If you are a resident of Metropolitan Nashville, you should be outraged at the blatant disrespect displayed by a majority-led Republican state legislature in monopolizing their power by defying the wishes of residents of Nashville. It appears they have no regards to what the voters in Davidson County want and have shown it with their legislative power to attempt to control the city. Exercising power to go against what citizens in a city want, only serves to polarize the city and the state. They should be working together in the best interests of all in the state.
We all know Nashville is what many Tennesseans consider the starship of Tennessee with its multitude of venues—whether it includes: educational institutions of higher learning, state-of-the-art restaurants, a city offering almost any major sport to catch one’s attention, or a never-ending genre of singing artists presenting concerts to serve anyone’s musical palate. But what makes Nashville stand out most when compared to so many of its surrounding cities and towns is its diversity, liberalism, friendliness, and respect abundantly shared by so many of its local and newly relocated citizens. There are now numerous citizens relocating from up North and the West who don’t share the prejudice and racism so prevalent in many rural southern Whites living in surrounding towns and cities.
There are rural communities, towns, and cities, in Tennessee still harboring a taste of the defeat of the Confederacy. They are looking for a resurgence of past discriminatory practices effecting people of color and marginalized people by exercising their past displayed by White supremacy. There are views that many of those relocating to towns in Tennessee don’t agree with; however, they don’t see what it can be like here until it is too late.
The continuous, disrespectful display by Tennessee’s Republican-led legislature misusing their authority causes many to reconsider coming to Nashville—and many of those who have already relocated feel they may have made a mistake. The Tennessee state legislature doesn’t respect the will or wishes of Nashville voters. Tennessee state legislators are adamant in their refusal to enact strict gun legislation laws, to respect women’s reproductive rights, and to refrain from banning books. They limit freedom of choice and stifle intellectual growth.
They have manifested what many consider racist action against TSU, and have recently expelled two Black legislators (although, they have been re-instated). No doubt Tennessee is being dubbed by some as one of the most tyrannical, dictatorial, and racist states in the country.
Still, many would agree that Nashville, even with exponential growth problems, represents a city exhibiting an air of cooperation and mutual respect where everyone (especially marginalized and communities of color) have a voice or are represented. But now this marriage/bond has been compromised and threatened by the state legislature reducing the Nashville Metro Council from 40 to 20, which is being contested. Many would argue that Nashville is being punished because it refuses to commit to the whims of surrounding White communities and towns still fanning the flames of the racism of their ancestors who where staunch supporters of White supremacy. They refuse to accept that their ancestor’s fight to support slavery was unholy, immoral, and treasonous. It resulted in a loss that some have yet to accept in going forward.
Unfortunately, many state Republican lawmakers are uniting to maintain power to continue to subjugate people of color under the guise of claiming their policies are more beneficial for Tennessee. They support policies to limit federal sponsored health care, ban books, suppress women’s reproductive rights and allow more access to guns on the street without permits. This doesn’t benefit the citizens of Tennessee, especially the progressively growing city of Nashville.
Denying financially disadvantaged citizens health care opportunities; putting more citizens in harm’s way by making it easier to carry weapons; and disenfranchising people by diluting their districts of representation borders on tyranny. But these measure are easy to bring about when you monopolize your authority and overlook the will of decent, fair-minded people looking for equality and justice.
One can only imagine the esoteric people behind the scenes benefiting from the draconian actions of this Republican-led legislature. However, when you look at the whole picture, these Republican Tennessean lawmakers are only hurting the image of Tennessee by dictating policies and enacting laws against the will of the citizens in their quest to make Nashville (a strong Democratic stronghold) into a Republican city.
If other cities watch and don’t question or challenge the tyrannical actions of an out of control legislature overlooking the concerns and wishes of a major city, it is only a matter of time when their city will also be under attack with little legal recourse. This is about respecting the wishes of a city trying to do well and make a difference to benefit all its residents fairly.
