A Tennessee Republican representative, Paul Sherrell, recently proposed “hanging from a tree” as an addition to forms of the death penalty in the state.

Tennessee Republican representative, Paul Sherrell, recently proposed an addition to an amendment to bill HB1245. Sherrell first offered his support for firing squads as a means of state execution for people sentenced to the death penalty before trying to sneak in another method of execution to the bill.

“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?,” he said.

People soon began sharing the clip on Twitter, pointing out the nefarious and racist connotations of the suggestion.

“This is UNREAL! Republican Rep. Paul Sherrell proposed Tennessee amend their death penalty to include HANGING by tree during a House Criminal Justice Committee meeting! How in 2023 can a government official have such a grotesque suggestion leave his mouth?! : @thetnholler“

“Holy shit. During a committee hearing on a bill to bring back the electric chair and firing squads, Rep. Paul Sherrell (R-TN) says they should also bring back lynching.”

President of the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, Gloria Sweet-Love, called Sherrell’s comment “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… Sherrell’s comment—with reference to the most detested form of racialized violence—appears to be tinged with race,” she said.

“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.”

Sherrell’s press secretary would later offer a retraction.

“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 for families who often wait decades for justice. I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been hurt or offended,” the statement said.

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