Memphis Rallies for Progressive Democrat After Four Fatal Shootings by Task Force
Over a thousand people gathered at a Memphis church to support Justin Pearson following four fatal shootings by the Memphis Safe Task Force. Pearson, who was expelled from the Tennessee legislature in 2023, is now running for Congress.
More than a thousand people rallied at New Direction Christian Church in Memphis's Hickory Hill neighborhood to support Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress. The rally came in the wake of four fatal shootings by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force over the past two months.
In his speech, Pearson described the moment as "the fight of our lives" to improve the district, state, and nation. He emphasized that no opposition, including white supremacists in the Tennessee General Assembly, could separate them from God's love.
The rally featured progressive U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania. Pressley praised Pearson for showing up in both quiet and consequential moments.
Pearson is one of two legislators expelled from the Republican-controlled Tennessee General Assembly in April 2023 after protesting the lack of gun control legislation following the Covenant school shooting in Nashville. The Shelby County commission later reappointed him.
Tennessee lawmakers redrew congressional districts in May after the Supreme Court's Callais ruling, which weakened the Voting Rights Act. The redistricting split the ninth district—the state's only Democratic district, covering a city with 400,000 Black residents—into three, none with a Democratic majority.
Lee compared the redistricting to the Jim Crow South, calling Memphis the epicenter of a nationwide storm.
Pearson, 31, has emerged as a progressive firebrand. He faces M LaTroy A-Williams, London Lamar, and Jim Torino in the Democratic primary on August 6.
Families of those killed by the task force joined Pearson on stage. The most recent death was Tywin Johnson, 20, a musician with no criminal record, killed by National Guard soldiers responding to a robbery report. The task force refused to release video footage from a nearby police camera.
Pearson said the deaths were predictable after Donald Trump ordered federal agents into the city last year. "Our worst fears have been realized," he said.
