A Tennessee sheriff has admitted that he lied about why a man was arrested for posting a Facebook meme, but his department's actions have raised concerns over police censorship of US citizens with differing views. Larry Bushart, 61, spent more than a month in jail before his charges were dropped last week.
Bushart had posted the meme after Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed in an assassination attack. The meme showed Donald Trump saying "We should get over it" and included a caption that said "Donald Trump, on the Perry High School mass shooting, one day after." Bushart's post also included a comment with his post that said, “This seems relevant today ….”
The sheriff’s department initially told local media outlets that the forces had offered Bushart the chance to delete the post before he was arrested. However, body camera footage from the Lexington police contradicts this claim and shows that investigators knew the meme was not a threat but still sought to arrest him.
Bushart's case has raised concerns over the limits of free speech in US law. His Facebook posting led to his arrest under Tennessee's "threats of mass violence" law, which critics say is too broad.
The law has been used to charge 518 children, including 71 children between the ages of 7 and 11, with threatening a school. It also contradicts Supreme Court precedent on what constitutes a true threat, which warns that speech made in one context can inadvertently reach a larger audience.
Critics argue that the law is intended to silence people who speak out against certain issues using performative overreaction. They say the US needs to find a balance between protecting freedom of expression and preventing harm.
Bushart has been released from jail but his case continues to raise questions about police censorship and the limits of free speech in the US.
Bushart had posted the meme after Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed in an assassination attack. The meme showed Donald Trump saying "We should get over it" and included a caption that said "Donald Trump, on the Perry High School mass shooting, one day after." Bushart's post also included a comment with his post that said, “This seems relevant today ….”
The sheriff’s department initially told local media outlets that the forces had offered Bushart the chance to delete the post before he was arrested. However, body camera footage from the Lexington police contradicts this claim and shows that investigators knew the meme was not a threat but still sought to arrest him.
Bushart's case has raised concerns over the limits of free speech in US law. His Facebook posting led to his arrest under Tennessee's "threats of mass violence" law, which critics say is too broad.
The law has been used to charge 518 children, including 71 children between the ages of 7 and 11, with threatening a school. It also contradicts Supreme Court precedent on what constitutes a true threat, which warns that speech made in one context can inadvertently reach a larger audience.
Critics argue that the law is intended to silence people who speak out against certain issues using performative overreaction. They say the US needs to find a balance between protecting freedom of expression and preventing harm.
Bushart has been released from jail but his case continues to raise questions about police censorship and the limits of free speech in the US.
I mean, who gets arrested for posting a meme on Facebook? it's like they're trying to silence people with different views on these kinds of issues 
and it's not right. I think we need to revisit that "threats of mass violence" law and make sure it's not used to stifle free speech 
the Supreme Court is already saying what constitutes a true threat, so why are they still using this law? 
This is insane! A whole month in jail over a Facebook meme? It's just not right, I mean what even is the threat of mass violence law for? You can't just arrest someone because you disagree with their opinion on social media... it's ridiculous 
The police need to be more careful and think about how their actions are affecting people's rights. Free speech is a fundamental right in this country and we should not be letting fear control how we express ourselves 
I mean, Bushart was just sharing his thoughts after Charlie Kirk got killed in an assassination attack, and he gets arrested for posting a meme that some people might find insensitive. It's not like he meant to incite violence or anything! 
. The body camera footage shows that wasn't true, and it's clear that they were already planning to arrest him from the start. It's like, what's the purpose of having a justice system if we're just going to pick and choose who gets arrested for what? 
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this is soooo bad!!! i cant believe that some cop just lied about why bushart was arrested 
like what even is going on now? the sheriff's department is basically trying to control whats being said online, which is literally not what free speech is all about 
dont get me wrong, i do think we should be careful with our words but this is getting out of hand! 518 kids have been arrested under these laws?! 
anyway... the fact that bushart was jailed for more than a month just shows us how ridiculous it is 
. lets hope someone does something about this ASAP! 
But it seems like the authorities are more interested in silencing dissenting voices than actually stopping harm.
. It's like they just went for the 'look at us, we're in control' vibe 
. And 518 kids under 12 already getting charged with threats? That's just messed up 
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... and now Bushart's case is raising all these questions about police censorship. It's like, the gov't needs to find a way to balance protecting people's rights with keeping them safe, you know?
, but this whole situation has got me shook 
And the fact that 518 kids, including some as young as 7, have been charged under this law is just...wow. That's not right.
. The thought that someone could be arrested for sharing an opinion or meme is really concerning me. I mean, I think we need a better balance between keeping people safe and allowing us to express ourselves freely online. It's crazy how broad that "threats of mass violence" law is - it's basically just a shield for the government to silence people who don't conform to their views 
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. This whole thing is a major concern for me, especially with the way our "threats of mass violence" law is being used to silence people who are trying to speak out about important issues. It's all about finding that balance between freedom of expression and keeping us safe, you know? The fact that 518 kids (including some as young as 7!) have been charged under this law just because they made a comment at school is just plain wrong 
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