By Tribune Staff
The republicans in the state legislature and Governor Bill Lee have repeatedly made it clear how much contempt they have for Nashville, and how little concern they have for the issues that affect Black citizens.
Their latest action is the intelligible sign that white racist motives are clearly behind the actions in the legislature.
The bill signed into law by the governor effectively strips Nashville citizens of the right to decide for themselves what government works best.
They passed a law capping the size of metropolitan city councils at 20, a measure that cuts Nashville’s council in half.
Their reasoning is efficiency, but no one should buy that vicious lie. Just as their blatant racist gerrymandering and redistricting efforts have stripped Nashville of representation in Congress, now they are going after the city and seeking to limit Black representation on the city council.
Only the naivest individual who will believe that when new maps are made and districts redrawn, whites will lose representation. No, the fact is Black will lose representation.
Anyone who has a brain and thinks Brentwood, Green Hills or Belle Meade will lose anything, lacks intellects.
But you can bet this bunch isn’t worried about North Nashville. They don’t care that the current 40-member council is the most diverse and inclusive in Metro’s history. No, to them it has too many Blacks folks on it, not nearly enough die hard-core right wing racist white males. Now if the council was like the state legislature with its Republican super majorities, you wouldn’t hear them suggesting that there needs to be limits on the size
of the council.
The city is right to sue to block this racist and overtly political act. Hopefully, they can get some measure by temporarily block this action, and ultimately have it declared unconstitutional.
The Republican Party, both nationally and statewide, has decided to make white backlash the principal strategy in policy formulation.
Whether it is critical race theory, public and secondary education, police reform or redistricting and voting, every measure they devise has a white racist motive behind it.
Just because Nashville wasn’t named in the bill doesn’t mean it wasn’t aimed at the city.
Meanwhile white racist Republicans remain in lockstep support of a former president who plays fast and loose with tax laws, remains accused of multiple incidents of sexual harassment, and has even encouraged his minions to continue protesting because he faced possible criminal charges in New York relating to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, as well as misusing campaign funds.
These are the people who have the temerity and effrontery to complain about Nashville’s city council.
These white racist need to look closer are themselves and their actions, because they are openly restricting the right of citizens to be fairly and equitably represented in Tennessee. It’s hard to top that for racist disdain and political pandering.
