Intifada in the Council Chambers

“You may only speak about items that appear on the agenda” said Vice Mayor Angie Henderson, facing a gallery full of pro-Palestinian protesters during last night’s Metro council meeting, “and you may only speak about the item for which you signed up.” In July of last year, a state law took effect mandating municipalities to take comments from the public at every public meeting; since then, despite Metro Council’s rule limiting the conversations to agenda items, the 20-minute comment periods have been commandeered by activists.

“Settler colonialism is a system of racist violence that seeks to deprive indigenous people of their rights, their land, labor, and resources,” said Tristan Warner from the podium. According to the sign-up sheet, Warner was there to oppose a resolution renewing Rite of Passage’s contract with the county’s only juvenile detention facility. Once he took the mic, he launched into a rant regarding settler colonialist regimes, claiming both the United States and Israel are based on the “logic of genocide” before concluding with “Free, free Palestine.”  

Next up was Diluvio Palazzolo, a “trauma and decolonization psychologist” who was there to weigh in on a resolution recognizing May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Palazzolo told the body that they are obligated to honor the “heritage of resistance against colonization, occupation and imperialism” by standing with “Palestinian Americans who cry out for the end of genocide and occupation,” before attempting to passify the rule to stay on topic by tying his speech it back to the legislation: “Palestine is in Southwest Asia.”

Indeed, the majority of those who spoke during the public comment period were there to make a statement about Palestine, and the blatant takeover was the perfect segue into the council’s next order of business: an amendment to remove Rule 28’s limitations restricting the topics allowed for discussion. “What we’ve seen is individuals coming out and being very creative in using the agenda to speak to the council,” said sponsor Delishia Porterfield. “That has put our Vice Mayor in a precarious situation of having to determine if something is on the agenda.”

Though most members supported the change, a few had concerns: Councilmember Tom Cash observed that he sees the same people signing up to speak every month. Rules Committee Chair Sandra Sepulveda iterated that, regardless of the change, those who signed up to speak on actual agenda items would be prioritized. She took care to mention that she doesn’t anticipate anyone abusing or monopolizing the process.

On the other hand, Councilmember Rollin Horton wasn’t fully convinced; he expressed concerns that the change would create “a forum for bizarre, obscene, or hateful comments,” citing his observation of the recent neo-Nazi parade downtown. Councilmember Sheri Weiner then added a bit of pragmatism to the discussion, mentioning her concerns about those who use their time to discuss broad topics — topics the council has no authority to address. 

Ultimately, the council approved the rules change, as attendees holding “WE ARE NOT THE UNITED STATES OF ISRAEL” and “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA” signs looked on from the gallery. One month from now, the public comment period will be open to any topic under the sun. After the vote, the majority of the pro-Palestine protesters exited the council chambers—small victory in hand. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🧊 Baseball on Ice MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred threw the idea that Nashville could land a professional baseball franchise any time soon on ice. At his annual meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors earlier this week, Manfred stated that he plans to have an expansion in place by 2029, when his term as commissioner ends.

But the delay is of less concern than Manfred's next declaration regarding the potential site of a new team: "We need an Eastern time zone and [a city in] either a Mountain or Western time zone just in terms of making the format work in the best possible way." Currently, there are fourteen teams in the Eastern time zone, eight teams in the Central time zone, two in the Mountain, and six in the Western. Relatedly, here’s an interesting infographic showing when games start for each MLB team based on their hometown time zone. DAVIS HUNT

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🌸 Memphis Hilton Earlier this week, Governor Lee signed a bill that bans judges from factoring “ability to pay” into its bail calculator. As if to underscore the need for such a bill, last week in Memphis, a man out on bond for a January shooting hunted down and threatened a witness who testified against him. In celebration of the signing, Senate sponsor Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) used the opportunity to stump for Memphis’ status as Tennessee’s msot renowned city. “Together, we will make sure Memphis can seize its fullest potential,” wrote Taylor. “After all, Tennessee cannot be successful if its most famous city is not successful.” Most famous city? Really? DAVIS HUNT

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🏭 Waller in the Holler This afternoon, a bunch of bored activists will gather at Lipscomb University to protest the TVA’s use of fossil fuels while the power company holds a listening session on campus. Organized by the Sierra Club, the protest is purportedly a response to the agency’s plan to construct eight natural gas plants. “Since 2020, TVA has planned eight gas plants across its region,” writes WPLN reporter Caroline Eggers, “equivalent to 20% of the utility’s operating capacity, and more than 160 miles of pipelines in Tennessee. TVA’s top six executives have collectively banked millions from the process.” Cue villain music.

The protest will be followed by the Rally for the Valley at Centennial Park, which includes a performance by musician Jonathan Singleton, a lecture from environmental activist Bill McKibben, and a Yas Kween hype speech from Rep. Aftyn Behn. DAVIS HUNT

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The action status of other notable bills from last night's council meeting:

Rules of Procedure

• Rule 28 (Passed) Expands the public comment period to any topic
• Rule 43.1 Extends the automatic indefinite deferral of a bill from happening after four deferrals instead of three
• Rule 43.4 (Deferred) Gives a one-meeting grace period after deferred legislation

Resolutions

• RS2024-417 (Passed) Enhanced DUI and seatbelt enforcement
• RS2024-424 (Passed) Approving an application for a Climate Pollution Reduction grant from the EPA

Bills on First Reading

• BL2024-181 (Withdrawn) NEST; Building Code, firewalls, single staircase 
• BL2024-187 (Deferred) NEST; allows construction of single-family, two-family, and multi-family in all commercial zones 
• BL2024-343 (Passed) Adding a CM as board member of the Arts Commission 
• BL2024-356 (Passed) Revised Flood Insurance Rate Map 

Bills on Second Reading (*also on public hearing)

• BL2024-184 (Passed) NEST; DADUs, daycare centers, and mixed-use zones 
• BL2024-303 (Withdrawn) Annual disclosures required for Metro boards and commission members 
• BL2024-336 (Passed) Accelerating Resilience of the Community through Holistic Engagement and use of Renewables 

Bills on Third Reading

• BL2024-179 (Passed) MNPD required to produce reports on use of excessive force
• BL2024-182 (Passed) NEST; bathrooms, dryer hookups (amended), housekeeping
• BL2024-301 (Passed) Fair Board rules 
• BL2024-302 (Passed) Purpose of the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission to include “equity”
• BL2024-305 (Passed) Sending back Pre-Columbian collection at Parthenon to Mexico

TODAY'S WEATHER

DEVELOPMENT

• One of Nashville's largest office towers is on the market (NBJ)
• Music Row property sells for $2.2M (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Slowdive @ The Caverns, 7p, $59.50+, Info

🎸 Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Love Earth Tour @ FirstBank Amphitheater, 7:30p, $90+, Info

🪕 Charles Butler & Friends @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

🎸 The Marshall Tucker Band @ Ryman Auditorium, 7:30p, $49.50+, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info