Key facts
- Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress, held a rally in Memphis.
- The rally followed four fatal shootings by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force in recent months.
- US Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Summer Lee attended and spoke in support of Pearson.
- Pearson was previously expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly for protesting gun control legislation.
- The redistricting of Tennessee's ninth congressional district has created a situation where no Democratic voting majority exists.
More than a thousand people gathered at New Direction Christian Church in Memphis to rally in support of Democratic state representative Justin Pearson, who is running for Congress. The rally occurred in the wake of four fatal shootings by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force over the past two months.
Pearson, who was previously expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly for protesting gun control and subsequently reappointed, addressed the crowd, framing the campaign as a critical fight for the district, state, and nation. He invoked religious and historical struggles, stating, "If God be for us, it doesn’t matter if every white supremacist in the Tennessee General Assembly is against us."
US Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Summer Lee joined Pearson, with Pressley highlighting his consistent support for constituents. Lee compared the recent redistricting of Memphis's ninth congressional district, which eliminated its Democratic voting majority, to the Jim Crow era.
Ocasio-Cortez spoke about the origins of her political consciousness, referencing Memphis's civil rights history and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. She also pointed to Pearson's environmental activism, noting his success in forcing two major corporations to abandon projects in Southwest Memphis, an area affected by pollution.
The rally also highlighted the recent death of Tywin Johnson, a 20-year-old musician, who was killed by National Guard soldiers responding to a robbery report. Pearson suggested that these incidents were predictable following an order by Donald Trump to deploy federal agents to the city last year. Families of some victims of task force shootings were present at the rally.