Rep. Pearson barred from city council meetings
State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-District 86) is among a number of people barred from city council meetings.
The decision comes from Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington, who has sole power to bar people from meetings, the city’s attorney Allan Wade said.
“It is totally consistent with our rules of procedures,” Wade said.
Wade says the decision stems from Tuesday’s city council meeting, which came to an abrupt end amid an unruly meeting which included shouting matches and a fistfight in the lobby.
Rep. Pearson was in attendance at the meeting, where a vote on a moratorium on data centers was scheduled to take place.
More than 100 people showed up to hear the outcome on the proposed ordinance, and the decision to delay the vote led to a fight breaking out in the lobby and tense exchanges among city council members.
A fight between two women spilled into the lobby, with punches thrown while protesters chanted inside the meeting. One woman had her hair pulled and was slapped seconds later.
Memphis police were called to the disturbance at city hall, but a department spokesperson says no one was detained and no one was harmed.
Crowds chanted “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like” as the demonstration moved from the chamber into the halls of the building. Officers moved in to clear people from the chamber and the lobby where the fight occurred.
Wade says more people are barred, but Pearson and community activist KeShaun Pearson are the only two confirmed names on the prohibited list.
Rep. Pearson has scheduled a press conference for 5:30 p.m. Friday in response.