Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina currently seeking a U.S. Senate seat, appointed a former member of the Bloods gang to a state task force on racial equity in criminal justice in 2020. The appointment was revealed in a report by The Washington Free Beacon, which stated that Cooper established the panel via executive order following the death of George Floyd.
What the Right Is Saying
The report, initially published by The Washington Free Beacon and picked up by Fox News, frames the appointment as a potential vulnerability for Cooper in his race against Michael Whatley. The narrative focuses on the contrast between Cooper’s law enforcement background and the inclusion of an individual with a felony conviction for conspiracy to commit murder on a task force addressing criminal justice equity.
Prosecutors had previously identified Pittman as a "ranking member of the Bloods" during the murder trial of another gang member, Michael Contrez Jones. Pittman was convicted in 2007 in connection with the 2006 drive-by shooting of 19-year-old Jamel Amiens Jeffreys. The conservative media coverage emphasizes the severity of the original crime and Pittman’s leadership role within the gang at the time of the offense.
The Whatley campaign and Pittman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment regarding the specific details of the task force composition. The right-leaning perspective suggests that the appointment may undermine Cooper’s credibility on public safety issues, a central theme in the 2026 Senate race.
What the Left Is Saying
The Cooper campaign characterized the focus on Pittman’s past as a distraction from his opponent’s record. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the campaign noted that while Cooper spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and signing tough-on-crime laws as governor, his Senate opponent, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, appointed a convicted child sex offender to a senior role in the North Carolina Republican Party. The statement highlighted that this appointee had served six years in prison and spent over a decade as a registered sex offender, a position the campaign said gave him access to events involving children.
Kerwin Pittman, the individual in question, defended his role on the task force by citing his personal journey. He told The Washington Free Beacon that he was asked to contribute to criminal justice reform conversations due to his lived experience and community work. Pittman stated that he has never hidden his past and noted that the gang involvement and criminal conduct referenced occurred when he was a teenager or young man, at or before age 19. He is now 39 years old.
Pittman further explained that he made decisions as a young person that had serious consequences, including spending more than a decade incarcerated. At the time of the task force’s creation, Pittman worked for Emancipate NC, an organization that has advocated for police abolition and has written that maintaining white supremacy has been the goal of policing.
What the Numbers Show
According to records obtained by The Washington Free Beacon, Kerwin Pittman was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to commit murder. He served 14 years in prison for the crime. The victim of the underlying incident, Jamel Amiens Jeffreys, was 19 years old at the time of the 2006 drive-by shooting. Pittman is currently 39 years old.
The task force was established in 2020 via executive order by then-Governor Cooper. The panel was led by Josh Stein, who was the state attorney general at the time and is currently the Governor of North Carolina. The task force was titled "Racial Equity in Criminal Justice."
Emancipate NC, where Pittman was employed during the task force’s formation, published a blog post in 2023 stating that "maintaining white supremacy has always been the goal of policing," reflecting the organization's stance on police abolition.
The Bottom Line
This development highlights the ongoing tension in the North Carolina Senate race between Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley regarding criminal justice and public safety records. The inclusion of a former gang member with a murder conspiracy conviction on a state-appointed task force provides a specific point of contention for Republican critics, who argue it reflects a lenient approach to serious crime. Conversely, the Cooper campaign deflects by pointing to Whatley’s appointment of a registered sex offender to a high-profile party role.
Voters will likely weigh the relevance of historical appointments against current campaign platforms. The story underscores how past administrative decisions, even those made years prior, remain relevant in high-stakes political contests. Further scrutiny of task force outcomes and the candidates' current policy proposals on crime and equity is expected as the election cycle progresses.