Snowflakes And Fascists

As expected, discussions about school shootings, historic zoning, and Fusus fired up members during last night’s Metro Council meeting, only to be doused by imminent weather conditions. Before the proceedings kicked off, Councilmembers Ginny Welsch and Sandra Sepulveda set the tone. “I just wanted to let everyone know that I have ‘Know Your Rights’ cards here in seven different languages,” announced Welsch, encouraging members to pass them out in their communities. 

According to Welsch, the cards provide details about what someone should do when approached by ICE. They also display a message in English that card holders can hand to authorities “telling them why you are not going to do what they are asking you to do based on the specific constitutional right that aligns with that,” said Welsch. Councilmember Sepulveda followed up the announcement by carrying out portions of the proceedings in Spanish, later directing members to additional resources provided by the Immigrant Caucus.

As the meeting continued, Councilmember Tonya Hancock shed some light on the contentious metal detector discussions taking place in the wake of the tragic shooting at Antioch High School. “I do know, as a parent at a Metro school, that every single middle school and high school that has after-school athletic activities has a metal detector right now that they do not use during the school day,” she revealed. Though the Metro school board recently voted to integrate concealed weapon detection systems in every high school, Hancock suggested using the readily available metal detectors until the new systems are installed.

The discussion was sparked by Councilmember Courtney Johnston’s resolution to streamline communication between Metro Nashville Public Schools and Metro Nashville Police Department to evaluate current safety protocol. Several council members were quick to run cover for the school board, attempting to soften the scrutiny that has been heightened over last month.

“I think that we just need to be very careful with the language that we're using, because we don't want to inadvertently put this as though our school system has done something wrong,” warned Councilmember Delishia Porterfield. Councilmember Sean Parker echoed Porterfield’s sentiments, reminding the body that they shouldn’t step on the school board’s toes.

Porterfield also pointed out that metal detectors make students feel uncomfortable. (If you’re curious, take a look at what the Evol AI weapon detection systems look like compared to metal detectors.) Though the resolution passed, even those in support of the initiative had a few terse words to spare. “We're in the unfortunate environment where our state [legislature] and our current federal administration deems it, you know, allowable for anyone to tote a gun around, and there is…a lack of action on their part to keep guns out of school and to keep our kids safe,” said Co-sponsor Tasha Ellis. 

The introduction of Councilmember Emily Benedict’s bill that would put the Metro Historical and Zoning Commissions under the purview of the Planning Department also caught some punches. Councilmembers Brenda Gadd and Tom Cash, whose districts contain a substantial amount of historic overlays, both expressed confusion about what the bill actually does. “As it is, the bill, it makes a structural change,” said Cash. “Without understanding what the results of that structural change, what the substance of that structural change is, I'm not sure what it's doing.”

Councilmember Hancock proposed to set a public hearing on July 15th, which would give everyone more time to understand the bill by postponing discussions until after budget season. “We got 54 emails today, prior to having it at first reading,” she said, indicating the pushback that’s been snowballing among constituents. Hancock also expressed her surprise at the amount of co-sponsors already signed onto the legislation that currently has more questions than answers.

Ultimately, her proposal was shot down and the council passed the bill on first reading. Those hesitant about the change said that the solution relies heavily on a recent study that mainly focused on the historic zoning issues experienced by businesses downtown and hope to include more input from residents going forward.

Eventually, the meeting wound down with a clipped discussion on Councilmember Rollin Horton’s proposed guardrails for camera surveillance technology. Though it wasn’t the final item on the agenda, the conversation was put on ice—literally. Just as the floor started to heat up—not long after Councilmember Welsch called out the “lawless authoritarian federal administration, fascists running our state, and cosplay Christians who think there is no bridge too far in harming women and immigrants, including tracking them with systems like Fusus”—Councilmember Ellis made a motion to adjourn due to weather conditions. The council effectively put out the flames with snow by voting to head home early.