If I Get Assassinated, Who Gets My Beanie Baby Collection?
It's been a rough week, no, months, for elected officials. In this June newsletter, I recap the chaos, debut the community needs survey, and invite you to a webinar about the anti-protest law.
…a knock on my legislative office door. I was working on a Sunday afternoon, trying to catch up on the hundreds of e-mails lingering in my inbox, when I opened the door to see the Security Guard for Cordell Hull with an uncomfortable look on his face.
He told me he needed to escort me to my car when I left the office, as he caught a man trailing me into the loading dock wearing gloves and a ski mask. As the door closed behind me, thus ending his opportunity to do who knows what, he proceeded to take pictures of my car. The security cameras captured the incident, and fortunately, the attentive security guard observed the ongoing event, approached the perpetrator, and chased him off the property as he hissed and sprinted away.
Why did this happen?
Let’s rewind to March and April of this year, when my social work intern, Casey, and I canvassed the most Hispanic part of my district to learn about their concerns. Turns out racial profiling and the lack of elected officials stepping up and protecting them were their number one concerns. Hence, on the night of May 10th, I went out on ICE watch to monitor their activities on behalf of my constituents, for whom I was elected to serve.
As a result, Rep. Andy Ogles called for my arrest, the Department of Homeland Security retweeted him, FOX News covered the story, and I received hundreds of e-mails and voicemails (Listen below, but **trigger warning for slurs**) threatening my arrest and life.
I’ve had to spend the last three weeks de-escalating the response, which ranged from a local conservative talk radio show host calling for my expulsion from the legislature to my legislative peers parroting calls for my arrest. Things are so bad that I had to secure a federal criminal defense attorney, who told me it would be best if I skipped the No Kings Day protest last weekend altogether. I hated sitting it out. But as the saying goes: lay low so you can care loudly another day.
I won’t lay low forever, because I know y’all are counting on me. Very few elected officials in the country possess this particular set of skills (cue Liam Neeson joke) to navigate, communicate, and organize effectively through authoritarian capture and political violence. I feel oddly grounded in this moment, thanks to my training and expertise, knowing what is to come, and recognizing that I’ve spent the last decade cultivating a community in Nashville and Tennessee that will protect me at all costs.
While doomscrolling Substack, I stumbled upon the quote below.
“Bad times! Hard times!” — this is what people are saying. But let us live well, and the times shall be well. We are the times. Such as we are, such are the times.”
— St. Augustine of Hippo, in a sermon delivered during the decline of the Roman Empire
Y’all know I love a good ole’ Roman Empire historical framework. St. Augustine didn’t say “everything’s fine,” and I’m not going to either. But he was saying that the times don’t shape us, we shape the times.
Yes, we’re living in unprecedented times. My heart goes out to the families of the Democratic Minnesota legislators and their communities as they grieve and grapple with this senseless tragedy. Still, even as we confront violence, fear, and democratic backsliding here at home, the challenges we face today are not as openly violent as those of American slavery, Reconstruction, or the Civil Rights era, nor as brutal as the hundreds of coups, authoritarian regimes, and endless wars the United States has fueled abroad.
So the question is: how will we shape these times we find ourselves living through?Whatever happens, I’ve got my 200 Beanie Babies, which my granny told me would be worth millions, and I'm scheming a plan to use them as currency after the US dollar crashes. BUT FOR THE RECORD, if I get assassinated, one of you better make sure my Beanie Baby collection ends up in the Tennessee State Museum.
Big hugs,
Aftyn
Announcements
ANTI-ELON MUSK PETITION BLOWING UP
Elon is getting his ass kicked in Memphis, so he now has Nashville in his sights. I started this petition because, although negotiations are nascent, we need to stop this before Nashville and state officials give it a second thought. Change.org has reached out and said that if we reach 1,000 signatures, they’ll send it out to a broader list.
TENNESSEE’S ANTI-PROTEST LAW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WEBINAR
This year, the GOP supermajority fast-tracked a bill called the “PEACE Act,” which erodes our rights to protest and free speech. If you live in Tennessee and plan to continue attending protests, please sign up for this webinar featuring legal experts and facilitated by my legislative office. The bill goes into effect Tuesday, July 1st!
Register below for this VERY IMPORTANT call on Monday, June 30th at 6 PM CT/7 PM ET.
CIVILIAN CIVIC CORPS
A big thank you to everyone who donated to this program!!!!! For those who are unfamiliar with my previous Substack post, you can find it here. TL;DR: We’re providing summer paid internships to youth who want to engage with voters and learn about the young people who catalyzed the Civil Rights movement and were instrumental in the implementation of New Deal programs.
Wyatt Bassow, who’s leading the program, has done a fantastic job of recruitment and preparing the training program. If you know of individuals who want to invest in the next generation of Tennessee leaders, please e-mail Wyatt at wyatt@aftynbehn.com. He will talk to anyone… really.
