this is our birthright, ou inheritance is not just some pieces of paper in constitutions and rules. it s the advocacy and th willingness to protest for what s right, to create and to advocate for laws tha make justice more possible and so, that s what we re goin to do. thank you, sir. god bless you that is justin pearson, he one of the representatives tha was expelled today, along with justin jones and other representative, another as he, said young black man elected b the constituents and voters in their district to represen them in the house and no expelled by that same house. the choice of those individual in those districts rejected by the overwhelmingly white majority of the republican caucus in the tennessee stat house. and sent out of the house fo the crime of having chanted in
years have there been member of the house of representative expelled the first case was an 1866, si members were expelled fo refusing to convert citizenshi on formerly enslaved persons then in 1980, one member was expelled for taking 1000 dolla bribe to kill a bill o committee. in 2016, one member, who man of you served with, wa expelled for 22 counts o sexual harassment. protesters gathered, once again, in the capital today, making their view of the republican party of tennesse clear. but the republica supermajority in that chambe went ahead with a vote to expe mr. jones for protesting gun violence anywhere.
ruled out of order by the speaker, and attempting to speak loudly against gun violence. and against children being shot dead in schools. something that literally just happened weeks ago in nashville. these three members were standing in alliance with gun reform supporters, including hundreds of students who packed the gallery, hoping, hoping and prayer that the legislature would take up a gun reform plan. instead, this was the plan to expel the members who stood up for gun reform. one state representative, justin jones, was expelled this afternoon. while late today, state representative gloria johnson survived expulsion by one vote a third lawmaker, justin pearson, still faces a vote at this hour. republicans likened the actions of these three lawmakers to the january 6th insurrectionists here are the three democrats
shootings in this country by banning assault weapons and not only does the gop across the country refuse to do that, they stand in active way of that happening and take it so far as to silence the voices of the constituents and representatives woo want to see that happen. quite frankly, yes, there can be a gap, but i understand the calculus of asking for that grace, but really, we should be embarrassing the folks who are not outraged by this because it is absolutely outrageous let me play quickly, this is gloria johnson, because there was a difference between the way at least the first two of these representatives were treated here is gloria johnson sb explaining in her own words why she thinks she survived when justin jones did not why do you feel like there was a difference in the outcome between you and your colleague i will answer your question it might have to do with the color of our skin. let me bring in nbc s priscilla thompson, our heroic reporter who did help to make
them that argument of grace struck me in a very as very odd, as a very odd way to talk about the stripping of democracy from 200,000 constituents, and i wonder, you as a young activist, how that struck you, that strange sort of generational difference between justin jones and this older guard sort of call for grace you know, i understand a bit of the calculus, as reverend mark was just talking about, my dear friend was just saying. there s an understanding that we are in holy week, even though we re watching something deeply unholy happening an understanding that kind of bible belt, bible thumping mentality may be an opportunity to make an appeal, an appeal on grace, an appeal on so-called forgiveness, but personally, i don t feel that there s any forgiveness necessary because nothing wrong was done the only wrong done was the continued inaction and distraction that the tennessee gop has been pursuing during this hearing before now and what