temperatures clad in a black leather jacket and said he had long been a friend of Perkins and worked out with him at the gym. He called on the people surrounding him to trust God and to accept that any human cover-ups would ultimately give way to the truth.
"Do not do anything under your own strength," he said, "but only under God's strength."
Nicholas Perkins, brother of Steve Perkins, also took the microphone.
"Keep praying. Don't stop. Now is the time to pray harder than ever — they're nervous," he said.
He said he hoped that Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson remains troubled "until he does the right thing."
After ALEA completes its investigation into the shooting, it has said it will provide Anderson with its findings. Anderson would then decide whether to take the matter to a grand jury.
"Decatur, we've got work to do," Nicholas Perkins said.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, and then one of the leaders yelled out, "No justice," to which the crowd responded, "No peace." She then called out, "Say his name," to which the crowd yelled in unison, "Steve Perkins."
Stephen Clay Perkins was shot at about 1:50 a.m. in the front yard of his Ryan Drive Southwest home. According to police, he had threatened a tow truck driver about a half hour before then when the tow truck driver attempted to repossess his vehicle. Perkins' family has said records indicate that payments on the vehicle were not overdue.
Police said officers then returned to Perkins' home with the tow truck driver. Security videos from across the street show Perkins exiting his house with a flashlight. ALEA says the flashlight was mounted to a handgun. Police can be heard identifying themselves from behind him and to his right. As he directed the light toward them, 18 shots were immediately fired as he stumbled to the ground. According to the family, seven of those shots struck Perkins, who died soon thereafter at Huntsville Hospital.
Police said an officer is on administrative leave during ALEA's investigation.
— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.
