Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville, and Justin Pearson of Memphis interrupted last Thursday's legislative session, and while Jones and Pearson were banished, Johnson was spared by just one vote.
One of the numerous people who took to social media to call for attacks against the state was Dr. Anita Blanchard, an associate professor of psychology and organization science at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
"Tennessee. Burn it down," she tweeted, before locking her account.
The majority of the threats called on fellow activists to burn Tennessee to the ground, and while some made it clear that they were "not being literal," others were vehement in their desire to see the state cease to exist.
"Every gen z, millennial, liberal, democrat, and Tennessee citizen should take to the streets after what the GOP just pulled," one user wrote. "Protest. Disrupt all you can. Hell burn the god damn state to the ground. Democracy is dead."
"Do we really need Tennessee?" another asked. "Burn that state to the ground and let nature have it back!"
The situation at the Tennessee state Capitol has been tense since the group of Democrats first staged their protest over a week ago, and on Monday things devolved into chaos as the lawmakers learned that they faced expulsion.
As the Tennessean reports, Johnson called the situation "unprecedented and utterly ridiculous," and stated prior to Thursday's decision that she would consider filing a lawsuit if she and her colleagues were officially expelled.
"We had a child molester on the floor for years, they helped him get reelected and did nothing to expel him," Johnson argued. "We've had members pee in each other's chairs. We've had members illegally prescribe drugs to their cousin-mistress, and nothing happened. But talk on the floor without permission, and you'll get expelled."
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