President Joe Biden slams expulsion vote
President Joe Biden on Thursday night slammed the decision to Tennessee House Republicans to expel two Democratic lawmakers after they broke House rules to lead a gun-reform protest from the chamber’s floor.
“Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee,” the Democratic president said in a statement.
Three lawmakers address supporters on Capitol steps
When the vote to expel Pearson was counted, the House chamber erupted with shouts of outrage from the gallery of protesters. Chaos erupted outside the chamber doors, where at least 20 protesters laid on their backs in an impromptu “die-in.”
Lawmakers shuffled out of the chamber, met with cries of “shame!” from protesters.
Pearson, Jones and Johnson joined protesters gathered at the top of the Capitol steps shortly after. Meanwhile, the GOP held a press conference inside.
Justin Jones said the expulsion was not a silencing of them as individuals, rather the silencing of an entire movement.“We’ll see you on Monday,” he said, referencing the special meeting already called by Metro Council to appoint an interim Representative.
Rep. Pearson expelled by a vote of 69 to 26.
House Republicans have voted to oust Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, from the Tennessee House of Representatives as the chamber entered the tenth hour of session meeting Thursday.
The vote was 69 to 26, of the 66 needed to expel.
Pearson had been in office just 10 days, making his he was sworn in on Monday, March 27 after a special election which he won to fill the seat of the late Rep. Barbara Cooper.
“The erosion of democracy in the state legislature is what got us here. It wasn’t walking up to the well, it wasn’t being disruptive to the status quo, it was the silencing of democracy and it’s wrong,” Pearson said.
The entire House Democratic Caucus, and several senators including Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, gathered around Pearson as he gave his closing argument.
“We are still here, and we will never quit!” Pearson said as he raised his fist in the air.
As the vote concluded, spectators in the gallery yelled “shame on you” and “fascists!” and threw several crumpled protest signs into the well.
Sexton adjourned the chamber.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Rep. Pearson takes up defense, responds to questions
House members turned to the final resolution to expel freshman Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis. Pearson was sworn in on Monday, March 27 – the day of the Covenant attack – after a special election which he won to fill the seat of the late Rep. Barbara Cooper.
“The movement for justice can never die, because the heart for justice can never be killed,” Pearson said in his defense, after sharing his motivation for the demonstration. “It lives and beats in each and every one of us. It cannot die because we will not let it die.”
During his remarks, Pearson referenced the names of the six Covenant victims several times, but repeatedly mispronounced the name of 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs.
Expulsion resolution sponsor Rep. Andrew Farmer, R-Sevierville, asked Pearson about a letter he sent on Monday to every House member in which he took “full responsibility and accountability” for his actions. Pearson acknowledged responsibility, and said his goal was to bring attention to the issue of gun violence.
“Just because you don’t get your way, you can’t come to the well, bring your friends and throw a temper tantrum with an adolescent bullhorn,” Farmer responded. “If you want to conduct business in this house, file a bill.”
Pearson also said the body should do more to educate new members on rules of decorum.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Margo Price says her megaphone was not used on the House floor
While the House moved on from debate over Johnson’s expulsion, Margo Price took to twitter to dispel claims that her megaphone was used on the house floor by Reps. Johnson, Jones and Pearson.
Price initially tweeted, ‘Hell yes it was my megaphone,’ sharing two photos: one of her holding a large megaphone with Johnson outside, and a Tennessean photo of Jones using a smaller megaphone from the well.
In a subsequent tweet, she clarified, “Yes, it was my megaphone no, @VoteGloriaJ & @brotherjones never used it.”
Rep. Johnson addresses supporters outside chamber
As the resolution to expel Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, was read on the House floor, Johnson addressed her supporters in the Capitol outside the chamber doors.
“America should be worried.” She said the failed motion “might have to do with the color of my skin.”
Johnson and Jones shared a hug outside the chamber, surrounded by supporters.
“I cannot tell you all how thankful I am for you all,” she said to the crowd, charged with emotion.
— Angele Latham, The Tennessean
Resolution to expel Rep. Johnson fails by one vote
House Republicans fell one vote short in an attempt to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson from the Tennessee House of Representatives, in a shocking vote of 65 to 30, falling just one vote short of the 66 votes needed to prevail.
Seven Republicans broke with their party to vote against expulsion: Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, Rep. Rush Bricken, R-Tullahoma, Rep. Bryan Richey, R-Maryville, Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna and Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin.
Before the vote, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, argued that there was not sufficient evidence to prove claims in the expulsion resolution.
