Al Sharpton Presses Justin Pearson About His Viral Police Rampage

"Pearson confronted Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers on Thursday outside a chaotic redistricting vote at the state Capitol. The troopers were attempting to clear protesters from the building, reportedly trying to escort Pearson's brother away from the scene. Local outlet WKRN caught Pearson telling the officers to let go of his brother in an interaction that saw the state representative scream in the face of a trooper and call him a stupid motherf**ker."

"Sharpton brought up the moment on Sunday's PoliticsNation, asking Pearson to discuss what caused his reaction and what he would want to be done about it. Pearson, who is also making a bid for a Tennessee congressional seat, told the host that the officer he had accosted had not followed instructions. So the state troopers were kicking everyone out of the gallery. My brother and two of our friends and family, really, Lauren and Allison, refused. They stayed seated in the gallery. They weren't being a disruption, and the speaker of the house had commanded, in essence, that the troopers remove everyone, he said."

"I said that I would walk my brother down after some troopers had hemmed him up, and the supervisor had agreed to that, but one of the troopers refused to listen. Pearson was protesting a redistricting effort that has since been signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R). The GOP gerrymander could allow for Republican control of all nine of the state's districts, eliminating the majority-Black district around the city of Memphis."

"The Tennessee law was made possible by last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a crucial part of the Voting Rights Act requiring states with a history of racial discrimination to ensure minority representation in Congress."

Tennessee State Rep. Justin J. Pearson confronted Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers outside a chaotic redistricting vote at the state Capitol. Troopers attempted to clear protesters and reportedly escort Pearson’s brother away from the scene. A local outlet recorded Pearson telling officers to let go of his brother, with Pearson screaming at a trooper and using a profanity. Pearson said the officer he accosted did not follow instructions and that troopers were removing everyone from the gallery after the speaker’s command. Pearson protested a redistricting effort signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee, which could eliminate a majority-Black district around Memphis. The law followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a Voting Rights Act provision requiring minority representation protections.

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