Two Black Tennessee lawmakers who were ‘expelled’ last week from the House of Representatives after joining a protest on the House floor asking for stricter gun control laws in the wake of a violent school shooting in Nashville say they will be running for their seats again.
Nashville’s metro council will meet to reappoint the ousted representative Justin Jones. The Chairman of the Shelby County Commission said in a statement on Sunday that the council will consider the reappointment of Jones at a specially called meeting.
“However, I believe the expulsion of State Representative Justin Pearson was conducted in a hasty manner without consideration of other corrective action methods. I also believe that the ramifications for our great State are still yet to be seen,” the chairman said.
Dem. Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Person were expelled from the house, following an ousting by votes by Republican lawmakers, while a third member, a White female, was spared by a narrow margin of one vote.
The “banishment” option of a fellow lawmaker is used by the House to expel a member accused of gross misconduct or corruption. The option has, however, rarely been used since the Civil War.The expelled lawmakers described the expulsion as oppressive, vindictive, and racially motivated.
“I have no regrets. I will continue to stand up for my constituents,” he added.
“We are losing our democracy. This is not normal. This is not OK,” ousted member Justin Pearson told reporters Thursday. He added they “broke a House rule because we’re fighting for kids who are dying from gun violence and people in our communities who want to see an end to the proliferation of weaponry in our communities.”
Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Nashville, Tennessee on Friday to meet the “Tennessee Three,” and expressed solidarity. The Vice President delivered an impassioned speech advocating gun control at the Fisk University Chapel.“Let’s not fall for the false choice, which suggests that you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want reasonable gun safety laws, we can and should do both,” Harris said.
“And they understood the importance, these three, of standing to say the people will not be silenced, to say that a democracy hears the cries, hears the pleas, who hears the demands of its people who say that children should be able to live and be safe and go to school and not be in fear,” she said
