I just had the privilege of listening to Justin Pearson. He’s incredible. Wow! If you have not yet listened to him, you really owe it to yourself to do so. Starts at ~9:30
Dr. King taught us that sometimes there is a consciousness above rule, above what you might say is law. And if the true form of protest is nonviolent disobedience, for less than a few minutes, we and you are seeking to expel District 86’s representation from this house.
In a country that was built on a protest! In a country that was built on a protest! You who celebrate July 4, 1776 have fireworks and eat hot dogs. You say to protest is wrong! Because you spoke out of turn! Because you spoke up for people who are marginalized. You spoke up for children who won’t ever be able to speak again. You spoke up for parents who don’t want to live in fear. You spoke up for Larry Thorn who was murdered by gun violence. You spoke up for people that we don’t want to care about. In a country built by people who speak out of turn, who spoke out of turn, who fought out of turn, who built a nation!I come from a long line of people who have resisted! I come from a long line of people who have fought injustice! I come from a long line of people who know what it means to face adversity in difficult days! We all have a responsibility, we all have an obligation to do what is just, to do what is right, to do what is fair. What I can promise to those of you who have cried today, those of you who mourn the seeming end and assault on our democracy. I can say to folks who are worried about whether as one sign said, “Am I next?” What I can say to you is that the movement for justice can never die because the heart for justice can never be killed because it lives and beats in every one of us. It cannot die because we will not let it die! I’ll tell you that folks have tried to kill it. They tried to put it on a tree called Calvary. They tried to kill hope and love. But resurrection is always guaranteed after persecution!
Rep Justin Jones asked the speaker who led the effort to expel them if he had learned anything which was a brilliant bit of teaching which unfortunately was wasted on an idiot who can’t learn anything.