Tennessee Man Receives Settlement After Arrest Over Facebook Meme
A 61-year-old man from Tennessee, Larry Bushart, will receive $850,000 following a settlement with local authorities after spending over a month in jail. His detainment stemmed from his refusal to delete a Facebook meme that mocked the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Bushart, a former police officer, was incarcerated for 37 days with a bail set at $2 million before the felony charges against him were dismissed in October. During his time in jail, he not only lost his retirement job but also missed significant family events, including his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter. This information came to light through a federal lawsuit filed by Bushart targeting Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems and the individuals involved in issuing the arrest warrant.
In a statement about the settlement, Bushart expressed relief at having his First Amendment rights acknowledged. “I think it’s important for citizens to engage in civil discourse for a healthy democracy,” he remarked, looking forward to spending more time with his family. The statement was facilitated by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which represented him in this matter.
Bushart had been arrested in September after he refused to take down a meme regarding Kirk that suggested he could be targeted while speaking to college students in Utah. The meme featured an image of former President Donald Trump with the caption, “This seems relevant today,” connected to a mass shooting incident in Iowa.
FIRE pointed out that the basis for the arrest warrant stemmed from, what they called, the “ridiculous idea” that the meme could be seen as a threat to Perry County High School. They also emphasized that Bushart was not the creator or modifier of the meme.
Sheriff Weems mentioned that the meme did not lead investigators to believe there was a genuine threat, but opinions varied on how messages might be interpreted as threats to nearby schools.
Adam Steinbaugh, FIRE’s chief prosecutor, criticized the situation, stating that no one should be jailed over a “harmless meme” simply because of disagreement with its content. He voiced satisfaction that Bushart received compensation for the wrongful act but stressed that local law enforcement should never have put him through such an ordeal.
Additionally, FIRE highlighted that numerous Americans faced censorship following Kirk’s assassination and are currently aiding Monica Weeks, a public servant dismissed for making critical comments on social media shortly after the incident.