“The record thus far simply proves that Rep. Johnson walked from there to there, and you want to expel her for that?” said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, motioning from Johnson’s desk to the podium. “She did not yell. She did not pound the desk. She did not hold a megaphone, she did not have a button on. She did nothing. She walked from there to there.”
Before the final vote, all democrats in the chamber gathered around Johnson as she read the names of the six victims killed at the Covenant School last week during her closing remarks.
“I’ve spent my life dedicated to helping children,” Johnson said, through tears. “There are so many things we could do to change the trajectory of where we’re headed: more school shootings, church shootings, theater shootings, Waffle House Shootings. It’s happening everywhere, folks. There’s one common denominator: it’s the guns.”
Johnson has represented part of Knoxville in the House since 2013.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Rep. Johnson responds to line of questioning
After Johnson’s attorneys spoke, Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, cross-examined Johnson on the charges in the resolution which her attorneys disputed: yelling, banging on the podium, and disorderly behavior.
“I went to the well and I did not speak,” Johnson said.
“I absolutely never yelled,” she added. “I stood with my colleagues… I believe that the charges were that I was yelling – and I was not yelling.”
Other democratic colleagues spoke in her defense, including Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, saying Republican leadership has repeatedly cut off Democrats’ microphones during debate.
“I want folks listening to know what you saw in today’s regular session – this is not how we’re treated. That the biggest problem that we’ve had is you shutting our voice off,” McKenzie said. “I don’t condone what happened, but it’s not worth expelling a member that represents 70,000 people.”
As Bulso resumed is cross examination, crowds in the rotunda audibly cheered “Gloria! Gloria! Gloria!”
“I stood with my colleagues. I fought for my constituents in a quiet, non-desk-pounding, non-whatever was said about holding up signs or whatever,” Johnson said. “I did it for the kids in my district, for the kids in the state, for the kids in those communities.”
“I may have gone to the well without permission, but the charges in this statement are false,” she said.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Rep. Gloria Johnson’s expulsion considered, former lawmakers speak in defense
Moments after voting to expel Jones, the House took up a resolution to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson.
Johnson brought two attorneys, former state Reps. John Mark Windle and Mike Stewart, to represent her. Windle spoke first on her behalf, pointing out specific accusations in the resolution of actions that Johnson specifically did not commit.
“It is an absolute falsehood that has been perpetuated on this body,” Windle said. “This woman did not shout – and that’s the first particular that they charged.”
Windle noted that Johnson did not bang on the House podium or become disorderly.
“Do you know who Gloria Johnson is? Does anybody know her? Is she a boogie man?” Windle asked. “Gloria Johnson is a school teacher. A special education teacher.”
“Today is Maundy Thursday, the day of betrayal,” he said. “Isn’t it fitting these allegations are made during Holy Week?”
During his remarks, Stewart argued that expulsion of a member for decorum violations is unprecedented in the House body.
“I haven’t heard anybody on this floor cite a single example of somebody being expelled from a legislative body based on these sort of flimsy charges,” Stewart said. “This is not just unprecedented in the state of Tennessee, and has no precedent in the United States of America.”
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
From Thursday:Nashville Mayor Cooper joins activists to call for red flag gun restrictions
Rep. Jones expelled by a vote of 72 to 25
After more than two hours of expulsion debate, House Republicans have voted to oust Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, from the Tennessee House of Representatives. Jones represents more than 70,000 constituents in Davidson County.
The vote was 72 to 25, of the 66 needed to expel. Two Republicans were absent from the vote.
“What we see today is just a spectacle. What we see today is a lynch mob assemble to not like me, but our democratic process,” Jones said, during his defense. “But it will not stand.”
The entire House Democratic Caucus, and several senators gathered around Jones as he gave his closing argument.
“This is not about expelling us as individuals. This is your attempt to expel the voices of the people from the people’s house. It will not be successful,” Jones said. “Your overreaction, your flexing of false power has awakened a generation of people who will let you know that your time is up.”
Jones’ expulsion is effective immediately. After gathering his personal items from his legislative desk, he exited the House chamber and took some questions from the media.
He later walked up to the gallery, watching the legislative hearing below as a member of the public.
— Vivian Jones and Melissa Brown, The Tennessean
‘Grow up!’: Representatives vote to move on from debate
After Republicans voted to close debate after about an hour, Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, railed against his colleagues.
“Give me a break. Is this a circus?” Clemmons shouted into his mic. “You are talking about kicking somebody out of this body and you can’t sit through a debate?”
