Minutes after a vigil on Wednesday for the victims of two mass shootings – the Uvalde, Texas school shooting and the Buffalo, New York supermarket shooting – Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee or his office had all the items removed.
According to video from local news organization The Tennessee Holler, all the flowers, cards, a teddy bear, and even a letter to the governor signed by dozens of clergy, appeared headed for the garbage.
“Maria and I are heartbroken by the horrific tragedy in Uvalde, Texas and join the nation in mourning the loss of innocent lives. We lift up their families in prayer and thank all the first responders who acted quickly,” Governor Lee tweeted last week after the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting that left 21 people, including 19 elementary school children, dead.
Last year Gov. Lee signed into law legislation allowing almost any adult to carry a firearm without a permit/license, training, or insurance.
On Wednesday The Tennessee Holler posted this video, which it says was filmed minutes after the vigil ended.
After repeatedly asking where the flowers and other vigil items were being delivered, a reporter asks if the letter for Gov. Lee, signed by 50 members of the clergy, “is getting delivered” to the Governor.
The Tennesse Holler adds that the letter, which asked for action on gun violence, was not accepted by the governor’s office, and clergy members say they were told to mail it.
As this video shows: