Steve Perkins: What happens next

Immediately following the announcement of the officers' firing and suspension, Steve Perkins' brother Nicholas took to social media with a statement, reading in part, "While this is a step in the right direction, this is just the beginning of justice for Steve and the city of Decatur. ... The loss of Steve for our family and the subsequent trauma to this city is greater than any loss of employment."

Lee Merritt, an attorney representing the Perkins family, spoke the day after the officers' firing to address pending litigation. Merritt said although the family is relieved administrative action was taken against the officers, they remain "cautiously optimistic" they can see criminal charges filed.

"There's something much more important involved in this particular case," Merritt said. "It's the brutal murder of a citizen, Steve Perkins -- a father, a husband, a beloved member of this community. What the decision by the mayor and the city of Decatur tells us is that it wasn't by the book."

Merritt is awaiting the results of an ongoing investigation overseen by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which will then report findings to Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson. Merritt hopes the case will be turned over to a grand jury.

"As a seasoned prosecutor, he [Anderson] understands the importance of getting it in a timely manner before evidence begins to disappear," Merritt said. "We will not take the pressure off of him and put it on ALEA. ALEA has a job, a responsibility, a role in this matter. But justice, criminal accountability, that is the providence of the prosecutor's office."

The family filed a federal lawsuit on Dec. 12, naming the City of Decatur, as well as the officers involved by name.

"That's going to lay out the policies and procedures we think are problematic that resulted in this tragedy and other tragedies," said Merritt.

Catrela Perkins, Steve's widow, said she still feels hurt and disappointed, and the loss of her husband has had a huge impact on her family. "My 7-year-old, she's taken it the hardest because she doesn't fully understand. It's hard for adults to even wrap their heads around what actually happened. It's definitely torn our family apart completely."

Organizations that have rallied around the Perkins family, including the Morgan County chapter of the NAACP and the grassroots organization Standing in Power, agree that the Decatur officers should face prosecution for Steve Perkins' death.

Community Leaders United, a group collecting members of the NAACP, the Pastors' Coalition, and other organizations, called for a rally at Decatur City Hall on Friday afternoon. A message that was posted to social media ahead of the event said "We stand with you. It's time for accountability."

Members of the collective also accuse Decatur police officers of unfair treatment during their constitutionally-protected rights to protest. Terrance Baker said he was arrested earlier this week after asking a simple question.

"I basically wanted [to know] the right way to protest," Baker said. "If they wanted to make us disperse, then what do we need to do?"

As people filled out forms to file formal complaints against police, others brought up Decatur officers' history of behavior in similar cases.

"We have a broken system," said Jerry Brown, pastor of Lifeline Church in Decatur. "We have a broken city. The actions that have taken place in about 70 days led to the death, the unjustified death, of two members of our community. There was a high-speed chase that went against DPD regulations that led to the death of a 16-year-old man, Jaiden DeJarnett ... and the shooting death of Steven Clay Perkins."

Brown said Perkins and DeJarnett's deaths are "the fruits of a poisonous tree."

"That is the Decatur Police Department," he continued. "This system has a lack of accountability [that] has emboldened officers to act in a way that is reckless and dangerous. There's a change that needs to take place. We will not rest until justice is served, until the broken system is fixed."

Decatur City Council member Hunter Pepper has gone on-record with his support for the officers involved in the shooting, admitting to writing an email that was leaked to the public in which he said termination before ALEA's investigation is complete is against due process.

Speaking on Friday, Pepper reiterated his thoughts, saying, "I do believe that the mayor has not made, in my personal opinion, a fair and informed decision on this matter," and that ""fair and due process that is given to the employers within the merit system was violated."

He confirmed that he recommended the terminated and suspended officers file appeals with the personnel board. He then accused protesters of harassing and attacking other police officers, spitting at them and shouting obscenities.

Standing in Power co-founder Aneesah Safiyah interrupted Pepper's news conference on the matter, accusing him of interfering with the integrity of an investigation. "He should not be out here giving speculation, if he does not have facts," she said.

Pepper has drawn ire from community members throughout the Perkins episode, most recently for saying that signs regarding justice for Perkins should be taken down, as well his opposition to a proposal changing vehicle repossession laws which some say contributed to the altercation in the first place.

An online petition demanding Pepper's resignation, which has been up since October, has so far garnered about 1,600 signatures.

Mayor Tab Bowling stressed that, by law, the disciplined officers have the right to appeal his decision and fight to regain their jobs and/or status. They have seven days from Thursday's announcement, he said, to file an appeal. However, in doing so, they will negate their current anonymity; filing an appeal will become part of the public record, and their names will become public knowledge. 

On Dec. 14, all four officers filed appeals. Now that the appeals have been filed, the five-member Personnel Review Board will have up to 30 days to set a date and time for a formal hearing. Once that date is set, all parties will be notified and a public notice will be issued.

ALEA is still in the process of analyzing evidence in regards to a criminal investigation connected with the shooting death of Steve Perkins. Their findings will be released to the Morgan County District Attorney when their analysis is complete.

Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion acknowledged there are reviews of policy and procedure that must happen in the aftermath of the shooting. In a statement released after the mayor's announcement Dec. 7, Pinion wrote in part, "I have pledged to take action to ensure something like this never happens in Decatur again, and that process has begun in earnest. It includes reviewing policies and procedures to implement change where needed, additional training, revitalizing our Citizen Advisory Board, and creating a critical incident page on our website to provide an additional avenue to keep the community informed when a critical incident takes place."