NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A riot at the Tennessee State Capitol was stopped by state troopers Thursday as State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and at least two other far-left Democrat state representatives encouraged a crowd of more than a thousand protesters to breach the Tennessee House of Representatives chamber floor during a gun control demonstration.
Tennessee State Troopers foiled the breach, as protesters attempted to enter the chamber from the gallery above and the ground floor.
The left-wing mob showed up outside the capitol early Thursday morning. Most of the more than one thousand protesters appeared to be under the age of 30.
Videos show rioters attempting to breach the House chamber from the Capitol gallery, where lawmakers occupy their offices.
The video also shows an unidentified man being shuffled through a door on the opposite side of the House chamber hallway, away from the protestors, by what appears to be a security officer.
An insurrection is currently underway at the Tennessee state Capitol building
https://t.co/PTiHqZ3Vdy— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 30, 2023
The rioters can be heard screaming obscenities at police, and one rioter managed to breach the police barricade of the House chamber hallway entrance before being briefly detained.
“Give him back,” the rioters yelled as the man was detained.
An earlier video shows protestors screaming, “Enough is enough” inside the Capitol gallery.
Sources tell The Tennessee Star that activist Democrat lawmakers including State Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) were involved in the riot. That statement is confirmed by a cell phone video of the event that showed Jones and Pierson shouting encouragement to the protesters from the well of the House with a bullhorn.
Sources tell The Star that Pearson, Jones, and Johnson rushed to the well of the House during a period between the consideration of two bills and Jones began shouting with the bullhorn.
⚡️🔥 HAPPENING NOW: Democrats @brotherjones_ @Justinjpearson @VoteGloriaJ have taken over the well and disrupted session. pic.twitter.com/QVXxfVnHFn
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 30, 2023
“Jones, with his bullhorn, encouraged protesters from the well of the House during a period of time between bill readings,” according to a source at the capitol.
Jones has a history of legal trouble stemming from “activism” before he was elected to office, as reported extensively by The Star.
State Troopers then cleared the rioters out of the gallery.
The House then went into recess, and reconvened later in the day.
More than 1,000 protestors gathered outside the Capitol building Thursday morning, demanding gun control in the wake of Monday’s deadly mass shooting at The Covenant Presbyterian School, carried out by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a biological female who identified as a transgender male.
“Thousands, not hundreds. Awesome turnout. Keep the pressure on,” far-left blog The Tennessee Holler said on Twitter of the crowd size.
Thousands, not hundreds. Awesome turnout. Keep the pressure on. pic.twitter.com/qx9GNlZYfz
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 30, 2023
DEVELOPING…
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Michael Patrick Leahy contributed to this report.
Photo “Tennessee Capitol Protesters” by Kelsey Gibbs. Photo “Tennessee Capitol Protesters” by Moms Demand Action – TN.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of State Rep. Justin Pearson’s last name.
Did same in FL for TG issues too
Throw their a**es in jail like the moron dems did to theJ6 people which was a set-up. Get tough Republicans. Give them a taste of their own medicines.
Sounds like shots are being fired at Ft. Sumter.
The police should have used tear gas and flash-bang grenades, then escorted them all in, arrest them without charges, throw each of them into solitary until their arraignment in a couple of years, then try them quickly, convict them, and throw them in prison for a long, long, long time.
Looks like the start of an insurrection to me…..
This should be the game plan everywhere now after what happened in D.C. a couple of years ago.
John: Very well put. It’s so blatantly obvious that the federal government and the democrats have two set or rules. As Tennessee has become ground zero for this leftist BS, it time we started fighting back.
Oh its different and ok when progressives do it?
Don’t think so!
This what years (decades?) of ignoring all those dead voters in Memphis, drunk-on-their-azz Ophelia, $55k John Ford, known Fraction Magic rigged voting machines, multiple arrests of community agitator Jones with zero consequences thanks to corrupt judges, and the THP, TBI and TN Sheriff’s Association actively lobbying against constitutional rights brings you these kinds of results. The Pfake Pfizer Contingent Republicans with 13 years of supermajority can hardly keep mental case trannies out of the wrong bathroom at schools. These total clowns on the House floor that just happened to bring a megaphone to session…these two haven’t introduced any legislation toward the ends they espouse. They are frauds, plants, and this is orchestrated likely by them, tolerated by the same THP that wets their pants over the thought of law abiding citizens keeping and bearing arms. They can’t even control the legislative chamber, why should I give up constitutional rights so they can “keep me safe”?
Democrats are nothing more than violent thugs who resort to total destruction when they don’t get their way.
If they are so concerned about children, why do they want to kill the unborn!
These three so called leader need to be rode out of town on a rail.
These three are nothing more than domestic terrorists.
These “alphabet kids” are really really stupid. How many in that crowd are mentally ill??
Can’t fix stupid. Guns don’t kill but mental illness will
Looks like legitimate political discourse to me….
I see all these young faces absolutely mind controlled into a frenzy. None aware that their very existence and future is already hanging by a thread with the current intentionally accelerated downfall of the USA.
Take away the 2nd Amendment and guarantee your slavery followed by very early deaths.
All of you smartphone communists please try to disarm us and really learn fast what a giant looks like awaken from slumber. If you think an AR-15 is scary that little BB gun is nothing compared to what we keep at the ready for Showtime!
“Sources tell The Tennessee Star that activist Democrat lawmakers including State Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pierson (D-Memphis) and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) were involved in the riot. That statement is confirmed by a cell phone video of the event that showed Jones and Pierson shouting encouragement to the protesters from the well of the House with a bullhorn.”
The Democrats seem to have TWO sets of rules concerning political protests, one for the Republicans and another lesser standard for themselves.
(According to published press reports, did you know that one January 6 defendant, Jake Lang—Lang was arrested ten days later on January 16, 2021—Lang was standing near to Rosanne Boyland whom U. S. Capitol police beat to death outside of the U. S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, but Lang was able to save the life of another January 6 defendant likewise standing near him, Phillip Anderson, who was also assaulted by U. S. Capitol police that day—has been in prison FOR MORE THAN 800 DAYS, and Lang is STILL awaiting trial?)
So, the foregoing lawmakers, and any others (i.e., whether legislators or not) who are in any way responsible for this reported ‘insurrection’, should be dealt with ‘equitably’ (i.e., Democrats seem to like this word) by the Tennessee General Assembly. If any of our State’s lawmakers are proven to have been engaged in any such conspiracy and lawless acts, then in my opinion, each should be promptly PERMANENTLY EXPELLED from the Tennessee General Assembly; and thereafter each should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, by the appropriate legal authorities, and if convicted each should be appropriately imprisoned. The Tennessee Republican Conference in the Tennessee General Assembly should demand it! And if Tennessee law is in any way deficient to this effect, the Tennessee General Assembly should immediately enact whatever legislation is required to remedy such deficiencies to guarantee that any such future lawless behavior by Tennessee legislators will never happen again, but if it does it will not go unpunished. This kind of lawless ‘stuff’ needs to stop, and I see no good reason why it should not stop now! The people of Tennessee are watching to see what their elected representatives will do about this!
Knox County District 90 State Rep and local village idiot Gloria Johnson is refuses to represent the people of her district and decides to incite a riot on the Capitol. Perhaps the legislature will find the intestinal fortitude to do the people business and remove her from office.
What a bunch of idiots. Why were they not in school or at work doing something productive?