At Friday’s annual Bedford County Reagan Day Dinner, Rep. Pat Marsh recounted his experience of the “Tennessee 3” and the “tumultuous” week at the Capitol.

The Tennessee 3, which has been circulating in both state and national news, includes representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) who led a protest in the House of Representatives two weeks ago in Nashville. The “two Justins,” as they are commonly referred to, were expulsed from the House but later voted back in by their respective council and commission.

“We had two young guys…and they don’t understand anything about decorum or being polite,” said Marsh.

He said in order to get anything done in government, there’s a protocol to follow. “You’ve got to sit and speak when you’re called on,” he said.

With the recent Covenant School shooting tensions were high across the board, according to Marsh. Protestors were at the Capitol that evening during house session, Marsh recounted.

“They were hurting--I know I was hurting. I think they were looking for somebody to blame, so why not blame Republicans…because we are gun people?” Marsh said.

Then, “It all turned into about these two guys and not the killings, and the mothers, and the children, and the families that were disrupted. It was all about these two guys who are professional protestors,” Marsh said.

He also cited how Jones has been arrested over 10 times, including a time he threw a cup of coffee over former House Speaker Glen Casada. “He wants to be arrested; he wants to be in the limelight,” Marsh said.

About two weeks ago, during a floor session and the Thursday after the Covenant School shooting, thousands of protestors were at the Capitol. “And the two Justins were just raising cane, egging it on,” said Marsh. “We were in the middle of session and all of a sudden, three of them walk up to the front and stop the whole session with a bull horn and signs…trying to get the public to storm the floor—is what we thought.”

Marsh said Speaker Cameron Sexton called for recess to get everyone to “calm down,” according to Marsh.

The three in the Well were asked to leave multiple times. They eventually left after about 50 minutes of protest. “You can’t act like that on the House floor. You can’t act like that in a courtroom,” he said.

“So, we had a big decision to make. We didn’t know whether to censure them, or to kick them out,” Marsh said.

After the representatives met, Marsh said they decided to “kick them out.”

“We met and we wanted to kick them out. We said we can’t put up with this. They’re not going to get any better they’re just protestors and activists. They don’t care about decorum,” said Marsh.

Marsh added that Jones has probably spoken more on the House floor in the three months of his term than Marsh has in his 14 years as a state representative.

After 12 hours of discussion—solid, with no breaks, according to Marsh—the two Justins were kicked out. “I felt terrible. We all felt terrible,” said Marsh.

However, by that following Monday, Metro-Nashville Council had already voted Jones back in; while Thursday, Pearson was voted back in by the Shelby County Commission.

“The truth is, we have let them try be a part of it. The truth is they don’t want to be a part of it. They want—and they got—national attention,” Marsh said. He also cited how Vice President Kamala Harris flew into Nashville to meet with them last week.

“They got what they wanted and we’ve awakened a giant,” said Marsh. “I’d say what we’re going to have to do is kick them out again.”