Tennessee GOP legislators have been criticized in recent weeks as the public calls for stricter gun laws following a school shooting that killed six people.
The"Tennessee Three" went viral for their actions. After the House voted to expel Jones and Pearson, dozens of faith officials in the community held a press conference, followed by a"nonviolent clergy sit-in" at Sexton's office, according to the petition.
Democratic Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones speaks, with House Speaker Cameron Sexton behind, prior to a vote on his expulsion at the State Capitol Building, on April 6, 2023 in Nashville. He and two other Democrats led a protest at the State Capitol in the wake of a mass shooting where three students and three adults were killed on March 27, 2023, at the Covenant School in Nashville.
The petition alleges that Sexton acted with racist intentions when he called for the House vote to expel the lawmakers, considering that Johnson wasn't expelled, but Jones and Pearson were.ultimately voted to expel Reps. Jones and Justin Pearson—but not Rep. Gloria Johnson, kicking out the two Black men but not their white compatriot," the petition said.
The petition alleges that Sexton accusing the lawmakers of"insurrection" was a lie to"undermine democracy, silence his Black and progressive opponents, and distract from demands for gun reform."reached out to a spokesperson for the Tennessee House of Representatives via email for comment.
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