After a week of community reflection and vigils, students reacted to the Covenant School shooting by organizing rallies and walkouts. Protestors were reinvigorated by the expulsion of Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), who stood with student protestors and advocated for gun reform at the Capitol after the shooting.
Students from Vanderbilt gathered on Magnolia Lawn for a walkout organized by Vanderbilt’s chapter of Students Demand Action and March for Our Lives. Free red SDA shirts were distributed and worn by many students as they gathered and created signs for the march.
The Vanderbilt community marched down Music Row and onto Broadway, shutting down the road, before they made it to the Capitol. Many observers and students gathered on the side of the road and peered through school windows to watch the procession. Drivers also honked in support as they passed.
The crowd joined up with an estimated 7,000 total protesters to listen to speakers from various gun legislation activists, local organizers, and those affected by gun violence. They led the crowd in chants and calls for action.
On April 6, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed resolutions to expel the three representatives who spoke at the gun reform protest on March 30 following the Covenant School shooting. Although Jones and Pearson were expelled, the resolution to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) failed. Jones was reinstated as the interim representative on April 10.
In support of the “Tennessee Three”
In support of the expelled representatives, Vice President Kamala Harris joined student speakers, student spectators and community members in the Fisk University Memorial Chapel. The line to enter the chapel wound through Fisk’s campus. It concluded with metal detectors at the entrance to the chapel.
Secret Service and MNPD officers alike surrounded the area to organize the crowd and ensure safety for the representatives and Harris. Crowds were kept on the far side of the road from the chapel and remained peaceful with signage in support of the expelled legislators and gun reform.
