DECATUR, Alabama — It's been 21 days since the deadly officer involved shooting of Steve Perkins, and now the 'Standing in Power' racial justice group is responding to Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion.
"No resident should be shot dead in their front yard for checking on a disturbance. The Decatur Police Chief admitted to a personal connection with Perkins and acknowledged the initial reports contained misinformation. However, Steve's name remains uncleared, and there has been no timeline of events provided based on body cam footage or other resources by Chief Todd Pinion, Mayor Bowling, or the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency," explained S.I.P. group member Lawrence Souffrant.
Souffrant also said that if Chief Pinion and Mayor Bowling genuinely knew Steve, "... you would act swiftly and with excellence, just as he did. You would understand his love for Decatur and the community, and provide answers we need for closure and healing."
FOX54 reached out to the Decatur Police Department in regards to Pinion's connection with Perkins. Pinion had said, "He was an acquaintance from a gym we both frequented and routinely saw and spoke with each other while working out."
S.I.P. group member Terrance Adkins also said the group is also calling for 1st Amendment protections. "We want to shed light on the threats and harassment peaceful protesters face here in Decatur, Alabama," he said. "Initially, the Decatur Police responded aggressively to our lawful First Amendment process, using militarized vehicles and intimidating tactics."
"They have grabbed protesters off the sidewalks and arrested them," said another S.I.P. group member, Aneesah Saafiyah.
We asked the police department if situations like these occurred. The e-mailed response we received reads, "Since the last update there has only been one additional arrest for disorderly conduct from Wednesday October 18th, 2023. One individual entered guilty pleas to 3 counts of disorderly conduct. Pursuant to the plea agreements reached in two of the cases, this individual is serving 15 days of a 90 day sentence and was placed on probation."
S.I.P. also questioned why all three officers involved in the shooting were not place on administrative leave. DPD replied, "The other two officers were placed on administrative assignment."
S.I.P. adds that they feel security is also a big concern. "Surveillance drones have been flown over homes, probation officers contacted, and neighbors intimidated," said Adkins.
We asked if DPD could verify if surveillance drones are flown over protesters homes, but did not receive comment to that point.
The group says they just want to feel safe and know they can trust law enforcement in their own community. "We don't want bad cops in our in our city, and we definitely don't want them in our communities if they're going to come to our homes and kill us," Saafiyah added.