There is No Democracy in Tennessee’: Ousted Dem Lawmakers Blast State Speaker While Speaking Out to Chuck Todd
Ousted Tennessee representatives Justin Pearson (D) and Justin Jones (D) gave a joint interview to Meet The Press in order to address the fallout from their removal from the state legislature.
Pearson and Jones were expelled from the GOP-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives after they joined a protest against gun violence at the statehouse. The demonstration occurred days after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville, and Rep. Gloria Johnson narrowly survived expulsion for her own participation in the protest while her African-American colleagues did not.
When Pearson and Jones joined Chuck Todd, he started by asking Jones about the solidarity he has received from the Biden administration.
I think the most resounding message we’re hearing from the White House and across the world and people across this nation is that this attack on democracy will not go on unchallenged,” Jones said. “That the Tennessee House Republicans’ attempt to crucify democracy has instead resurrected a movement led by young people to restore democracy, to build a multi-racial coalition
The message is that we will continue to resist, that this is not the end. Their decision to expel us is not the ultimate authority, but the people will hold them accountable.
Pearson followed-up by calling Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) “destructive to our democracy” for labeling the protesters as “insurrectionists.” He also claimed that the State Capitol “has always been a toxic work environment,” saying “when you have people who make comments about hanging you on a tree and hanging Black people on a tree as a form of capital punishment, when you wear a dashiki on the House floor and a member gets up and they talk about your dashiki saying it’s unprofessional, they’re really sending signals that you don’t belong here.”
The conversation turned back to Jones as Todd asked him to explain the rule changes that have been implemented in recent years to regulate statehouse demonstrations in Tennessee.
That led to Jones accusing Sexton of being “an autocrat” who has crushed democracy in the state:
They’ve limited debate to what they say is five minutes. But in reality, you ask one question, they’ll spend five minutes answering it and your time is up. You can’t reclaim your time. Or the Speaker, Cameron Sexton, an autocrat, will not even call on you, will call the question and will cut off all debate
When we went outside of support their protest, both myself and my brother, Representative Pearson, our voting machines were turned off so we couldn’t vote on the House floor. The Speaker, you know, I mean, he runs the Capitol like it’s his private palace and so there is no democracy in Tennessee. Tennessee is the most undemocratic state in the nation.
Even in committees, you’re silenced from talking about the issues. When we tried to talk about the issue of mass shootings that plagued our community, we were silenced. And all they offered our community were moments of silence, in fact, and empty thoughts and prayers. And our community deserves more than that
But instead of responding to the grief and trauma of our community, the House Speaker Cameron Sexton once again silenced us, even the day of our protest, and that’s what led us to the well.
