Tennessee state Republican lawmakers voted to silence Democratic state Rep. Justin Jones, one of a group that has come to be known as the Tennessee Three, prompting walkouts from many of his colleagues.
The incident began during voting for legislation that would add more police officers to schools to improve safety, a policy that Jones objected to. The reinstated state rep. began loudly voicing his objections over the demands of GOP House Speaker Cameron Sexton to stay on topic.
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“What our schools need are mental health professionals,” Jones said, ABC News reported. “We need funding for mental health, for counselors. We need to pay our teachers better. We don’t need more police in our schools.”
Sexton then called a vote to silence Jones for the rest of the day, which the Republican-dominated legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of. The move prompted outrage from the gathered crowd, who loudly declared that the Republicans were “fascists” and “racists.” The House speaker ordered police to clear out the gallery, but many resisted. The chaos interrupted proceedings for several minutes.
Democrats in the chamber pleaded with the Republicans to change their votes; when they didn’t, they walked out with Jones.
Speaking with reporters afterward, Sexton defended his actions as following the rules.
“Look, House rules are House rules,” he said. “We voted on it. Might not like the rules, but the rules are what they are.”
The rules in question were adopted in response to the disruptive activity of Jones and two other Democratic state representatives that led to controversy earlier this year.
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Jones described his silencing on Monday as an authoritarian move from Republicans.
“The House is out of order under Cameron Sexton’s leadership,” he said after leaving the House floor. “It’s very disheartening, it’s very troubling. This is a step from authoritarianism, and we should all be troubled by this.”
