It was a full house at the Decatur City Council work session. More than a dozen people raised their concerns about the city's transparency and action following the deadly police shooting of Steve Perkins.
Many people spoke directly to Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, accusing him of taking the matter lightly. Then, Bowling made an announcement that he would not be seeking another term as mayor in 2025. The room erupted with applause when he said this.
Three family members of Perkins were among those who addressed the Decatur City Council. Steve Perkins' brother, Nick, asked city leaders about what kind of pressure they are putting on the Morgan County District Attorney to make an arrest.
The mayor told him that ALEA’s investigation into the deadly police shooting needs to be completed before the DA can act. Many of those who spoke at the meeting were vividly upset with the mayor.
Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion was in the audience during the meeting. A couple people had questions for him about their protocol and how officers should act toward protestors. Pinion spoke up and said the department has a lot that needs to be worked on and he takes responsibility for what needs to be done.
Dr. Brent Lipscomb, the Perkins family spokesperson, told us after the meeting, "The community is calling out for the officials and representatives to do the right thing and at this point you know transparency is necessary. We are able to see what happened on the video footage. If Councilman Jackson can see it then I'm sure the rest of the city officials are able to see that as well.â€
Toward the end of the meeting, Councilman Billy Jackson called for Pinion to either resign or be terminated.
