Decatur's mayor is tired of people protesting outside his home, disrupting family time, bothering neighbors and making life more difficult.

Sure, it will be difficult for people to come to your house and permanently upend your nice and peaceful life.

Just ask Steve Perkins' family.

That's why the protesters are there to let Mayor Tab Bowling know they're still watching, frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation into the Perkins shooting.

Perkins was killed in his front yard by Decatur police in September. Last month, Bowling finally announced it was firing three of the four officers involved in the shooting. The fourth person was placed on administrative leave. It's unclear what other meaningful changes are being made within the Decatur Police Department to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The results of a criminal investigation conducted by the Alabama Department of Law Enforcement are still being finalized. Those findings were submitted to the Morgan County District Attorney's Office a week ago, and Prosecutor Scott Anderson said he would refer the case to a grand jury for possible criminal charges against the officers.

But we don't actually need a grand jury. A neighbor's security video showed what happened.

Perkins confronted the tow truck driver who tried to retrieve his truck. Perkins' brother, Nicholas Perkins, said the driver left and another driver from the same company contacted a friend in law enforcement to ask for help recovering the vehicle. Although this was a violation of the law and a clear violation of DPD policy, the four officers arrived at Mr. Perkins' home in the early morning hours and set up hiding spots around the house and across the street. Ta.

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling

Perkins then showed up with a lighted handgun and yelled at the new tow truck driver, and the officers jumped out of their hiding places in the darkness, with one yelling at Perkins: “Police! Do your best…” he shouted.

The back end of his sentence was drowned out by the sound of his gunshot. Perkins was hit seven times, but she never had a chance to obey his commands and probably didn't even know the police were at her home. Police allowed the tow truck driver to leave with Perkins' car as he was fighting for his life in the front yard of the home.

And now, after months of stalling, bickering, and dragging their feet, here is a mayor — finally leading the investigation of the police department and its officers, and accountable for the actions of his subordinates. A man who is burdened with… is complaining in public. A horrible disruption to his life. Because people are yelling at his house from the street at night.

However, the situation is even more unimaginable. Bowling announced a week ago that protesters must obtain permission through the police chief or face arrest.

Are there other ways in which the City of Decatur violates the law and its citizens' constitutional rights in this ordeal?

That's because uniformly requiring certain protesters to obtain permits to protest on public property is one of the clearest violations of the Constitution. Especially in cases like this one where public interest is involved.

The U.S. Supreme Court settled the case. Many times. Most recently, the Roberts court reversed a fraud verdict at Westboro Baptist Church.

But bowling hasn't stopped. Nor is it the fact that he and Decatur officials have been wrong multiple times throughout this situation, making the situation worse than it already is.

Let me help you, Tab. The protesters are still outside your home because you and other city and law enforcement officials were forced to prolong this in an effort to initially blame Perkins for the shooting after being told a brazen lie. I can only guess that it was because he decided to do so. , to make people lose interest.

In reality, there is no reason for the city's internal investigation to take more than two months. Perhaps two days was enough time for him, and certainly he had two weeks. We had everything we needed within a few hours. You knew very well that the cops were there for no purpose. We were well aware that they had violated policy. You knew full well that they shot and killed a man in his front yard, and you probably knew what the whole story was about the day after it happened.

They could have fired that officer that week. They could have stopped everything right away. They could have refused to support such criminal activity within DPD. Many things could have been done to engender respect and trust.

But instead, you sat on it. And milked. I'm looking for an escape hatch to reduce exposure. That will prevent you, the Commissioner, and many others from admitting that DPD has serious problems and needs major changes.

You arrested and framed protesters on trumped-up charges of overpass crossing, disappeared from rallies, and tried to stall everywhere. And now you're angry that these people are determined to do what you're supposed to do, which is to hold people accountable for killing law-abiding citizens in their front yards, so you're making the most sacred They are willing to violate one of their constitutional rights. This country is for them to leave.

It's embarrassing.

The people standing in front of your home only want you to do the right thing. Doing most of the things that I ended up having to do anyway.