„This was not just an attack on us, but it was an attempt to silence our districts, predominately Black and brown districts,“ Justin Jones told NBC.
The two Black Democratic Tennessee lawmakers who were ousted over their gun control protest said that the state legislature has always been „toxic“ and that they’ve had a „target“ on their backs since day one.
Former state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis were expelled last week through a vote by the GOP-led Tennessee House of Representatives after they led a protest for stricter gun laws on the state House floor.
„It has always been a toxic work environment to work in the Tennessee State Capitol,“ Pearson said during an interview Sunday on NBC News‘ „Meet the Press“ alongside Jones.
Pearson accused other lawmakers of making comments „about hanging you on a tree and hanging Black people on a tree as a form of capital punishment.“
„When you were a dashiki on the House floor and a member gets up, and they talk about your dashiki saying it’s unprofessional, they’re really sending signals that you don’t belong here,“ Pearson said.
