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      Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson (D-86) speaks on his phone while being expelled from the state Legislature on April 6, 2023 in Nashville. ​

      Reappointed Justin Pearson Vows to Fight on Against Tennessee GOP That Expelled Him

      "The message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: You can't expel hope. You can't expel justice. You can't expel our voice. And you sure can't expel our fight," the representative declared. "Let's get back to work."

      Jessica Corbett
      Apr 12, 2023

      This is a developing story… Please check back for possible updates...

      The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to reappoint Democratic Rep. Justin Pearson to represent District 86 in the Tennessee House of Representatives nearly a week after Republican lawmakers expelled him and Rep. Justin Jones over a protest demanding stricter gun laws.

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      #tennesseethree
      Former Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis speaks on his phone

      Expelled Tennessee Democrat Says GOP Is Threatening to Cut Local Funding If He's Reinstated

      "This is what folks really have to realize," said former state Rep. Justin Pearson. "The power structure in the state of Tennessee is always wielding against the minority party and people."

      Jake Johnson
      Apr 10, 2023

      One of the Tennessee Democrats who was removed last week by the Republican-dominated state House said Sunday that GOP lawmakers have threatened county officials with funding cuts in an effort to deter them from voting to reinstate the expelled representative.

      "I would be honored to accept the appointment of the Shelby County Commission," former state Rep. Justin Pearson said of the local body that is set to meet on Wednesday to decide who will fill the empty seat until a special election is held. Pearson told NBC News on Sunday that he intends to run in the special election triggered by his widely condemned expulsion, which stemmed from his participation in a gun control protest on the state House floor following a school shooting in Nashville.

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      #tennesseethree
      Demonstrators march through downtown protesting the death of Tyre Nichols on January 28, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee.

      'Just the Next Step' Toward Justice for Tyre Nichols: Memphis Police Shutter SCORPION Unit

      Attorneys for Nichols' family called the move "appropriate and proportional" in response to his death and urged other cities to follow suit but also stressed that "misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units."

      Jessica Corbett
      Jan 29, 2023

      The family of Tyre Nichols and others appalled by his death—for which five fired Memphis cops now face murder charges—welcomed the police department's decision on Saturday to disband a unit created in 2021 to patrol high-crime areas.

      The move came a day after the Tennessee city put out videos of the former Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith—brutally beating Nichols following a traffic stop on January 7. The 29-year-old Black man was hospitalized and died three days later from cardiac arrest and kidney failure.

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      tyre nichols
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