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· collected 2026-09-05 · by Robert McGreevy
North Carolina Senate candidate Roy Cooper added Kerwin Pittman, an ex-member of the notorious Bloods gang, to his 2020 "Racial Equity in Criminal Justice" task force. Pittman was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and served 14 years in prison for the crime. The task force's creation was in response to George Floyd's death in 2020, and its members were tasked with discussing criminal justice reform. Cooper has defended his choice by saying that Pittman's past actions occurred when he was a teenager.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina now running for Senate, added an ex-member of the notorious Bloods gang to a "Racial Equity in Criminal Justice" task force in 2020. The task force was created by Cooper via executive order in response to George Floyd's death. Kerwin Pittman, who served 14 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder, was convicted of his crime in 2007 and identified as a "ranking member of the Bloods" during a trial. As part of the task force, Pittman contributed to conversations about criminal justice reform due to his "lived experience". When questioned about this appointment, Cooper's campaign pointed out that his opponent, Michael Whatley, appointed a convicted child sex predator to a top role within the North Carolina Republican Party.
Written for “North Carolina Democrat Scandal” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 4998: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-06
Roy Cooper, the former Democrat governor of North Carolina now running for Senate, added an ex-member of the notorious Bloods gang to a "Racial Equity in Criminal Justice" task force in 2020.
asserted
Cooper → run → 2020
In the wake of George Floyd's 2020 death, Cooper created the task force via executive order, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
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Beacon → create → order
Cooper, who tapped then state attorney general turned current Gov. Josh Stein to lead the task force, stocked the panel with a mix of state officials and community activists, including Kerwin Pittman, who was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to commit murder, serving 14 years in prison for the crime, according to records obtained by the Free Beacon.
uncertain
who → tap → Beacon
Pittman was also identified as a "ranking member of the Bloods" by prosecutors during a murder trial for Bloods member Michael Contrez Jones.
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Pittman → identify → Jones
Pittman was convicted in connection to the 2006 drive-by-shooting of 19-year-old Jamel Amiens Jeffreys, the Free Beacon reported.
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Beacon → convict → Jeffreys
Pittman defended his involvement in the task force and argued his past actions were the result of poor judgment as a teenager.
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actions → defend → teenager
"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," Pittman told the Free Beacon.
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Pittman → ask → Beacon
"I have never hidden my past.
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I → hide → past
The gang involvement and criminal conduct you reference occurred when I was a teenager and young man, at or before the age of 19.
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I → reference → 19
"
"I made decisions as a young person that had serious consequences, including spending more than a decade incarcerated," he added.
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he → make → decade
Pittman, according to his LinkedIn profile, worked at the time of the task force's creation for Emancipate NC, an organization which, as the Free Beacon reported, has often called for the abolition of police, writing that "maintaining white supremacy has always been the goal of policing," in a 2023 company blog post.
uncertain
maintaining → accord → post
Cooper, who is running for Senate against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, referenced his opponent's record when asked to comment on the Free Beacon story.
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who → run → story
"While Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars and signing tough on crime laws as governor, Michael Whatley spent his appointing a convicted child sex predator who served six years in prison and spent over a decade as a registered sex offender to a top role within the North Carolina Republican Party that gave him access to events with children," the Cooper campaign told Fox News Digital in a statement.
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campaign → spend → statement
Pittman and the Whatley campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Pittman → respond → comment
