During Justice Committee meeting, Tennessee lawmaker gleefully suggests bringing back lynching

During Justice Committee meeting, Tennessee lawmaker gleefully suggests bringing back lynching Image of Rebekah Sager, author by Rebekah Sager Daily Kos Staff Thursday, March 02, 2023 at 10:42:53a EST 79 Comments 79 NEW Recommend Story 132 Tennessee Rep. Paul Sherrell Tennessee state Rep. Paul Sherrell During a House Criminal Justice Committee meeting Tuesday, Tennessee lawmaker, state Rep. Paul Sherrell, literally licked his chops (swirling his tongue in his mouth) as he boldly suggested that death row inmates be executed by “hanging by a tree.” These white racists aren’t even trying to cover up their latest version of the “Southern Strategy”—the plan by Republicans following the Civil Rights Movement to scare the shit out of Southern voters by appealing to their racist nature and thus gathering their votes. Top Stories Take action: It's time to redirect Pentagon funds toward crucial human needsUkraine update: Russia claims to be sending their own 'super tank' to UkraineLegendary jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter dies at age 89Trump rages against Rupert Murdoch's anti-Big Lie thoughtcrimes, but Fox will never, ever quit himGOP congressman from Uvalde school district facing censure after supporting new gun safety laws CLICK TO READ Marjorie Taylor Greene literally demands 'safe space' for MAGAs, buries irony in shallow grave GOP congressman fromUvalde school district facing censure after supporting new gun safety laws Sherrell, who sponsored a bill to change a Nashville street named after the late Civil Rights icon John Lewis to President Donald Trump Boulevard, made his outrageous comments while hearing an amendment to a bill to allow a firing squad to be used to execute death row inmates. Surprisingly, that’s not something currently on the books in Tennessee. RELATED STORY: Elon Musk says ‘media is racist’ against white people, defends ‘Dilbert’ creator’s racist comments After offering his support for firing squads, Sherrell then asked if he could “put an amendment on that it would include hanging by a tree, also?” Nashville’s NewsChannel-5 reports that the President of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, Gloria Sweet-Love, called Sherrell's comment “beyond disgusting.” “He is celebrating a particular form of execution used against African Americans in Tennessee and across the nation, including innocent and wrongfully convicted persons. In many parts of the South, lynchings took place in nearly every county as it exemplified racialized and anti-Black violence… Sherrell's comment—with reference to the most detested form of racialized violence—appears to be tinged with race.” Sweet-Love added: “It is a sad day in Tennessee politics when a lawmaker publicly announces that he wants to resurrect the lynching tree. We demand an apology from Representative Sherrill and ask the House leadership to condemn statements advocating racialized violence." Sherrell offered a pathetic, gaslighting, sorry-not-sorry apology: “I regret that I used very poor judgment in voicing my support of a colleague’s bill in the Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday. My exaggerated comments were intended to convey my belief that for the cruelest and most heinous crimes, a just society requires the death penalty in kind. Although a victim’s family cannot be restored when an execution is carried out, a lesser punishment undermines the value we place on protecting life. My intention was to express my support for families who often wait decades for justice. I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been hurt or offended.” The Daily Beast reports that in 2020, Sherrell co-sponsored a bill to ban gay couples from private adoption and to foster kids in need. In February, he supported a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender young folks. Sherrell explained his position through a folksy little anecdote: “Our preacher would say, ‘If you don’t know what you are, a boy or girl, a male or a female, just go in the bathroom, take your clothes off and look in the mirror… You’ll find out what you are.’” The issue of adding a firing squad, much less a hanging, to the offerings of ways to execute death row inmates seems to be taking hold among conservatives in Republican-held states. Wednesday, according to the Idaho Capital Sun, Idaho Legislature’s House Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee voted to advance a bill to add firing squads to the state’s arsenal when lethal injection is unavailable. Last year, the South Carolina Department of Corrections officially approved a law allowing death row inmates to choose between lethal injection or firing squad. “The death chamber has been renovated to accommodate a firing squad. The chamber now includes a chair in which inmates will sit if they choose execution by firing squad. The chair is in a corner of the room away from the current electric chair, which cannot be moved. [...] Bullet-resistant glass has been installed between the witness room and death chamber. The firing squad chair is metal with restraints and is surrounded by protective equipment. The chair faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet away,” the Department of Corrections stated. Death row inmates in the U.S. are disproportionately men and women of color. According to the ACLU, “43% of the total executions since 1976 and 55% of those currently awaiting execution” are inmates of color. “While white victims account for approximately one-half of all murder victims, 80% of all Capital cases involve white victims.” The ACLU writes: “A moratorium of the death penalty is necessary to address the blatant prejudice in our application of the death penalty.” Thank you for your support of Daily Kos. Media outlets shed 28,637 jobs last year alone. That's not just journalists, but fact-checkers, editors, and administrative staff. Advertising dollars have been gobbled up by Big Tech and cash-strapped outlets are being bought and sold to the highest bidder. Daily Kos is different. We don't have corporate backers that are only in it for the bottom line. We are primarily accountable to readers like you because donations from readers like you are our biggest source of income.Want to keep it that way? Click here to donate now. 10 TAGS #AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion #CriminalJustice #DeathRow #GOP #Lynching #Racism #Republicans #Tennessee #MAGA #PaulSherrell 1 GROUP REPUBLISHED Daily Kos Was this story worth reading? Recommending stories helps us decide which stories are most important to show our readers. Recommend Story 132 79Comments Join the Discussion The Actual Cost Of 1 Day Full Mouth Implants In 2023 Might Surprise You Branded Links | Sponsored Plastic Surgeon Reveals How To Get A Firmer Neck At Home Baverly Hills MD | Sponsored New Retirement Villages Near Ashburn (Take a Look at the Prices) Branded Links | Sponsored Finally Legal in Virginia, "You Gotta Try Cruise Chews" Cheech & Chong's Cruise Chews | Sponsored Virginia Program Will Cover Your Cost To Install Solar In These Zip Codes EnergyBillCruncher Solar Quotes | Sponsored © Kos Media, LLC Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. 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