Council supports chief after Perkins supporter allegedly punched by officer

Apr. 3—All but one councilman at Monday's council meeting indicated they will continue to support Decatur police Chief Todd Pinion after a Decatur woman said she was punched in the face by a Decatur police officer Friday while protesting the police killing of Steve Perkins.

On Monday, roughly a week after a conservative news website published an apparent Alabama Law Enforcement Agency video presentation, including bodycam, of Perkins' death, the Morgan County District Attorney's Office subpoenaed 14 Decatur police officers — all lieutenants or captains — to an April 8 gag order hearing in the murder case against accused shooter and former Decatur police officer Mac Marquette.

Marquette's father, James Marquette, Councilman Hunter Pepper, ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Inabinett and two other SBI agents were also subpoenaed. In a Dec. 8 press conference, Pepper said that "individuals" had leaked information to him about the case.

Monday's City Council meeting, the first after graphic footage of Perkins' death hit the internet, was well-attended and lengthy. Although Sierra Taylor, 34, wasn't the first Perkins supporter to address the council during public comments, she was one of the most anticipated speakers judging by the applause that accompanied her introduction.

Taylor said she was punched in the face by Officer Jack Brown and, when she tried to ask for his badge number, he decided to arrest her.

"You want to know the truth?" Brown allegedly asked Taylor, with a smile, as he booked her into Morgan County Jail. "To be honest, I kind of enjoyed it."

Morgan County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Swafford confirmed on Tuesday that something similar was said during Taylor's booking, as everything there is audio and video recorded. He declined to say whether the statement came from a Decatur police officer, but he said the statement did not come from Sheriff's Office staff.

Decatur police Chief Todd Pinion said his department is investigating Taylor's arrest and her subsequent complaint.

"Excuse me if I get messed up, because I am fuzzy and I have a concussion from getting punched in my face," Taylor told the council.

She said she and a large group of protesters walked from City Hall down Line Street, past the mayor's house, before turning on Walnut Street back toward City Hall. There, a smaller group of protesters known as Night Shift decided to walk the route again, this time silently.

"The mayor was in his backyard playing 'We Will Rock You' (by Queen), and Brown was standing by the mayor's back fence," Taylor said. "The mayor was sending us a clear message. It was probably close to 9 p.m."

Mayor Tab Bowling did not respond to requests for comment concerning the music. Taylor said protesters began dispersing after they were instructed to by Brown. She then noticed Brown chasing after someone who was running.

"Brown took off running and as he was running, I was crossing the street to get with the group. As he ran by me, he full-on punched me as hard as he could in my jaw/temple area. I blacked out and fell to the ground."

Taylor said she lost consciousness for a few seconds before she was helped to her feet by fellow protesters. They then moved to the corner of Line Street and Walnut Street as they continued to disperse, and Taylor said she noticed Brown had given up his pursuit.

"Can I get your name and badge number please, since you just assaulted me?" she said she asked Brown. She said he ignored her, so she asked again in a louder voice.

"When I did that, he bull-charged me from the front. I was terrified and I was backing away, because I didn't even know why he was coming at me. Behind me, I guess three officers had arrived for backup, and they bull-charged me from behind." Taylor said she didn't resist the officers.

"They were just pushing me into the ground with their knees and their hands screaming, 'Stop resisting, stop resisting.' I know that was a way of trying to cover up the fact that he (Brown) had hit me in the face. I know what they were doing."

While this was happening, Taylor said one of the officers who noticed protesters were recording the incident then aimed a flashlight toward the phone cameras in an apparent attempt to block the video.

"They then handcuffed me so tightly that I have bruises. I was still not resisting. I was begging them not to put me in (Brown's) car, because I was terrified for my life at that point. They told me I would be fine."

Taylor was charged with two counts of resisting arrest and one count of obstruction of governmental operations and was released after a few hours in jail on a $900 bond. A portion of her arrest was uploaded to Facebook.

"Both of my daughters watched the Facebook video. They are still very emotionally upset. They cried. Both of them watched their mother get beat."

Taylor said, in the past, her 16-year-old daughter had accompanied her during demonstrations. She wasn't there Friday evening. Taylor said she no longer allows her daughter to protest, because she knows that protesters are a target.

"They can't stand to see one of their buddies go down," she said. They know they've got the power to do what they want to do, and they know that these city officials aren't going to do anything about it, because they don't care. We have one city official that cares about anything, and that's Councilman Billy Jackson.

"Pinion has no control over his department. Either they're running over him, or he doesn't care. And, obviously, Mayor Bowling doesn't care, or he wouldn't be antagonizing us by playing 'We Will Rock You' on repeat."

