Tennessee State Lawmaker Paul Sherrell Awarded Donkey Of The Day For Suggesting 'Hanging By Tree' Death Row Penalty For Inmates

Tennessee State lawmaker Paul Sherrell has been awarded Donkey Of The Day for suggesting a "hanging by tree" death row penalty for inmates.

The last Donkey Of The Day of the week is nothing short of surprising.

This past Tuesday (2.28.2023), a House Criminal Justice Committee meeting went down between lawmakers regarding amendments to Tennessee death penalties.

Keeping in mind that the focus was on amending to a bill that would allow death row inmates to be executed with a firing squad which is currently not allowed in Tennessee, State Representative Paul Sherrell (of Sparta) thought it was to good idea to say “Could I put an amendment on that it would include hanging by a tree, also?”

Gloria Sweet-Love, President of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, had this to say in response “While debating the firing squad as a method of execution in the House of Representatives' Criminal Justice Committee, Representative Paul Sherrell stated: 'I think it’s a very good idea, and I was just wondering about, could I put an amendment on that it would include hanging by a tree, also?' Representative Sherrell's comment is beyond disgusting. He is celebrating a particular form of execution used against African Americans in Tennessee and across the nation, including innocent and wrongfully convicted persons. In many parts of the South, lynchings took place in nearly every county as it exemplified racialized and anti-Black violence. We know from numerous research studies that Blacks are also disproportionately executed, especially when the alleged victim is White. Sherrell's comment--with reference to the most detested form of racialized violence--appears to be tinged race. It is a sad day in Tennessee politics when a lawmaker publicly announces that he wants to resurrect the lynching tree. We demand an apology from Representative Sherrill and ask the House leadership to condemn statements advocating racialized violence.”

...and an apology Sweet-Lowe would get with Sherrell saying “I regret that I used very poor judgment in voicing my support of a colleague’s bill in the Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday. My exaggerated comments were intended to convey my belief that for the cruelest and most heinous crimes, a just society requires the death penalty in kind. Although a victim’s family cannot be restored when an execution is carried out, a lesser punishment undermines the value we place on protecting life. My intention was to express my support of families who often wait decades for justice. I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been hurt or offended.”

Charlamagne Tha God had his say on this situation and you can give what that is a listen plus drop feedback in the comment box below...