Tag: Rep. Justin Jones

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Lawmakers Hope Medicaid Dollars Can Ease Gun Violence With “Proactive Approach”

State Capitol (Photo: Tennessee State Government)

New federal Medicaid dollars may help Tennessee ease gun violence with a “proactive approach” sponsored by two state Democrats who say inaction by Republicans has been “shameful” and that the party is “scared of the [National Rifle Association].”

State Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) and Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) filed legislation that could flow Medicaid dollars here for community violence intervention programs proposed by Preisdent Joe Biden in 2021. 

So far, seven states have received the funds, which require a match by states. The money is used to bolster existing programs that hope to stop gun violence well before someone picks up a firearm.    

“For example, violence interruption programs deploy trusted messengers to work directly with individuals most likely to commit gun violence, intervene in conflicts, and connect people to social and economic services to reduce the likelihood of gun violence as an answer,” reads a statement from the White House. “Hospital-based violence interventions engage people who have been shot while they are still in the hospital, connecting them to services to decrease the likelihood that they commit gun violence or are victimized in the future. Programs like these have reduced homicides by as much as 60 percent in areas where they are implemented.”

The bill from Lamar and Jones would authorize Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to request the federal funding and the state matching funds. Then, TennCare officials would be responsible for identifying existing programs or creating new ones to use the funds. 

“This legislation represents an opportunity for us to try a more holistic approach to reducing gun violence — an approach that recognizes the effect issues, such as poverty, education and mental health, have on crime,” Jones said. “It is a vital step in expanding the funding and resources necessary to protect our communities.”

Both Lamar and Jones ripped Republicans for inaction on gun violence in Tennessee, pointing to few laws of substance passed on the issue in the wake of the Covenant School shooting last year. 

Since Republicans ended the legislative session last April, there have been 1,096 shootings — more than three per day — in Tennessee said Lamar, quoting facts from Tennessee Under the Gun, a data project from the Tennessee Senate Democrats. Since then, there have been 11 mass shootings where four or more people were shot, not including the shooter. Since the last sessions ended, 417 adults and 47 children were killed by gun violence in Tennessee. 

So far this year, there have been 114 shootings in Tennessee and one mass shooting, that of Courdarion Craft who killed one person and injured two others in a weekend crime spree here this past weekend.  

However, Lamar said data hasn’t changed the minds of Republicans who, ultimately, have the power to change gun violence in Tennessee. 

“There is nothing anybody can say to me that [can prove] Republicans have done what they’re supposed to do for the good of people,” Lamar said. “They are too scared of the NRA and gun lobbyists than they are of babies dying.”

“There is not another piece of data we can produce for them to change their minds. They actually know what the problem is. They’re making a conscious and deliberate decision not to do anything.”

Meanwhile, state Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) has introduced several bills to tamp gun violence in Tennessee. One bill would ban the manufacture of semi-automatic rifles in Tennessee. He also would ban the manufacture, transfer, or sale of magazine clips that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. He also wants to require anyone who has lost a gun to report the loss to state officials within 24 hours.

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Reactions Megathread: Black Tennessee Lawmakers Expelled for Protests

Source: Tennessee General Assembly

The white-majority, GOP-dominated Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Black lawmakers Thursday (but kept one white lawmaker on the same offenses) as the country looked on.

The Memphis Flyer will capture as many reactions to the news here as we can. This thread will be updated as reactions come in throughout the day.

Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network:

“The Tennessee House’s decision to remove two Black legislators who exercised their right to free speech was a plain and simple attack on our democracy. How can you remove these lawmakers, who spoke for thousands of Black Tennesseans living under the threat of gun violence every day, but stop short of removing their white colleague and deny this is a racist action? The National Action Network stands with our Nashville Chapter in supporting their fundamental right to protest, especially against the gun violence that consistently and persistently impacts Black communities.”

JB Smiley, Memphis City Council member

“The Shelby County Commission must immediately return Representative Justin J. Pearson to the Tennessee General Assembly. This is a sad day for Tennessee. The Republican super majority in the Tennessee General Assembly has put its knee on the neck of democracy in this state and in this country. I hope people will hold the dishonorable representatives who voted to expel Representative Pearson accountable for their actions and recognize that they have a total disregard for the thousands of constituents affected by such actions.”

Joint statement by Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition Votes; Tequila Johnson, executive director, Equity Alliance Action Fund; and Tikeila Rucker, political organizer, MemphisForAll:

“The power of our democracy is that the people choose our leaders to represent us, not the other way around. Our communities came together to elect Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin J. Pearson because they are bold, progressive champions and we knew they would fight to make sure our families have opportunities to thrive. We knocked on thousands of doors, called voters across the state, and elected leaders that listened to our voices and represented our communities.

“But in the face of the growing political power of Black and brown communities, the power-hungry supermajority is doing everything they can to silence our voices and disenfranchise our communities, including ousting two young black men who were duly elected. Expelling Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson is an unprecedented power grab that directly undermines our democracy, but it isn’t their first attack. They redrew congressional maps to break up Nashville to dilute the growing power of black and brown communities. They shrunk the size of the Nashville metro council from 40 to 20 members, forcing the city to redraw districts, eliminating leaders that represent our communities and throwing the city into political chaos. They’re coming after local authority in every city that dares challenge them. All of these attacks are tied together. They saw our power, and they’re doing everything they can to stop it.

“And let us not forget what started all of this: the House GOP’s refusal to take action to protect our children from gun violence in the wake of the terrible tragedy at the Covenant School last week. They want to distract and divide us with political stunts instead of focusing on making our schools safe.

