More than a thousand people gathered at New Direction Christian Church in Memphis's Hickory Hill neighborhood to support Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress, following four fatal shootings by the Memphis Safe Task Force in the last two months.
Pearson's message of resilience
“Today we are in the fight of our lives to make this district, our state, and this nation better for ourselves and for those who will come after us,” Pearson said. He added, “If God be for us, it doesn’t matter if every white supremacist in the Tennessee General Assembly is against us... Grandmama said, ‘If God be for us, it doesn’t matter who or what is against.’”
Prominent progressives show support
US Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania joined the rally. Pressley praised Pearson: “Justin has shown up in the quiet moments for the neighbor in need. He shows up in the consequential moments when our rights are on the line.”
Pearson, 31, was one of two legislators expelled from the Republican-controlled Tennessee General Assembly in April 2023 after protesting the lack of gun control following the Covenant school shooting. The Shelby County commission reappointed him to his seat.
Redistricting and its impact
Tennessee legislators redrew congressional districts in May after the US Supreme Court's Callais ruling dismantled parts of the Voting Rights Act. The ninth district, a Democratic stronghold with 400,000 Black residents, was split into three districts, none with a Democratic majority. Lee likened the redistricting to the Jim Crow era: “When I can’t afford gas, I don’t need a white paper on affordability... That normal didn’t work for Memphis.”
Pearson's progressive platform
Pearson had planned to challenge long-serving Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen, but Cohen retired after redistricting. Pearson aims to leverage grassroots support, similar to recent victories by democratic socialists in New York. Ocasio-Cortez noted her political consciousness was shaped by events in Memphis, Montgomery, and Selma. She referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “We are here to pick up where King left off 50 years ago.”
Ocasio-Cortez also highlighted Pearson's environmental activism in Southwest Memphis, the most polluted area of the city. She noted that as an activist, Pearson “forced two billion-dollar corporations to abandon their projects” through public meetings with neighbors.
Democratic primary and police violence
Pearson faces M LaTroy A-Williams, London Lamar, and Jim Torino in the Democratic primary on 6 August. Hickory Hill has seen increased law enforcement presence, with state and federal police often staging near the church. Families of those killed by task force agents joined Pearson on stage.
The death of Tywin Johnson, 20, a musician with no criminal record, has sparked outrage. Johnson was killed by National Guard soldiers responding to a robbery report. Task force spokespeople claim Johnson was armed but have refused to release video footage from a nearby police camera, as soldiers were not wearing body cameras. Pearson said the deaths were predictable after Donald Trump ordered federal agents into the city last year: “Our worst fears have been realized. Let us remember these beloved families whose lives have been forever altered.”
