Tell Tennessee Republicans: Don’t interfere with reinstatements of Reps.
Justin Jones and Justin Pearson! Stop silencing voices against gun
violence!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION
Dear Friend,
*While the following message focuses on what’s happening in Nashville –
and how what’s happening there and across the nation impacts every single
one of us, we first want to express our grief over yesterday’s mass
shooting in Kentucky. Our hearts are broken for the victims, their
families and the Louisville community. [ [link removed] ]
In the aftermath of the Covenant Christian School mass shooting last week
in Nashville, instead of taking action on gun safety, white Tennessee
Republican lawmakers used the tragedy as an excuse to strip more than
140,000 Tennesseans of their representation in the state house by
expelling their Black Democratic representatives. This is unprecedented
and undemocratic. [ [link removed] ]
For Tennessee, our hearts burn with the anger of a million suns.
[1]Tell Tennessee Republicans: Hands off Representatives Justin Jones and
Justin Pearson! Stop silencing voices against gun violence!
*Here’s what shamefully happened: Democratic State Representatives Justin
Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson joined thousands of Tennesseans
to express their anger and grief at the terrible loss of life at the
Covenant Christian School mass shooting. They demanded action from their
colleagues who were also elected leaders to fight gun violence and prevent
such horrific tragedies from happening again.
Outrageously, instead of addressing gun violence, the white Republican
supermajority in the Tennessee State House responded by silencing the
voices that were raised up against gun violence! And then, breaking
democracy and ignoring the will of the voters, they voted to expel
Representatives Jones and Pearson, who are Black, from their duly elected
offices. (Representative Gloria Johnson, a white woman, survived her
expulsion vote.)
[2]The expulsions could not be more nakedly racist and undemocratic. Stand
with Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and tell the
Tennessee Republicans: Hands off! Don’t interfere with the reinstatements
of Representatives Jones and Pearson!”
What’s next? The Nashville Metro Council and the Shelby County Board of
Commissioners are responsible for filling Jones and Pearson’s seats. The
Nashville Metro Council has already voted to return Representative Jones
to his office as interim representative. [ [link removed] ] The Shelby County Board of
Commissioners will vote soon on Representative Pearson’s status. Following
these votes, in order to stay in office, Jones and Pearsons will need to
win special elections to be called by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee within
60 days.
The likelihood of Republicans interfering in the reinstatement process is
high. There are already moves to withhold millions of dollars in funding
from Memphis if Representative Pearson is reinstated. [ [link removed] ] [3]These racist
and undemocratic expulsion votes are not only profoundly damaging to
Tennessee’s democratic systems but to the nation as well. The expulsion
votes must not be allowed to stand!
[4]Tell Tennessee Republicans: Hands off! Don’t interfere with the
reinstatements of Representatives Jones and Pearson! Stop silencing voices
against gun violence!
America’s moms are horrified by the assault on democracy, free speech, and
common decency that has been taking place in Tennessee. Expelling two
lawmakers – both Black men – who spoke out in support of moms, students,
parents, teachers, and others who were protesting gun violence was racist,
disgraceful, wildly disproportionate, and stunningly undemocratic. It was
a transparent, disgraceful attempt to distract from state lawmakers’
failure to protect children and adults in the state from the ravages of
assault weapons and from gun violence generally.
Republicans in the state disgraced themselves and their office.
Please forward this email to everyone you know who cares about our
democracy and ask them to sign too.
[ [link removed] ]Click here to take action ⇒ Tell Tennessee Republicans: Hands off!
Don’t interfere with the reinstatements of Representatives Justin Jones
and Justin Pearson! Stop silencing voices against gun violence!
Together, we will never stop fighting anti democratic forces. We’ll never
stop defending our families and communities from gun violence.
– Gloria, Monifa, Donna, Kristin, Felicia, Sue Anne, and the whole
MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team
References:
[1] [ [link removed] ]“At least 4 killed in bank shooting in Louisville, Kentucky,”
CNN.com, April 10, 2023.
[2] [ [link removed] ]“Tennessee House GOP expels two Democrats in retaliation over gun
control protest, on ‘sad day for democracy,’” CNN.com, April 7, 2023.
[3] [ [link removed] ]“Nashville council votes to reinstate expelled Democrat Justin
Jones,” The Guardian, April 10, 2023.
[4] [ [link removed] ]“Memphians talk Pearson ousting: Pearson confirms re-election
plans,” Fox13memphis.com, April 7, 2023.
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