Protester to council: 'We are traumatized as a city'

Oct. 17—City Hall continued to see a strong presence from concerned citizens on Monday as many supporters of Steve Perkins, a Black man killed by Decatur police on Sept. 29, filled the gallery and waited to speak at a council meeting.

Also on Monday, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling said he had deactivated his Facebook pages amid online pressure from protesters.

"We are traumatized as a city," said Teairra Bolden, 40. "I know you're limited, but give us something, some kind of care. Give us something so we can sleep at night again."

Bolden said she hoped city leaders could provide a timeline for the investigation. They could not.

"We want an end to this, as you know we do," Mayor Tab Bowling said. Council President Jacob Ladner added that the city made it clear to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigators, who are handling the investigation, that the Perkins shooting should be a top priority.

Interactions between other speakers and city leaders played out much the same.

"What will be done?" Anthony Burgess asked into the podium microphone. He said a group of white men wearing pistols attempted to antagonize peaceful protesters over the weekend.

"This is to you, mayor: I personally feel that you have allowed a racial climate to come into existence from being silent on this matter," he said. "We need to hear you. Our babies are in danger."

Edward Franklin took the podium with an analogy: If his son borrowed his car and returned it with a dent, and it took him 20 minutes or more to explain how it received a dent, then his son must either be lying or trying to hide something.

"This is not rocket science," he said. "This equation is very simple. Show the bodycams."

City officials have stated repeatedly that they are not authorized to release police bodycam video from the shooting, as ALEA is the custodial entity of all evidence related to the investigation.

Cornelius Echols, a member of an NAACP-affiliated legal redress team and an early presence in the Perkins protests, said from the podium that the Morgan County district attorney can request ALEA to show some of the bodycam footage to Perkins' family members.

"Did you talk to the district attorney about the parts of the video he can file a motion for ... to get it to the family?" he asked.

"I haven't talked to the district attorney, no sir," Bowling responded.

"But you know he can do that though, right?" Echols asked.

"Have you talked with him?" Bowling countered. "He works for you."

After the exchange, City Attorney Herman Marks said they would reach out to ALEA.

Other speakers took the podium to ask why the other officers present during the shooting of Perkins aren't on administrative leave.

"An officer in our city is on paid leave for murdering a citizen, and the other two apparently agreed with breaking the code that night," said Briona Watkins, referring to Alabama Code 7-9A-609, which governs property repossessions. The statute does not authorize law enforcement to assist in repossessions without a court order. "Meanwhile Garrick (Rawls) has spent 10 days in jail for walking across the street."

Rawls was arrested twice, charged with disorderly conduct while protesting on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7.

"Is there a recommendation already in motion to place the other three officers who were on scene and a part of that ambush on administrative leave?" asked Sheree Head.

Ladner responded that personnel matters don't come before the council. Head then directed her question to Councilman Hunter Pepper, indicating he had previously agreed to find the answer.

"I don't think that that's a question for the chief, I think that's a question for the mayor," Pepper said. "As the mayor has said multiple times, he's in charge of day-to-day operations of the city and oversight of each department and its employees. So, I'm going to defer that question to the mayor."

Ladner added that, if there were multiple infractions of policies and procedures, disciplinary proceedings should result in termination.

President of the Morgan County chapter of the NAACP, Rodney Gordon, asked if the police chief and mayor viewed bodycam video of the shooting prior to sending the evidence to ALEA. Bowling said that he had not.

"Why haven't you arrested those guys?" Gordon asked.

Tommy Cook brought up the recent move of Judge James Horton's house. Horton in 1933 reversed a jury verdict finding one of the Scottsboro Boys guilty of raping a white woman.

"Years ago he was hated, ran out of town, because he stood against the grain," he said. "And today we honor him, why? Because he stood against the grain.

"What's going to be your legacy, Tab? You're going to be remembered as the mayor who did not stand for the people that voted him into office. That's what's going to be your legacy."

Bowling responded by saying that Cook's opinion of him might change when all is said and done.

"My legacy has yet to be determined," he said. "You can pass judgment on me once we receive all the information and then I start making decisions. But right now, I do not have enough information to make decisions, plain and simple."

Bowling on Monday said he temporarily deactivated his personal and city Facebook accounts after being "bombarded" by Perkins supporters. "I understood the message after receiving the first couple of 100 posts," he said.

After the meeting, Bolden said citizens shouldn't have to keep coming back to ask the same questions over and over.

"I feel like the meetings are just the same meetings that we're coming to each time since this has occurred," she said. "The next time we hear from them, we should have answers."

Bolden added that she is "flabbergasted" that the other officers on the scene aren't on administrative leave.

"If everyone would have been on leave, it would have actually meant a lot to the city," she said.

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.