Tennessee Democrat Justin Pearson, who was ousted from office by his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives for protesting the Tennessee Capitol shooting, returned to his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Wednesday.
By unanimous vote, the Shelby County Commission sent Pearson back to the House, conclusively denouncing the erratic movement of the Tennessee Republican Party. banish himwith another Democratic colleague last week.
Pearson delivered a powerful speech shortly after the reinstatement vote, rallying supporters and sending a message to lawmakers who voted for his removal.
“What I’ve shown here in Shelby County, here in Memphis, Tennessee, with my fiancée, my brother, my family, my parents, my family, is that we don’t talk alone,” Pearson said. We talk together, we fight together.
“And the message to all the people of Nashville who decided to banish us: Hope cannot be banished. Justice cannot be banished. Our voice cannot be banished.” And our fight cannot be banished.” He cheered.
Pearson said, “I look forward to continuing to fight and defend until justice flows like water and justice is like a constant stream. Let’s get back to work.”
Pearson, representing the Memphis area, and another Democrat, Justin Jones, representing Nashville, ran. banished from house on Thursday for protesting gun violence after three 9-year-olds and three adults were killed in yet another incident. shooting incident in Tennessee. Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat who also participated in the protest, survived her ouster by one vote. Pearson and Jones are young black men serving their first term in the House of Representatives. Johnson is a fourth-term white female.
Pearson and Jones’ ousting effectively disenfranchised about 140,000 mostly black and brown voters in the two constituencies that elected them. widely criticized By Tennesseans and legislators.
By protesting peacefully, Republicans accused them of committing a grave breach of courtesy in the House, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton likened their actions to the Jan. 6 riots. . No arrests.
Jones is Revived in his seat at the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson Counties on Monday. Surrounded by a mob of his supporters, Jones returned to the State Capitol and took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol.
