Image Credit: Stephanie Jacques / Instagram
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
This weekend, TN Advocates for Planned Parenthood (TAPP) jumpstarted a new “action council” in South Nashville.
The activism group called Fight for All, was recently announced by Campaign Division Head for TAPP and Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, Melissa Sautter.
Sautter is also the founder of a pre-existing “sister action council” called East Nashtivists.
Speakers at Sunday’s kickoff event included TAPP’s Isabell Bartolucci who was slated to give a legislative recap and Government Relations Manager Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Luis Mata, “speaking on current events and how to help.”
As state lawmakers focused on various initiatives to prevent and disincentivize illegal immigration during the legislative session this year, TIRRC was one of the main organizations bussing in large groups of protestors to the state Capitol building.
During the Fight for All kickoff event on Sunday, Mata discussed the recent ICE operations in Nashville.
Mata told those in attendance that he had been involved in the leftist advocacy movement for over ten years and that right now “it feels dark and it feels scary.”
“Just down the street a couple of weeks ago, there was a coordinated operation with ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, where they stopped, arrested and disappeared neighbors from our very own community,” said Mata. “While it feels dark and it feels scary, I can tell you this…That they are betting on us to back down. They’re expecting us to back down and cower and fear, but they are in for a rude awakening.”
Mata is no stranger to speaking at TAPP action council meetings in Nashville, as he offered the same rhetoric pushed by TIRRC on the illegal immigration crisis at an East Nashtivists meeting back in May where Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville-District 51), a “community organizer” and licensed social worker was also slated to speak.
Planned Parenthood continues to expand its reach across Tennessee despite the state’s current position on abortion.
In November of last year, a new Planned Parenthood location had its grand opening in Knoxville with the attendance and endorsement of Mayor Indya Kincannon (D) and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville-District 90).
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
