In Shelby County TN. which Pearson's district is located in and which the county board is who votes on whether to reinstate him or not, Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon claims the state has threatened to withhold millions in state funding if they reinstate him....
Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Uproar in Nashville and across the state of Tennessee following the ousting of two Democratic state representatives. Memphis’ own, Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones of Nashville were both expelled due to gun protests. Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville also faced expulsion but escaped the fate by a single vote. FOX13 wanted to find out what people who live in Pearson’s district had to say about the latest controversial decision.
We walked through Pearson’s district, starting north in Millington. We asked people there about their concerns with not having representation currently. “Well, that’s not fair. I don’t know how the legislature can kick out someone that we have elected,” said James Pearson of Millington.
Next, our crews headed into Downtown Memphis to hear from people on Beale Street, also District 86.
“Man, I just think it’s bad business overall,” said Bo Garrison of East Memphis. Garrison said he often visits the Downtown area. “I just don’t understand how you can be a citizen, have the right to protest, then all of a sudden we are going to kick you out of the legislature,” Garrison said.
We also moved into the southern part of the district, not too far from the state line, in the Walker Homes area. While there, we ran into longtime Memphis business owner Robert Caldwell who runs the Caldwell’s Quick Stop.
“I think that he’s doing the right thing because he’s speaking for the people, for the children,” Caldwell told FOX13. “We’re going to re-elect him because he is for the people and that’s a good thing. We need more people who are going to stand up for the neighborhood.”
FOX13 also learned that Memphis could lose funding for some major projects if Pearson is re-appointed. According to Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, leaders in Nashville threatened to withhold millions of dollars in state funding for projects in the Memphis area if commissioners were to reappoint Pearson.
"We are also being threatened by the state to take away funding, needed funding to run our schools, to run our municipalities," Sugarmon told FOX13. "You know, and so, for example, FedExForum, the promised $350 million, they're talking about snatching that away. So, again, you know this about bullying people into submission. And enough is enough. You know, we've got to stand for something or fall for everything. And we've been bullied by the state for too long now."Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland had previously requested that money for funding to upgrade places like the FedExForum, AutoZone Park, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and to build a new stadium for Memphis 901 FC.
The office of Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton provided the following statement:
“The governor has proposed $350 million for the Memphis stadiums in the budget; the speaker has been and will continue to be supportive of these projects. The House hasn’t entered into budget negotiations with the Senate at this time. He is hopeful the funding will remain in when the final budget is presented on both floors.”
Meanwhile, Pearson confirmed a meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that got underway Friday. He told FOX13 the meeting entailed talks about issues of gun violence and the work it would take to solve the issue.
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/m...314c216-d582-11ed-9766-8f4212e502ec.htmlThere are indications that Pearson may not get reinstated because the county can't afford to lose that funding. Such strong arm tactics more closely resemble tactics the Mafia would use instead of what one would expect from a state government.