“But we aren’t backing down. We are registering voters and organizing our communities to turn out for every election and elect leaders that will build a state that works for all of us. Just like we came together to elect Representatives Jones and Pearson the first time, we will keep showing up to elect champions, hold our government accountable, and pass policies that help our families thrive and keep our children safe. Tennessee is on the front lines of defending our democracy in this country. For years our movements have been fighting to defend and build a truly multiracial and pluralistic democracy in our state — and we won’t give up now.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen:

“As a longtime state Senator and current member of Congress, I appreciate that certain rules of decorum are necessary for conducting the people’s business in our state legislature. But I view the expulsion votes today as a provocative and disproportionate response to the breach of House rules prompted by the emotions triggered by last week’s Covenant School shooting.

“I was pleased to see the effort to expel Representative Johnson fail. I wish cooler heads would have prevailed and prevented the disenfranchisement of the citizens of Memphis and Nashville the expulsions create, in addition to the special expense state taxpayers will now have in scheduling primary and general elections. Debate on the proper response to gun violence is an essential part of the democratic process. Today’s votes were an embarrassing stain on an important democratic institution.”

The Black Southern Women Collaborative:

“The expulsion of Black legislators is an unacceptable travesty that should not be tolerated in a democracy. Black people from Memphis and Nashville now have no representative in the House of Representatives. This comes at a time when one in five Black people in Tennessee cannot vote due to felony disenfranchisement. Most of the folks are in Memphis. Additionally, Tennessee voters are being purged from the voting rolls and most of the impacted people are in Memphis and most are Black.

“Jones and Pearson were willing to enact the will of the communities that elected them, and now they have been removed. There can be no confusion; this is not only an attack on democracy, but also an attack on Black people.

“Justin Pearson is an activist and organizer who worked to oppose an oil pipeline in his community. He is concerned not only about the environment, but gun violence; issues of concern to his constituents.

“The other irony in all of this is that three legislators protested the death of innocent babies who were killed at the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, yet only the Black legislators were removed. The racial inequity in this process is brazen.”

Amber Sherman and the Black Caucus of the Tennessee young Democrats have issued a petition to send Pearson back to the House:

“Justin J. Pearson was unjustly expelled from the TN State House on April 6th. His constituents deserve representation, send him back to the state House!”

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Assault Charge Filed In Incident on State House Floor

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, outside of Tennessee House chambers on Monday. (Photo: John Partipilo)

State Rep. Justin Jones, facing expulsion for leading a House floor protest against lax gun laws, filed a police report late Monday against a Republican lawmaker who grabbed his phone and allegedly pushed him Monday night.

Jones reported the incident involving state Rep. Justin Lafferty of Knoxville to Metro Nashville Police about 11 p.m. on Monday night, said Kris Mumford, a department spokesperson who declined to release the report because it was an open investigation. 

The incident is categorized as “simple assault,” she said. “He advised he was assaulted on the House floor, his phone was taken from his hand, and he was pushed,” Mumford said. “It is going to be assigned to a detective.” 

On the House floor, Jones also accused Lafferty of trying to incite a riot.

A scrum between Democratic and Republican lawmakers ensued after the skirmish, and a few minutes later, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons called for action to be taken against Lafferty, saying what happened was a form of “battery” that is a felony offense in Tennessee. House Majority Leader William Lamberth disputed Clemmons’ claim, but said any form of assault would not be taken lightly by the House.

Jones, a freshman representative from Nashville, freshman Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis, and Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, all Democrats, are targeted for expulsion on Thursday for violating rules of decorum.

The protests stem from demands by thousands of rallying people and Democratic lawmakers for tighter gun laws in the aftermath of The Covenant School shooting in Green Hills where six people were gunned down by a former student March 27.

Lafferty was recording video in the House Monday night when the incident between him and Jones took place. The Republican-controlled body had just voted to consider resolutions to oust the three Democrats for leading protests on the House floor last Thursday.

As people in the balconies chanted “fascists, fascists,” Jones, who also was recording video, put his cell phone near Lafferty’s face. The Knoxville Republican defended his actions in a Tuesday statement.

“Rep. Jones came to my desk and as I turned he shoved his phone in my face in a threatening manner. I reacted as anyone would. Attempts to characterize this as anything else are misleading and false. The three members who are in danger of losing their jobs are desperate to deflect attention away from their actions,” Lafferty said in a statement released through the House Republican Caucus.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton ordered people out of the balconies and also removed press from the chamber when proceedings were interrupted.

“Speaker Sexton did not witness this situation first-hand because he had to clear the galleries of the individuals disrupting the session,” spokesman Doug Kufner said. “However, if any member believes they have been assaulted, they can file a complaint with law enforcement. They can also file an ethics complaint with the House Ethics Committee, and an investigation will occur. These are the established processes to address this situation.”

The House, which has a supermajority of Republicans, would need a two-thirds vote to expel the three members. They would be given a chance to defend themselves in a House hearing, which is expected to be held Thursday.

Pearson wrote a letter Monday saying he could not “sit idly” last week as hundreds of students and parents rallied inside the House chamber and Capitol calling for steps to end gun violence. He argues that neither he nor his colleagues and the people protesting in the Capitol are “insurrectionists.” 

Sexton appeared to call last week’s incident an “insurrection” during interviews during radio and TV interviews but then clarified later that only the three lawmakers committed an “insurrection,” a charge they all deny.

“If this House decides to expel me for exercising our sacred First Amendment right to help elevate the voices in our community who want to see us act to prevent gun violence, then do as you feel you must. We must always stand up for what we believe right and just,” Pearson said in his letter.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.