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80-Year-Old Lynn McFarland on Why She Wouldn’t Leave Her Seat

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Eighty-year-old Lynn McFarland was arrested and carried out of a Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee meeting at the Tennessee State Capitol on April 1 after the group passed a bill that would give power to local school boards to deny enrollment to undocumented students or charge them tuition to attend. Tennessee State Troopers carry Lynn McFarland, 80, out of a Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 1. Photo by Alvine

McFarland said when she showed up to protest that day, she didn’t plan on planting herself in a seat and getting physically removed by Tennessee State Troopers. But the thought of cooperating with punishing children was enough to make her stay in her seat when protestors were asked to leave the gallery. A small group stayed in their seats when asked to leave, but eventually also left their seats.

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OHS Monitoring Federal Funding Challenge

In January, Nashville was awarded more than $11.8 million from the U.S. The Department of Housing And Urban Development to fund the FY 2024 Continuum of Care Program. As incoming President Donald Trump announced a funding freeze in his first days in office, organizations reliant on funding to serve vulnerable populations scrambled to understand how to proceed. While a temporary restraining order halted the funding freeze, the risk for similar actions or a continuation of Trump’s initial freeze are high. Across Tennessee, organizations that work in homelessness were awarded more than $40 million to help folks in various ways on a path toward housing. The Metro Office of Homeless Services says they’re working with community partners to ensure collaboration on using the funds.