Local leaders react to the ouster of two Democrat lawmakers from the TN House of Representatives
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —Local leaders react to the expulsion of Democratic lawmakers
The Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives expels two of three Democratic lawmakers following a protest the group led on to the House floor last week. This hot bed topic is being debated this week at the State Capitol.
In what some are calling political retaliation, Tennessee House Republicans voted Thursday to expel three Democrat lawmakers from the state legislature. The move stems from their roles in a protest calling for more gun control in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Nashville. Two state Representatives, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis were met with expulsions. A third Democrat, Gloria Johnson of Knoxville was narrowly spared by one-vote.
This decision has created a lot of controversy. One local civil rights leader says the legislators response to oust these lawmakers was underhanded.
“But yet when they stand for the children of Nashville, about those young people being shot and killed with the type of weaponry (the gunman) had, it’s senseless. It shouldn’t have happened, but because we have laws that allow it to happen, these legislators are just as guilty as if they pulled the trigger,” said Harrell Carter, president of the Jackson-Madison County Branch of the NAACP.
District 73 State Representative Chris Todd says that the three members wanted to elevate their own voices above the voices of 7-million other constituents.
“They had some plans in place and executed those plans last week to shut down debate, shut down the House floor where we were debating and passing bills in order for them to put forth their ideas above everyone else’s,” Rep. Todd said.
According to Todd, the three lawmakers intended to elevate the crowd to a fever pitch.
“No one knew what was going to happen, so it really concerned everyone there about the safety of our own members, the staff, and the crowd especially,” added Todd.
Carter believes racism played a factor in Jones and Pearson being expelled as Jones and Pearson are black and Johnson is white.
“But unfortunately the majority of them wanted to tear down these young black men, because they were young, they were brash, and they were not wrong,” Carter said.
Todd says racism did not play a factor in their decision to oust them from the Legislature.
“So the Left is going to use this kind of thing no matter what we did about this. They were going to spin this to be something racist, or you’re taking advantage of your majority, or whatever the case maybe,” Rep. Todd said.
Carter warns that we are going to lose what this nation is about if we continue down this path.
“And if we really care about it, it can’t be one group, it can’t be one race, it has to be everybody. And if we don’t think that way, we are foolish, and we are subject to lose all that we gained,” Carter said.
This move by the chamber to oust members of the Tennessee State Legislature has only been used a handful of times since the Civil War.
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