Sherrell lambasted for statement about “hanging tree”

State Representative Paul Sherrell

State Representative Paul Sherrell has been on the hot seat for the last two weeks since he made an inflammatory statement about a “hanging tree” as a means of execution.

Sherrell, a Republican who lives in White County and also represents White County in the legislature, made the suggestion during a Criminal Justice Committee meeting when lawmakers were discussing House Bill 1245 and an amendment to the bill that would allow for death by a firing squad as an execution method in Tennessee. Sherrell then offered to be a co-sponsor of that bill. Sherrell further asked if “hanging by a tree” could be added to the bill.

Media outlets and Tennessee residents quickly jumped on Twitter and Facebook denouncing Sherrell and the statement about the “hanging tree.” Many of the comments harkened back to the days when the South was well-known for its lynchings, particularly of black men.

Sherrell released the following statement to The Expositor after the incident.

“I regret that I used very poor judgment in voicing my support of a colleague’s bill in the Criminal Justice Committee,” Sherrell said. “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.”

Sherrell’s comment about the “hanging tree” only added fuel to the fire ignited by his recently proposed bill that would rename a portion of “Rep. John Lewis Way, in Davidson County, to “President Donald Trump Boulevard.”

Lewis, an African-American, was a well-known Democrat from Alabama and served in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1988-2018. He was re-elected 18 times. In 1961, Lewis became one of the 13 original Freedom Riders.

“This attempt to rename a portion of Rep. John Lewis Way after our previous president is clearly an attempt to sooth the racists whose offices reside on Rep. John Lewis Way,” Geeta McMillan, former educator and current chairman of the White County Democratic Party, said. “The members of the Tennessee State House of Representatives and the Tennessee State Senate all have offices in the Cordell Hull Building, in Nashville. The street address for all is Rep. John Lewis Way. This attempt in renaming is not to honor the previous president – they don’t want to be associated with an African-American Civil Rights icon.”