“Grow up!” he said, his voiced charged with emotion.
— Melissa Brown, The Tennessean
Rep. Jones continues defense during rebuttal
Several Republicans asked cross-examining questions of Jones after his defense speech. Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, asked Jones how the bullhorn (an item prohibited by House rules) got onto the House floor.
“The only reason that I had to use a megaphone is because House Speaker Cameron Sexton cut my voice and the voice of 70,000 people I represent from the microphone,” Jones responded.
Jones repeatedly said he was driven to protest in the well in order to represent his constituents.
“I am able to speak because the people of my district sent me here,” he said. “Speaker Sexton is not my constituent. Speaker Sexton is not a king. Speaker Sexton is not God, though he may want to be. I don’t know how many times the speaker has gaveled me out of order for simply doing my job as a representative.”
Many democrats asked their colleagues to vote against expulsion, including Nashville Rep. Bob Freeman.
“I understand that my colleague challenges you. He’s an intelligent, powerful advocate for some causes and issues that you don’t want to deal with,” Freeman said. “He speaks to all these people up here. They want him to be here, and I think that scares the people in this room.”
Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, called Jones’ defense “a compelling, eloquent statement of why he should be expelled,” claiming Jones “wants to be expelled.”
Bulso noted the constitution would allow him to be reelected if he is expelled.
“If after looking at his conduct, they vote he come back, we will recognize him as a representative,” Bulso said, referring to the floor protest as a “mutiny.”
As Rep. Gino Bulso spoke the crowd chanted “Fascist!” as well as some expletive-laden insults.
Jones then accused Bulso of calling him a “damned disgrace” in a private moment earlier this week.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
‘The world is watching Tennessee’: Rep. Justin Jones speaks in his own defense
Chamber and gallery were silent as Jones took the podium, but just outside the chamber doors, a crowd of protestors screamed cheers of support.
“The world is watching Tennessee,” Jones said. “What is happening here today is a farce of democracy. What’s happening here today is a situation in which the jury has already publicly announced the verdict.”
Jones said he acted in representation of the 78,000 people in his district, many of whom are young people who cannot vote.
“Most particularly, I was standing for the young people,” he said. “All of whom are terrified by the continued trend of mass shootings plaguing this state and plaguing this nation.”
Jones admitted that in doing so he was “breaking a house rule, but exercising moral obedience to my constitutional responsibility to be a voice for my people.”
Meanwhile, protest leaders were keeping tabs on the proceedings inside, periodically updating others on what was happening. Several in the crowd also had phones held close as they watched the livestream of the session.
As Jones spoke in his own defense, they began chanting: “Go Justin go!”
Jones accused the Republican supermajority of strategically silencing democrats, and implied that expulsion of the three could have racist intentions.
“The state in which the Ku Klux Klan was founded is now attempting another power grab by silencing the two youngest black representatives and one of the only Democratic women in this body. That is what this is about.”
At several points when Jones paused to take a drink of water, the crowd outside the chamber doors cheered encouragement, and chanted a reprise from one week ago: “no action, no peace.”
— Rachel Wegner and Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Democrats debate video recordings taken on House floor
Democrats argued that the member who recorded video on the House floor was in violation of the chamber’s rules, and should face consequences.
“We also saw on that video that that recording was made by somebody on the House floor that is also questionably a violation of the House rules and ethics rules,” Clemmons said.
Photos and videos taken on March 30 indicate a member in the right location to have taken the video shown.
“It also shows Mr. Lafferty videotaping on this house floor,” Rep. Bo Mitchell said.
After further debate, Sexton directed the House Clerk to read the expulsion resolution for Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, officially triggering his 20-minute defense.
“We are creating a circus and an embarrassment,” said Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis. “The world is watching us and they know that what just happened was unfair.”
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Demonstrators share food on Capitol steps
While discussion continued on the House floor, demonstrators remained outside.
On the Capitol steps, volunteers were walking around handing out water and snacks as the afternoon wore on. Someone was also handing out pizza slices.
Demonstrators inside the Capitol gathered around a small screen to listen intently to the debate.
In the background, chants of “circus court” continued.
— Rachel Wegner and Angele Latham, The Tennessean
House GOP plays video, stirring debate over rules
Republican leadership did not answer specific questions about the 7-minute video’s authenticity asked by Democratic leaders.
“Who recorded it? Who edited it? And why was it not provided to leadership?” Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, asked.
Several Democrats spoke in stringent objection to viewing the video, including Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis.
