Posted on April 14, 2023

Tennessee House Democrat Justin Jones Assaulted Driver During 2020 Protests, Video Shows

Caroline Downey, National Review, April 13, 2023

Tennessee house Democrat Justin Jones, who was just reinstated to the chamber after being expelled for leading a disruptive gun-control protest on the floor, assaulted a driver and faced serious charges for other misconduct committed while attending racial-justice protests in the summer of 2020.

Footage of rioting outside the state Capitol in 2020 first shared by Scoop Nashville appears to show Jones repeatedly hitting the driver of a car with a traffic cone. The video, which was resurfaced by the Post Millenial, shows Jones and other activists stopping and surrounding the vehicle before the driver escaped.

Jones was charged with assault, assault on an officer, and reckless endangerment, for which he was indicted on two counts after the video was presented to the grand jury in his case. Despite his violent behavior, Jones claimed in June 2021 that he was being “peaceful” and claims to the contrary were a “false narrative.”

“They will try to push a false narrative portraying me as ‘violent’ as a way to deflect from their own actions. {snip}” he tweeted.

Jones alleged that police colluded with prosecutors to “weaponize the law as a form of punishment for the mere fact that we chose to stand up.”

{snip}