During Decatur's Monday evening city council work session, Councilman Hunter Pepper announced he would no longer be staying to listen to those comments due to "threats" and harassment." This follows a decision Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling made back in January.
Pepper, who said he had written a speech but decided to speak off the cuff, said, “I feel that public comments are becoming irrelevant to council meetings and city businesses."
"The things that are being stated, such as the threats and the continued harassment from individuals, and it’s been continuous from there, so I will no longer sit in during public comments throughout any of the meetings,” said the councilman.
Pepper's statements echo those the Mayor made when he stopped attending the meetings' public comment portion.
After his comments saying he would not be sitting in for the comments, a member of the public shouted "bye" to which a roar of applause took over the room. Pepper has been the target of many angry protesters since the police shooting of Stephen Perkins in 2023 by the Decatur City Police.
Pepper is also one of 19 individuals subpoenaed by the Morgan County District Attorney's office regarding the leaked body cam footage the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) turned over.
The list includes multiple high-ranking Decatur Police Department (DPD) employees, including Police Chief Todd Pinion, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) employees, and James Marquette.
Morgan County DA Supeonas ALEA by bradley.cox
Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott moved the hearing, originally scheduled for Monday, to May 20 due to a motion filed stating that several of those listed had plans to be out of town.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.cox@1819news.com or on Twitter @BradleyCoxAL.
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