Roy Cooper appointed former gang member to NC task force

Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper appointed Kerwin Pittman to a state task force focused on racial equity in the criminal justice system in 2020. The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice was established via executive order following nationwide protests regarding the death of George Floyd.

Reports indicate that Pittman, a former ranking member of the Bloods gang, was included on the panel as a representative of justice-involved individuals. Records show Pittman was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to a 2006 drive-by shooting that killed 19-year-old Jamel Amiens Jeffreys. He served approximately 11.5 years of a sentence exceeding 14 years.

Pittman, who founded the Recidivism Reduction Education Program Services, stated that he was asked to contribute to reform conversations due to his lived experience and community work. He noted that his criminal conduct occurred when he was a teenager or young man, specifically at or before the age of 19.