Tennessee's Republican-dominated legislature voted to expel two black Democratic state representatives for their involvement in an anti-gun protest following a primary school shooting, but the conservative politicians may not have the last word.
“A democracy says you don’t silence the people, you do not stifle the people, you do not turn off their microphones when they are speaking about the importance of life and liberty,” US Vice President Kamala Harris said in Nashville on Friday.
While the body voted overwhelmingly to expel Justin Jones, 27, and Justin Pearson, 29, for their role in a protest last week demanding that their Republican colleagues take action on gun reform, they have not been banned from running again in 2024.
A third Democrat, Representative Gloria Johnson, who is white, narrowly avoided being fired, as legislators voted 65 to 30 to expel her, failing by one vote to reach the two-thirds majority required.
Ms Harris made a last-minute trip to Tennessee to meet Mr Jones, Ms Johnson and Mr Pearson privately, and lead a rally of supporters at Fisk University.
“We are here because they chose to show courage in the face of an extreme tragedy,” she said of the three.
In the case of Mr Jones, who represented a district in the state capital Nashville, the city’s Metro Council will be in charge of selecting his interim replacement.
At least 23 of the 40 members who make up the Metro Council have said they plan on appointing Mr Jones back to his seat, local media reported.
Mr Jones called his expulsion a “farce of democracy” and a “very dark day for Tennessee”.
The White House announced on Friday that President Joe Biden had called the three legislators to thank them for their leadership and work.
Mr Biden invited them to visit sometime in the “near future”, the White House said.
The “expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent,” Mr Biden also said in a statement on Thursday evening.
He added that Republicans were an obstacle to gun reform.
“A strong majority of Americans want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms that we know will save lives,” he said.
“But instead, we’ve continued to see Republican officials across America double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship and communities less safe. Our kids continue to pay the price.”
Nashville school shooting leaves three children and three adults dead — in pictures
-
A child weeps while on the bus leaving The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, following a mass shooting on March 27. Reuters -
School pupils hold hands after getting off a bus to meet their parents at the reunification site. Reuters -
Nashville resident Addison says a prayer across the street from the school. Reuters -
Damage to windows caused by the shooter, identified as Audrey Hale, who fired at police arriving on the scene. EPA -
Children gather outside the school building. AFP -
A surveillance video still shows Hale, 28, entering the school carrying weapons. Reuters -
A group prays with a child at the Woodmont Baptist Church after the shooting. AP -
US President Joe Biden speaks about the school shooting in Nashville during an SBA Women's Business Summit in the White House on March 27. AP -
A police chaplain watches as children from The Covenant School, a private Christian school, are taken to the Woodmont Baptist Church. AP -
School buses take children to Woodmont Baptist Church to be reunited with their families. Getty / AFP -
Pupils hold hands as they are taken to the church after the shooting. AP -
Metro Nashville Police officers block the entrance to the school. The Tennessean via AP -
Pupils hold hands as they are taken to the church after the shooting. AP -
Metro Nashville Police cars escort the school buses to the church where pupils will be reunited with their parents. AP -
A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School. AP -
Metro Nashville Police officers outside the school on March 27. AP -
Police officers secure the entrance to The Covenant School. Reuters -
Police gather near the school in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tennessean via AP -
Police lead children away from the school after the shooting. AP -
Nashville Police respond to the shooting. Metro Nashville Police Department / AFP
The US Congressional Black Caucus criticised the state’s Republicans for their “racist” actions.
“The expulsions of Rep Justin Jones and Rep Justin Pearson — two black duly elected members representing minority districts — makes clear that racism is alive and well in Tennessee,” caucus chairman Steven Horsford said.
Mr Horsford added that by expelling the two legislators, Republicans were not only silencing “the black representatives” but “their constituents as well”.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton expressed outrage over the move as well.
“Following yet another school shooting, Tennessee Republicans have moved on from offering empty 'thoughts and prayers' in place of action,” she said on Twitter.
“Now they've expelled two Democratic legislators who demanded safety for students and educators who just want to learn and teach in peace.”
