DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Stephen and Catrela Perkins once lived on Ryan Drive in a home where they were raising their children.
It’s where his community members described Stephen as a great father and a community leader.
Perkins was killed by police in the early morning hours on Sept. 29, 2023, following an incident surrounding a vehicle repossession.
Former Decatur police officer Mac Marquette is charged with murder in Perkins’ death.
Since then, his community has led protests and created petitions to have the street where he was killed renamed in his honor.
In April, the Decatur Planning Commission said that 75% of the homeowners on Ryan Drive would have to approve of the name change.
“We went door to door, and everyone was behind it. Then there was a little flop, and everyone was against it because they were given misinformation,” said community member Sarah French.
Months later, the petition reached the 75 % needed, and on Tuesday, the Decatur City Council voted unanimously to rename Ryan Drive to Steve Perkins Drive.
“The 75% was needed, but 3 out of every 4 residents want something to happen, and in this case, a name changes to a street that they live on, and within reason, we needed to try and accommodate those things, and that’s what we had here and got it done,” said council president Jacob Ladner.
Catrela Perkins says that the street renaming is not closure for the death of Steve, but it does represent an honor that is needed after the tragedy.
“Steve deserved this, and the community deserved this, and like Billy Jackson said, it’s a step in the right direction. This definitely does bring recognition to Steve and me, and my girls are ecstatic about the name change,” said Catrela Perkins.
The decision now heads to the planning department to order the news signs to be replaced immediately.
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