On Tuesday, Taylor had visible bruises on her right cheek and arms and abrasions on her wrists and hands.

James Videau asked the council Monday if they would "recant" their previously voiced support of Pinion. Council President Jacob Ladner, Councilman Kyle Pike, Pepper and Councilman (and police liaison) Carlton McMasters all indicated that they don't want to replace the chief.

Pinion on Tuesday said he has no plan to resign.

Jackson, who first suggested Pinion should resign or be terminated in early October, reiterated that Pinion "needs to go." — 'Your boy Todd'

"I think that it's serious when, you know, it appears that this is happening more and more frequently," Jackson said Tuesday. "This is something that we've seen before in video. And I think that my biggest concern is that that appears to sort of be a culture of our Police Department."

Steve Perkins' widow, Catrela Perkins, and daughter Avani Perkins each spoke at the council meeting.

"Y'all still rocking with your boy Todd (Pinion)?" Catrela Perkins asked. "Y'all have made my life a living hell for the past six months. As Steve's wife, I've been mishandled and disrespected by the mayor and the chief — the one y'all still back up.

"You leaked the video of an innocent man being brutally murdered by your thugs you call cops, not thinking about Steve's family or our children. Our oldest daughter, who is in the ninth grade, is constantly being harassed and pressured by her peers to watch the video."

Eight-year-old Avani Perkins was barely as tall as the podium. Jackson lent her his microphone so she could address the council.

"Y'all didn't let him have time to put his hands up," she said. "Justice for my dad."

The room erupted with applause.

"I was there when that happened to Sierra," said Michelle Fanning. "There was not one word said. Not one."

Fanning accused Decatur police officers of trolling the movement online with fake user profiles.

"We're not going to stop. We're going to push. We can go to the mayor's house. We can go to Todd Pinion's house. We weren't even saying anything. We weren't chanting. It's not OK — the intimidation."

Ladner on Tuesday declined to comment on the meeting, Pinion's role as chief, or Taylor's allegations. Pepper could not be reached for comment.

Pike said that any complaints against officers, or any city employees, should be reported and investigated and that the findings of said investigation should be communicated back to the complainant.

"It's going to take effort from many people for the community to heal, and that includes Chief Pinion and the whole Police Department, as well as community leaders from throughout the city," he said. "It's not an easy or fast process. It will be difficult, but it is possible."

McMasters said he expects accusations of police misconduct to be investigated and dealt with. He also said he believes the community can heal with Pinion as chief.

"Since Pinion was appointed, crime has decreased, morale within the department was up and applicants had increased," he said. "All three of those in my opinion are primary metrics with which to judge the success of a department.

"Healing is going to take time and effort on both sides. It's going to take communication. It's going to take meetings with stakeholders. We've got to be able to sit down and find common ground. Healing is not going to happen on Facebook or in a council meeting. It's going to happen by folks sitting together face-to-face and looking forward."

Jackson said there seems to be a culture inside the Police Department that tacitly approves or allows for behavior like that alleged of Brown.

"In a police department and any other department, the culture begins with the department director," he said. "And I think that if we've got a culture that lends to things like this, then it just adds fuel to what I've said before — we need to make a change in that position."

Jackson said it's frustrating that what seems to be such an obvious step toward healing — Pinion's removal — is apparently less obvious to his council peers. He said other cities that have experienced tragedies similar to Perkins have moved quickly to change police leadership. In Memphis, for example, the city council voted to replace the police chief a year after Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by five officers.

"Not only does that start the healing process, but it shows — because we are going to be in a situation where many of these actions are going to be litigated — that we are willing to make changes to correct any faults that we might have."

Jackson said he doesn't believe trust between the DPD and the community can be restored as long as Pinion is chief. While he acknowledged that some residents may still feel comforted by the protection the DPD represents, another portion of the community does not share in that comfort.

"I think that as long as we continue to hold onto what we have, or to stay where we are — it kind of cements us in a place where we can't move forward. And that's my biggest fear right now. Our greatest opportunity to move forward is to start to make necessary changes. And, in my mind, this is a necessary change."

Taylor is the latest in a list of at least 15 protesters that have been arrested by Decatur police since Sept. 29. In October, eight people were aggressively arrested during weekend protests. Videos of the arrests that circulated online showed a woman tackled by multiple officers in the parking lot of People's Bank and another woman arrested for cursing. In November, Perkins supporter Cornelius Echols was jailed and strip searched after he said a Decatur police officer discovered a nearby tissue during a traffic stop and charged him with criminal littering. Alainah Dailey recently spent three weeks in Morgan County Jail for violating her probation by getting charged with disorderly conduct outside the mayor's home.

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