Community Needs Assessment Results
This spring, Casey Pestona, a social work student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), interned with our office. I can't express how proud I am of her and all she has accomplished (getting teary-eyed as I write this). When she first met Kate and me, she was a bit quiet, and I worried that my chaotic energy would be too overwhelming for her. A few weeks later, she was testifying against a bill in the House Ag committee and going viral on the Tennessee Holler for calling out Monsanto and their destruction in her hometown in Alabama.
For her final project, Casey conducted an intensive, multi-week community needs assessment in Madison, which is located in my district. She collaborated with bilingual stakeholders to develop the survey, canvassed over 500 homes, and published the report, along with creating a toolkit to assist others in conducting community needs assessments in their communities. She wrote a reflection about her experience, which you can read below.
So, what were the results?
81.6% of households said that reducing food and grocery costs is very important, underscoring how rising prices are straining everyday budgets.
Nearly every respondent (94.6%) said cleaning up polluted areas is very important, and 84.2% of respondents said protecting against climate threats is very important.
84.2% of respondents identified repairing roads and bridges as very important. Free response comments highlighted unsafe pedestrian conditions and a desire for speed bumps to curb speeding throughout the neighborhood.
68.4% of respondents said that addressing racial discrimination is very important.
65.8% of households said they either strongly or somewhat disagreed with the statement that the local government is doing enough to support families like theirs.
Want to conduct a community needs assessment in YOUR community?
As Casey pointed out in her Substack reflection, community needs assessments demonstrate in a very concrete way that your concerns are not only valid but also widely shared.
A community needs assessment is a structured process—usually involving surveys, interviews, or focus groups—that gathers input directly from the people who live and work in a community. It’s not about guessing what folks need; it’s about asking and listening.
Different people use these assessments in various ways. For elected officials, this enables them to make smarter policy and resource decisions. Nonprofits and community groups utilize them to identify gaps in services and better align their work with the community's actual needs. For activists and organizers, they offer a clearer picture of the specific barriers people face, making advocacy efforts sharper and more grounded in lived experience.
Check out the toolkit Casey created by clicking the link below. Have questions for Casey? E-mail community@aftynbehn.com.
Metro Property Tax and Budget Passage
The following information is only applicable to residents of Nashville. I’ve attempted to synthesize the summaries from CM Emily Benedict and CM Jacob Kupin. I also want to personally thank CM-at-Large Delishia Porterfield, who has a challenging role as the Budget chair… if you see her out, BUY HER A DRINK.
Metro Council recently passed a responsible and community-centered budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that protects essential services, invests in Metro employees, and responds to urgent community needs without cutting departmental budgets. The Substitute Budget—introduced by Budget Chair Delishia Porterfield—includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, continued support for youth programs and shelters, investments in affordable housing, and expanded public health services like food security and maternal health. It reflects weeks of council input and public feedback.
With new property appraisals showing an average 45% increase across Davidson County, many residents are understandably concerned about rising property taxes. Most of this increase is due to rising land values, not home improvements—a reflection of Nashville’s housing shortage and outdated zoning policies that restrict density. While the final impact on your tax bill depends on how your home’s value compares to the county average, the Council has adopted a $2.814 tax rate per $100 of assessed value. This rate is lower than last year’s but higher than the newly certified rate—ensuring full funding for public safety, schools, and infrastructure. A lower tax proposal would have slashed critical jobs and services across Metro government.
Councilmembers continue to recognize the need to balance affordability with sustaining a growing city. Ongoing discussions around land use, density, and long-term planning—especially in areas like Districts 7 and 19—remain vital. Residents can still appeal their property assessments by June 27 and are encouraged to share feedback about future budget decisions. As Nashville grows, the Council will continue to weigh the real costs of disinvestment against the opportunities that come with reinvesting in our people, neighborhoods, and shared future.
In the Press
TN lawmaker says Nashville doesn’t want Elon Musk’s proposed tunnel
The THP Traffic Stops and ICE Arrests Plus Legislative Session Remarks
Old Tent City cleared: What comes next for Nashville’s unhoused?
ICE arrests drivers in South Nashville, sparking outrage from local officials
Traffic stops scrutinized in neighborhood with many immigrants
Community Spotlight
Need a fun event and want to support a good cause? We Are One Recovery is a sober living facility for our Nashville LGBTQIA community, and an organization I have had the privilege of supporting during my legislative tenure.
Buy a ticket for their Annual Drag Fundraiser this Sunday, June 22, from 6–9 PM at Play Dance Bar on Church Street! It’s $20 cash at the door, and don’t forget some cash for tips!
I’m so glad you’re ok. It’s horrible you had to deal with this. Shame on any politician who stokes fear and anger. You can count on this gal to help if you ever need it! Keep your chin up, tits up and keep making good trouble for us!!!!
Unfortunately the hate and violence of the ‘right’ is all too real; however, a lot of folks support and have your back, Aftyn.