Nashville Council Stalls On Condemning White Supremacy

NASHVILLE, TN — In the wake of the violent and deadly events surrounding a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., you might think passing a resolution condemning white supremacy would be a no-brainer.

In Nashville, at least, you'd be wrong.

Following the weekend's rally, Nashville Councilman-at-large Bob Mendes filed a resolution declaring "on behalf of all of Nashville, that [the council] stands against 'white supremacy'," but he did so after the council's filing deadline, thus for the council to consider the resolution at Tuesday's meeting, it had to vote to suspend the rules, a procedure that can be stopped with objections from just two of the body's 40 members. And that's exactly what happened.

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One of the objecting members was ex-police-officer Doug Pardue, one of the council's rare conservative stalwarts. The other was Tanaka Vercher, a first-term member from Antioch who is African-American, who, in a statement she posted to Twitter, explained her opposition to the non-binding measure, calling it a mere "political statement" that it did not go far enough and did little to address the underlying problem.

"This is too serious of a matter to not have actionable legislation and what was proposed tonight doesn't address the racial disparities that we have in the city," she said. "We need a binding resolution that not only stands against white supremacy but also against institutional racism."

Indeed, Mendes' resolution does not mention Charlottesville and calls for Nashville — a city that's increasingly boasted of being "Warm and Welcoming" following the election of President Donald Trump — to embrace "civil society" while rejecting all forms of prejudice.

"The evil of 'white supremacy' can take many forms, including prejudice and bigotry based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. The Council rejects all of these," it reads. "In place of white supremacy, the Metropolitan Council further declares its embrace of an American civil society where ideas are exchanged to be debated peacefully and with passion. The Council honors the tradition of being able to disagree without being disagreeable. America's marketplace of new and always competing ideas is what drives our culture and our success. The Council and all Nashvillians cherish our diversity because it is what makes America a strong and vibrant society."

Later, the council did suspend the rules to take up a resolution honoring Jerry Lee Lewis, who is performing on online-music show "Skyville Live" August 24. That resolution passed.

Posting on his blog after the meeting, Mendes said he intends to re-file the resolution.

"I am not going to let this just go away. It is too important," he wrote.

Related: The Many Symbols Of The Modern White Power Movement

Main image: In this April 23, 2016 photo, members of the Ku Klux Klan participate in cross and swastika burnings after a "white pride" rally in Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)