On March 27 there was a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Six people—three students and three staff—were killed at random. The following week hundreds of students, parents and teachers marched to the State Capitol and held demonstrations demanding action by the legislature to toughen gun laws. The Republicans who control state government rejected these calls.

On March 30, Representatives Jones, Pearson and Johnson — whose districts are in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, the state’s three largest cities — interrupted the legislature by chanting “No action, no peace” on the House floor, and legislative proceedings were forced to a halt. In response to these actions, on April 6th the Republican supermajority voted to expel Rep. Jones and Pearson, who are black, but not to expell Rep. Johnson, who is white. In less than a week both Representatives were reinstated following votes in their respective districts.

Photography and reporting for Reuters.