Tennessee’s House expells Democrats for protest; reinstatements

By Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise Associated Press

Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House on Thursday expelled the first of three Democratic members who were at risk of being thrown out of the Legislature for their role in a demonstration calling for gun control after the Nashville school shooting.

The vote Thursday to oust Rep. Justin Jones was an extraordinary move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War.

The House also ousted Justin Pearson. The vote comes a week after the duo chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery. The protest happened days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville.

House lawmakers voted 72-25 to remove them

They were reinstated last week.

Thousands of people flocked to the Tennessee Capitol to support the three Democratic lawmakers, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly that the noise drowned out the proceedings.

The three Democrats held hands as they walked onto the House floor Thursday morning, and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Offered a chance

Walz

From 3

Billmeyer

From 3 concert by University organist

Dean Billmeyer … gave the restored Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ a workout, filling our ears and rattling our bones,” according to MinnPost. Of this performance of Poulenc’s concerto, Billmeyer says, “The enormous range of colors at Northrop›s historic AeolianSkinner organ, as well as our instrument›s grandeur, give this work a wonderful sense of both monumentality and exquisite beauty.”

A Celebratory Musical

Collaboration

Collaborating with

The Greater Twin Cities Youth to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.

“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said. The calls for expulsion, which requires a two-thirds majority, stem from a protest held just days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville. Johnson, Jones and Pearson chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery.

Republican Rep. Gino Bulso said the three Democratic representatives “effectively conducted a mutiny.”

“The gentleman shows no remorse,” Bulso said, referring to Jones. “He does not even recognize that what he did was wrong. So not to expel him would simply invite him and his colleagues to engage in mutiny on the House floor.”

Even if they are expelled, the three lawmakers may not be gone for long. County commissions in their districts get to pick replacements to serve until a special election can be scheduled.

Any expelled lawmakers would be eligible for appointment back to their seats. They would also be eligible to run in the special election. And under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled

George Floyd at the request of Moriarty’s predecessor. Moriarty stood by

Symphonies (GTCYS) provides a chance for musicians across generations to truly honor Billmeyer’s illustrious career as a performer and educator. “I’m delighted that Northrop can combine this celebration of our colleague Dean Billmeyer with a new partnership highlighting the extraordinary young musicians of GTCYS,” notes Kristen Brogdon, Northrop’s Director of Artistic & Community Programs. “Performances at the nexus of arts and education are central to Northrop’s mission, and I can’t think of a better pairing of artists to share our stage for this moment.”

“The students of GTCYS’ Symphony and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to play in Northrop—a music space where so many legendary musicians and ensembles have performed. It is indeed an honor not only to play here, but to

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Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, for the same offense twice. Outrage over the possible expulsion once again thrust Tennessee into the national spotlight, underscoring not only the ability of the Republican supermajority to silence opponents, but also its increasing willingness to do so. The move sends a chilling message just as lawmakers grapple with how to respond to the devastating shooting while others have raised concerns about undermining Democracy by overturning the will of the voters.

In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the vote as “legislative bullying.”

“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent,” she said.

Many of the protesters traveled from Memphis and Knoxville, areas that Pearson and Johnson represent, and stood in a line that wrapped around the Capitol building to get inside.

Protesters outside the chamber held up signs that said, “School zones shouldn’t be war zones,” “Muskets didn’t fire 950 rounds per minute” with a photo of George Washington, and “You can silence a gun ... but not the voice of the people.“

As the House began its proceedings Thursday, Democratic Rep. Vincent Dixie stood before his colleagues and urged them to “not get distracted.” He mentioned the funeral for Mike Hill, her decision to prosecute the youths as juveniles instead of adults, saying it offered the collaborate with Dean Billmeyer for this unique celebration,” says Artistic Director & Symphony Conductor, Mark Russell Smith. A colleague of Billmeyer’s since 2007, Smith has served as Artistic Director of GTCYS since 2012 and is Artistic Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Minnesota, a combined post that enables him to bring his commitment for excellence and passion for education to new audiences.

Program Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Henry Purcell, arr. Steven Stucky Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani in G minor, Francis Poulenc Symphony in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World,” Antonín Dvořak

I. Adagio – Allegro molto

II. Largo

III. Scherzo (Molto vivace)

IV. Allegro con fuoco Post Event Reception

Omar

From 3 first for and not just to see and celebrate it but to defend it,” Omar told The Associated Press.

In the debate over her committee seat, many of Omar’s fellow Democrats, including those of Jewish descent, spoke out in the chamber about what they said was hypocrisy from the new Republican majority.

“I don’t need any of you to defend me against antisemitism,” said Rep. Jan Shakowsky, D-Ill. “My friend Ilhan Omar and I have worked together toward the values that I treasure as an American Jew and that she treasures as an American Islamic woman, the only one on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Democrats called it payback because they had used their majority in the last one of the Nashville school shooting victims, which took place earlier in the week.