“This will come back to haunt every member on this House floor. Untie their hands. Allow them to fight for themselves. Do what’s right, members,” Towns said. “That video we don’t need to see today because you’re going to make everybody upset again, and that’s the goal.”
The chamber opted to view the video on a party line vote, despite objections to its authenticity.
“All of us are witnesses of what happened to the people’s well. Every single one of us,” Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettesville, said. “There’s nothing nefarious. There’s nothing that’s been edited in a way other than what happened.”
Video was broadcast on the screens usually used to display vote counts. It included clips of the House floor Thursday from liberal advocacy site the Tennessee Holler, as well as a tighter shot of the trio at the podium last Thursday that appeared to be taken by a member from the House floor, clips from a news conference the trio held Monday, and one view from the House gallery of Democratic leadership’s confrontation.
Clemmons asked the House Clerk to read House Rule 2, which prohibits recording and live streaming of House proceedings by members. Clemmons then argued that the member who recorded the video which appeared to be made from the House floor violated House rules should also face consequences.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson to get 20 minutes each to defend themselves
House Republican Leader William Lamberth began expulsion proceedings by outlining the timeframe. Each member facing expulsion will have 20 minutes to speak, and may have their attorney speak on their behalf during that same 20 minutes. The members will have 5 minutes to close.
Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, proposed that House rules be suspended to show a 7-minute video, compiled from publicly posted clips, of events that occurred last Thursday.
“Today, our republic worked. Today the gallery was able to watch and stand, watch us do our work. It worked today. That’s what’s supposed to happen on this house floor,” Garrett said. “One week ago Mr. Speaker it didn’t work.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, objected as the 7-minute video could not reflect the entirety of the circumstances including the shooting, protests, and subsequent demonstration by members on the floor. He argued that the caucus had no notice of intent to show the video, and the three members facing expulsion did not have opportunity to review the video before proceedings.
Debate continues.
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
Protesters get riled up as House members take up expulsion resolutions
“They’re about to vote!” someone on a bullhorn called out on the Capitol steps just before 1 p.m.The crowd of about 200 began chanting: “We stand together!”
A trumpet player joined the protest on the Capitol steps as the vote got underway. People added to the noise by blowing whistles, chanting, beating drums, stomping feet and chanting.
Someone stood up at the front of the crowd on the steps and said people were protesting inside.“We have to join their chant!”
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
Expulsion hearings begin for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson
Four hours after the House went into session, and 29 bills later, members are taking up the issue of expulsion for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson.
A week ago Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis approached the podium between bills during the session without being recognized, a breach of chamber rules. They led protesters in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for a vote on resolutions to expel the three on Monday. All three resolutions passed along party lines.
“We are going to get expelled, but the fight continues,” Rep. Pearson said as he addressed the crowd surging towards the gallery Thursday morning.
White House weighs in on “Tennessee three”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began Thursday’s briefing by addressing Tennessee Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson imminent expulsion from the House.
“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent. Across Tennessee and across America, our kids are paying the price for the actions of Republican lawmakers,” Jean-Pierre said.
— USA Today White House correspondent Joey Garrison
Rep. Justin Pearson embraces mother of Covenant student in House gallery
Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, briefly left the House floor during session on Thursday to greet supporters in the gallery.
Among those he met was Sarah Neumann, the mother of a 5-year-old who attends the Covenant pre-school. He took her into his arms for a tight embrace.
— Melissa Brown, The Tennessean
Capacity limit imposed inside Capitol
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said the Department of Safety issued a capacity limit for protesters allowed inside the House, likely in response to a larger crowd that was let into the Capitol halls last week.
Some protesters have complained security is not allowing people to return to the House gallery after they leave. House staff was directed to look into the claim.
Sexton said staff reported that state troopers were having difficulty counting the number of empty seats to allow more people into the gallery.
— Melissa Brown, The Tennessean
Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson vote against bill aimed at heightening school safety.
House Bill 322, the first bill taken up by the chamber, passed in a vote of 95 to 4 after lengthy debate. It includes several policies backed by Gov. Bill Lee, and would require every school to have a school resource officer, allow private schools to partner with local police for school security efforts, and require Tennessee Department of Homeland Security agents to be placed in each county to evaluate and support school safety plans in both public and private schools.
“While it may not be the full solution to the danger and violence we see in the world, it is certainly a step forward,” said House Republican Leader William Lamberth, referring to the Covenant School shooting. “When that horrendous loss of life occurred, it immediately showed we could not just focus on the safety of our public school students but on the safety of all our students.”
