Roy Cooper’s Task Force Controversy

In 2020, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat who is now running for the U.S. Senate, included a former Bloods gang member in a ‘Racial Equity in Criminal Justice’ task force. This action followed the death of George Floyd, which spurred Cooper to create the task force by executive order, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon.

Cooper assigned the leadership of the group to Josh Stein, who was then the state attorney general and is now the governor. The panel included state officials and community activists, such as Kerwin Pittman. Pittman was convicted in 2007 for conspiracy to commit murder, serving 14 years in prison. Prosecutors had described him as a ‘ranking member of the Bloods’ gang during the trial of Bloods member Michael Contrez Jones.

Pittman was involved in the 2006 drive-by shooting of Jamel Amiens Jeffreys, according to the Free Beacon.

Despite his past, Pittman defended his role on the task force by emphasizing his lived experiences and community work. He acknowledged his teenage choices were poor, stating, “I have never hidden my past.” Now at 39, he reflected on decisions made before the age of 19 that led to over a decade of incarceration.

During the task force’s establishment, Pittman worked for Emancipate NC, an organization advocating for police abolition. A 2023 blog post from the group stated, ‘maintaining white supremacy has always been the goal of policing.’ This group’s association reflects the broader debate on the role of policing and racial equity.

Roy Cooper, competing against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley for the Senate, pointed to his opponent’s controversies. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Cooper’s campaign highlighted Whatley’s record, criticizing the appointment of a convicted sex offender within the North Carolina Republican Party.