“I want us to keep in mind the sacrifice that he made to keep those kids safe,” Dixie said. “Each of us has power to make change.”

Before the expulsion vote, House members debated more than 20 bills, including a school safety proposal requiring public and private schools to submit their building safety plans to the state. The bill did not address gun control, sparking criticisms from best chance for rehabilitation, and sharply criticized Ellison. “Inserting himself

After the concert, attendees are invited to a reception in the lobby for cookies, punch, and camaraderie to celebrate Dean Billmeyer’s five decades of service to the University of Minnesota.

About Dean Billmeyer Billmeyer has appeared as a recitalist and clinician throughout the United States and Western Europe, acclaimed by juries and critics in the U.S. and abroad for their technical prowess and interpretive insight. Awards include prizes in the Dublin International Organ Festival Competitions in 1980 and 1988, and as A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, the AGO has twice acknowledged him for the highest scores nationally on the Guild Certification Examinations.

About GTCYS GTCYS opens doors to music learning and provides a pathway for 1,000 student participants of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Using music as a vehicle, GTCYS’ educational

Congress to oust far-right GOP lawmakers from committees for their incendiary, violent remark s. But the emotionally charged floor debate over Omar was a departure from the bipartisan outrage she faced in her first year in office. At that time, Democrats were confronted by the reality that comes with diverse viewpoints when Omar — showing less deference to the party line — dragged the divisions over Israel into the open. It began with social media posts in which Omar criticized proIsrael lobbyist groups and questioned the loyalty of Jewish lawmakers who pushed back against her criticisms of the Israeli government. Omar apologized for her comments at the time, both privately to her Jewish colleagues and publicly. She said what she was questioning was the influence game in some Democratic members that lawmakers were only addressing a symptom and not the cause of school shootings.

In 2019, lawmakers faced pressure to expel former Republican Rep. David Byrd after he faced accusations of sexual misconduct dating to when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take any action, pointing out that he was reelected as the allegations surfaced. Byrd retired last year.

Last year, the state in these cases simply because he disagrees with the choice I was elected to make is deeply programs include 10 schoolyear orchestras, summer camps, and outreach initiatives that break down barriers, inspiring students to excel musically and build lifelong skills which serve them in school and beyond. Led by professional conductor and Artistic Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Minnesota, Mark Russell Smith, Symphony is GTCYS’ flagship orchestra which masters major repertoire, including full symphonic works, in a supportive and conservatorylike setting.

About the Organ Northrop’s historic Aeolian-Skinner Opus 892 organ is one of the finest concert hall pipe organs in the United States. Originally built between 1932 and 1935, the organ was restored and reinstalled in 2018 by Foley-Baker and Associates. It was awarded the prestigious “Exceptional Historic Merit” citation by the Organ Historical Society in 1999 and is one of the best examples of a lateRomantic-era instrument.

Washington and voicing her concern that anything she said about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians would be construed as antisemitic.

In response, top Democrats began to draft a resolution that would have condemned antisemitism, with an early version even mentioning Omar by name. At the time, only a handful of Democrats inside and outside of Congress came to her defense.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the highest-ranking progressive in Congress, said in April 2019 that Omar may “need to do a better job speaking to the Jewish community,” but that “it is not antisemitic to be critical of a rightwing government in Israel.”

Ben Rhodes, who was President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said that after meeting Omar early in her career, it was clear that she wanted to use her troubling and should alarm prosecutors across the state,” Moriarty said in a statement.

Senate expelled Democrat Katrina Robinson after she was convicted of using about $3,400 in federal grant money on wedding expenses instead of her nursing school. Before that case, state lawmakers last ousted a House member in 2016 when the chamber voted 70-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham after an attorney general’s investigation detailed allegations of improper sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.

Along with its remarkable sound quality in concerts and performances, the Northrop organ has been used as a teaching instrument throughout the years, highlighting the University’s continuation of its organ instruction program.

Northrop and Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Present GTCYS Symphony

Celebrating Dean Billmeyer Tue,Apr 18, 7:30 pm CT

In-person / Livestream / On-demand through Apr 23 Carlson Family Stage Reception following in Northrop lobby

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All tickets are on sale now including flexible Choose Your Own packages saving 15% on three events or more, tickets for groups of 10 or more saving 20%, and single tickets with many discounts are available. Order online or by phone at 612624-2345, Mon-Fri 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

“There are plenty of people in Congress that can represent the kind of established view of American foreign policy whether it’s on the Middle East or whether it’s on military policy,” Rhodes said. “There’s a desperate need for unconventional thinking and different perspectives, and that’s what she brings.” The resolution that Democrats ended up introducing and passing in the spring of 2019 included condemnation of antiMuslim bias but did not mention of Omar’s name. For the next several years, the former state legislator focused on bringing attention to issues that affected immigrants and families both back in her district and across Minnesota. And she gained support from various factions of the party as a result.