SECOND BLACK NC
TROOPER KILLED
IN LINE OF DUTY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
For second time this year, and on successive Sundays, another Black NC Highway Patrol trooper has lost his life in the line of duty, this time in a collision with a wrong-way driver.
The NC Highway Patrol reports that Master Trooper Steven J. Perry, 30, was killed when a vehicle traveling the wrong way collided with his patrol cruiser on N.C. 147 near Swift Avenue in Durham approximately before 3 a.m. Sunday morning.
The other driver, identified as Melshawn Moore, 39 of Kinston, was also killed in the accident. There were no other passengers involved in either vehicle.
Authorities say Moore may have been impaired, and has a record of impairment. The investigation is ongoing.
The debris field was so extensive, the NCSHP said, both lanes of the highway in the immediate area had to be closed down and not reopened until 12 noon.
"Trooper Perry was a member of the 148th Basic Patrol School and has served Durham County throughout his nearly 7-year career," the “State Highway Patrol said in a statement. ‘During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow troopers who had the privilege of serving alongside him. We ask that you keep the entirety of his family and our Patrol Family in your thoughts."
Gov. Josh Stein added his condolences.
"Master Trooper Steven Perry dedicated his career to keeping people in Durham County safe. Please join me in keeping his loved ones and the law enforcement community in our thoughts and prayers. May his memory be a blessing."
Beyond the obvious tragedies is the fact that two NC state troopers, both African-American, trying to keep all North Carolinians safe on the highways, lost their lives in on-duty collisions on successive weekends.
During the early morning hours of February 22nd, Master Trooper Stien Davis, Jr., assigned to Troop B, District 7 in Robeson County, was killed in a single-vehicle collision shortly after midnight, according to the NC Highway Patrol. Reportedly, he was on duty, traveling in his patrol vehicle on N.C. Highway 130 in Robeson County when he apparently lost control of his cruiser, veered off the roadway and overturned in a swampy area.
A funeral service as held for Master Trooper Davis Wednesday at Robeson Community College.
Master Troopers Davis and Perry were the 73rd and 74th NC Highway Patrol troopers to die in the line of duty since the founding of the agency in 1929. The NCSHP employs 1600 state troopers that patrol 80,000 miles of NC highways.
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NC’S THREE BLACK
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS WEIGH-IN
ON IRAN WAR
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
In the aftermath of President Trump’s attack on Iran last Saturday morning, which many observers fear may lead to a wider conflict across the Middle East and an eventual US boots on the ground to stabilize the country, the three Black Democratic members of the North Carolina delegation have joined their colleagues in speaking out on the crisis.
Rep. Alma Adams (D-12-1) of Charlotte/Mecklenburg issued a statement saying, “The President has chosen to forgo diplomacy and has placed American troops under threat. I pray for their safety and the safety of all civilians in this conflict.
“The Iranian government’s violations of human rights and nuclear ambitions must be addressed. However, without clear and pressing need, the President must seek authorization from Congress before launching any use of military force that could constitute an act of war,' Adams continued.
“Congress must exercise its constitutional authority, and I am calling on Speaker Johnson to call the House of Representatives back to Washington immediately.”
Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4) echoed Rep. Adams’ concern about the president’s unilateral actions toward Iran.
“I will go on record right now: I do not support Trump’s illegal war with Iran and will do everything I can in Congress to support War Powers Resolutions to stop it,” Foushee wrote on X (formally Twitter). “The American people are tired of endless wars and we cannot put our service members at risk —period. The president’s strikes are completely illegal and are plunging us into a senseless regime-change war over oil. He needs to be held accountable. Lives are at stake.”
Rep. Foushee’s reference to a War Powers Resolution was to the law that states only Congress can declare war on other countries, not the president.
Rep. Don Davis (D-NC-1), who faces a tough reelection battle in November to keep his seat after the NC General Assembly redrew his district to lean more Republican in the fall general election, did not follow colleagues Adams and Foushee in condemning the U.S. attack on Iran. Instead, Davis voiced his continued support for the fight against terrorism.
“The world must speak with a unified voice against terror and proliferation, and Congress kept informed for oversight. We need to stand together to bring an end to terrorism and human rights violations,” Rep. Davis said. “A regime that supports terror, destabilizes its neighbors, and aims to destroy other nations can’t be trusted. Global instability, fueled by extremist proxies, threatens the safety of American citizens and our allies.”
Rep, Deborah Ross (D-NC-2) however, agreed with her two Black NC colleagues that Pres. Trump’s attack on Iran “…is unwarranted and unconstitutional.”
The nine Republican members of the North Carolina delegation, including the state’s two Republican US senators, supported Pres. Trump's actions.
At press time, at least four members of the US military had been killed in the attacks.
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