Companion legislation is up in the Senate Finance Committee next week, and a separate proposal for the state to fund SROs, agents and other safety measures is included in the Governor’s budget amendment which both chambers are still considering.
Democrats argued on the House floor Thursday that the bill does nothing to remove firearms from dangerous people, or stop citizen access to “weapons of war.”
“We don’t want gun battles at our schoolhouse door. We want our kids to be safe, and to feel safe,” said Rep. Gloria Johnson D-Knoxville.
“I don’t think that penalizing or advocating that our schools become more like prisons is the right solution,” Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis said. “The real question is how do we prevent people with assault rifles from going into schools?”
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
‘We’re being told to be quiet’
Anne Carter, 75, and her friend, Charlie Brau, 84, stood among the protesters on the Capitol steps around 11 a.m. Both have lived in Nashville for decades.“We hate to see our grandkids going to school frightened,” Brau, a retired Vanderbilt physics professor said.Carter called the move to expel the three Democrats “reprehensible.”“What is wrong with these Republicans?” she said.Carter said she moved to Nashville 45 years ago.“Nashville was such a liberal place,” she said. “Now I feel like we’re being told to be quiet and that we’re going to be punished for speaking out.”
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen calls on Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to seek lesser consequences for “Tennessee three”
Congressman Steve Cohen, (D-Memphis), wrote a letter to Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, asking him to consider alternative reprimands for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson who face expulsion.
“As a former 25-year state Senator and current Member of Congress, I understand the need for compliance with rules in a legislative body. The three Democratic Members did violate the rules of decorum, however I believe expulsion to be too extreme a consequence,” Cohen wrote. “Heightened emotions prompted by the horrific Covenant School shootings that resulted in the death of six Tennesseans, including three nine-year-olds, should be a mitigating factor in any disciplinary response.”
Cohen wrote that expelling the representatives will disenfranchise their constituents.
“I urge you to consider a lesser consequence for Representatives Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones and appreciate that you will consider this request in anticipation of your final decision,” Cohen wrote.
Protesters bring out the band
At least 200 continued their protest on the Capitol steps at 10:45 a.m. with drums, a tambourine and even a sousaphone to accompany them.Their chants included things like:“We stand with the Tennessee Three!”“This is what democracy looks like!”“No justice, no peace.”
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
Parents take a stand during protests
Ariel McKee, sat in the Capitol with her three children, all under the age of three. When asked why she brought her children she said:“I couldn’t stand the thought of my children being killed in school,” she said, visibly emotional. “I don’t want my kids growing up and thinking I did nothing. So I’m here.”
— Angele Latham, The Tennessean
Protests inside and outside the Capitol continue
Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School student Sheeva Azad was one of many who spoke during the student and teacher rally outside the Capitol. Her sentiment toward Tennessee lawmakers echoed that of others.
“We’re really, really angry,” she said. “We, as a community, want them to do their job … we deserve to live long enough to create change.”
Protestors inside the Capitol were packed shoulder to shoulder. Lines of state troopers divided the group into two with a walkway for House members down the middle.
Chants of “we want Justice” and “the people united will never be divided” echo through the hall. Demonstrators gathered around a screen watching the proceedings inside, while others held their phones to their ears to hear.
— Rachel Wegner and Angele Latham, The Tennessean
‘We all need to be forgiving’
Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville, rose to mention that Covenant head of school Katherine Koonce was laid to rest this week. Freeman said Koonce’s husband said some “remarkable words” at her funeral, including what her husband believed would be Koonce’s wishes of generosity and forgiveness in the wake of the tragedy.
Her husband said “honoring Katherine compels us to remember a 7th family, a 7th family equally wounded in the loss of someone dear to them,” and he called on the community to support them as well.
“I don’t think I’d have the courage and the forgiveness to honor the seventh person, but Katherine did,” Freeman said. “It reminds us that we all need to be forgiving and not be distracted by everything that’s going on around us. Remember that seven people died last week.
— Melissa Brown, The Tennessean
Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson arrive on House floor
Cheers erupted as Jones, Johnson and Pearson stepped off the elevator on the second floor at 9:02 a.m. Raising joined hands, they slowly walked down between lines of state troopers toward the House chamber door.
From the floor, they roused cheers from the crowd in the galleries before the chamber gaveled in for business.
During welcoming and honoring remarks, Johnson welcomed buses of protestors who traveled from Knoxville.
“All of the people in the gallery, I love that you’re here, I hope that you stay quiet so that you can witness this process,” Johnson said.
