Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina and Senate candidate, appointed an ex-member of the Bloods gang to a ‘Racial Equity in Criminal Justice’ task force in 2020 following George Floyd’s death. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Cooper created the task force via executive order, with Josh Stein leading the panel.
The task force included various state officials and community activists, such as Kerwin Pittman, who had a criminal record from a 2007 conviction for conspiracy to commit murder. Pittman served 14 years in prison, as confirmed by records obtained by the Free Beacon. During a related trial, prosecutors identified Pittman as a ‘ranking member of the Bloods’ gang.
Emancipate NC’s Kerwin Pittman speaks with reporters during a news conference, Aug. 3, 2023, outside the Gaston County Courthouse in Gastonia, N.C. (Reuters, File)
Pittman’s conviction was connected to a 2006 drive-by shooting of Jamel Amiens Jeffreys. Pittman stated his involvement was due to poor judgment as a teenager, adding, ‘I was asked to contribute to conversations about criminal justice reform because of both my lived experience and the work I was doing in communities.’ He emphasized his past happened when he was young, stating he is now 39 years old.
Pittman worked for Emancipate NC, an organization advocating for the abolition of police, according to his LinkedIn profile. A 2023 blog post from the organization suggested that ‘maintaining white supremacy has always been the goal of policing.’
Cooper’s Senate race pits him against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. In response to the Free Beacon’s story, Cooper’s campaign highlighted Whatley’s appointment of a convicted child sex predator to a significant role within the North Carolina Republican Party.
North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate former Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at a primary election night watch party March 3 in Raleigh, N.C. (Matt Ramey/AP Photo, File)
The Cooper campaign emphasized, ‘While Roy put rapists and violent criminals behind bars and signed tough crime laws as governor, Michael Whatley appointed a convicted child sex predator to a top role within the North Carolina Republican Party.’
Pittman and the Whatley campaign did not respond to requests for comments by Fox News Digital.
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