Friends and relatives describe Steve Perkins as an energetic, caring husband and father of two daughters. He was committed to fitness, often spending his free time at the gym. His dream was to open his own gym one day.

Those dreams would not come true.

Instead, his death at the hands of police two years ago ignited widespread activism and heightened community involvement with Decatur city leaders.

‘We live with it every day’

Perkins’s large family remembers him every day, even as the city reckons with his death two years later.

“There’s a cliche that time heals our wounds, and that is a lie, because it doesn’t,” said Steve’s brother, Nicholas Perkins. “We live with this every day, and it’s a constant reminder, because we can’t call Steve or talk to him, or just share any moments with

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