Pearson welcomed his constituents from Memphis, who he said boarded buses at 3 a.m. Thursday morning to travel to join the demonstration.
“I’d like to welcome District 86, everyone in the gallery standing up for the end of gun violence and the need for protection of our communities,” he said. “Your presence is power.”
— Vivian Jones, The Tennessean
‘I am tired. I am mad.’
The crowd at the teacher and student rally had thinned on Legislative Plaza by 9:15 a.m. as the House gaveled in for session. Ash Brzozowski, a student at Hillsboro High School, huddled under a tent as speakers continued.Brzozowski wasn’t sure what was happening as Hillsboro High went into lockdown on March 27. The campus is less than two miles from Covenant. The fear and horror set in when a staff member asked students to move away from windows and they learned children had been killed.Donning a bright blue poncho, Brzozowski said they came to the protest Thursday to send a message to those in power.“I have been protesting guns for years,” Brzozowski said. “I am tired. I am mad. How many children are going to have to die?“
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
Tennessee House gavels in for session
The Tennessee House is in session.
They’ve got a 29-item calendar and are expected to take up the expulsion hearing for Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson at the end of the agenda.
House Democrats huddled in a caucus meeting ahead of the 9 a.m. House floor session. Protesters continued to stream into the Capitol to fill two roped off areas in front of the House. Crowds chants “free, free, free, free the Tennessee Three” and “you are Fascists”
Legislators from 35 other states support Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson
About 265 legislators from 35 different states signed a letter in support of Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson, according to the State Innovation Exchange.
The “Tennessee three,” as they’ve come to be known, face expulsion from the House for approaching the podium between bills during session last week without being recognized, a breach of chamber rules. The final vote will occur during the house session Thursday.
“Calling for gun safety within the people’s house is an example of our democracy in action, expelling lawmakers for standing for what they believe in is not” Neha Patel, Co-Executive Director of the State Innovation Exchange, said. “Gun violence impacts all of us, especially the Black and brown communities many legislators in Tennessee represent. Ultimately, these kinds of actions present clear and present danger to our country and our democracy, and we must not allow it.”
Protests begin at the TN Capitol
Hume-Fogg High School senior Eva Tatum kicked off the student and teacher rally on Legislative Plaza as chants from others on the Capitol steps could be heard. By 8:15 a.m. at least 300 had gathered on the plaza.“There’s not a whole lot good about this except that we are here,” said teacher Paige La Grone Babcock, who helped organize the rally.She called for gun reform action and encouraged others to vote. As a parent and teacher, she said they strive to empower and better kids.
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
10 minutes until protest
Poncho-wearing and umbrella-wielding demonstrators began to gather at Legislative Plaza as some streamed across the street to the Capitol steps.
By 7:50 a.m., a couple hundred people gathered between the plaza and steps.
A previously planned grassroots teacher “sick out” and student protest are set to start at 8 a.m. and wrap up by 10:30 a.m. Organizers said they would not be affiliated with the rest of the day’s events.
— Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean
Rain won’t stop some protesters
A few people with umbrellas dotted Legislative Plaza at 7:30 a.m. as people set up tents with cases of water ahead of the planned protests.
Sitting in puddles on the first floor of the closest parking garage to the Capitol, a group of demonstrators carefully wrapped tape around their signs to waterproof them an hour before the rally even started.
“I’m with Nashville Musicians for Change,” said Alayna Renae, slicing tape with her teeth and handing it to her three companions, all Vanderbilt University students with March For Our Lives. “We’re going to be here all day.”
When asked why they were demonstrating today, Sam Schulman, a freshman at Vanderbilt University, gave a one-word answer as he finished his sign: “fascism.”
— Angele Latham, The Tennessean
How we got to the possible expulsion of Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson
A week ago Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis approached the podium between bills during the session without being recognized, a breach of chamber rules. They led protesters in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform.
House leadership likened the representatives’ behavior to an “insurrection,” a characterization House Democrats decried last week.
During a chaotic session Monday, Tennessee House Republicans introduced resolutions to expel the three. Protesters in the gallery erupted into screams and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for the vote anyway. All three resolutions passed along party lines — making it difficult for Democrats to block the final vote today.
Protesters in the gallery began chanting “fascists! fascists!” and shook their fists in the air. Sexton called on state troopers to clear the galleries. One woman refused to do so and was forcibly removed resulting in her arrest on two counts of assault on a first responder when she pushed one trooper and hit another in the leg. Hers was the only arrest made Monday night.
