Decatur city leaders took a lot of heat from the community at Monday’s council meeting.
Public comments from community members went past 9 p.m. and it was full of people who live in Decatur voicing their concerns about the Decatur Police Department.
Sierra Taylor, a Decatur resident, was one of those people who stepped up to the mic and explained to city leaders what she said happened to her Friday night. Taylor says Friday night, following a protest, she was punched in the face and knocked to the ground by a Decatur police officer before she was arrested.
Taylor said, “I wasn’t saying anything; when he ran by and hit me, I was walking, just trying to get with the group. He punched me.†Taylor said. “I have a concussion, and this large bruise is swollen in this area. And from all of them being on me, I have bruises all over me, as you can see. I can barely move my whole torso.â€
The Decatur Police Department sent this statement to us regarding Taylor: “On March 29, 2024, Sierra Taylor was arrested and charged with two counts of resisting arrest and one count of obstruction of governmental operations. She was booked into the Morgan County Jail on a $900 bond. In line with Decatur Police Department policy, we will investigate to ensure proper protocols were followed.â€
Family members of Steve Perkins were at Monday’s council meeting, including his widow, Catrela, her parents, and her children. Many who were at the council meeting and spoke during public comments asked city leaders if they still supported Police Chief Todd Pinion. All of the council members said they did, except for Councilman Billy Jackson, who has been calling for Pinion to resign for months. Pinion was not in attendance at the meeting.
Pinion, many Decatur police officers, and Councilman Hunter Pepper were among the people who have been subpoenaed by Morgan County prosecutors to appear at a gag order hearing relating to the murder case of former Decatur police officer Bailey Marquette. That gag order hearing is set for April 8.
At Monday’s council meeting, when residents asked about the leaked body camera footage of the deadly shooting of Steve Perkins, city attorney Herman Marks advised city leaders not to talk about it.
