A retired Tennessee law enforcement officer was held in jail for more than a month this fall after police arrested him over a Facebook post of a meme related to the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Prosecutors eventually dropped the criminal charge brought against Larry Bushart, but his stint behind bars came to exemplify the country’s tense political and legal climate following the tragedy, when conservatives sought to stymie public discourse about the late controversial figure that it saw as objectionable.

Now, Bushart is suing over his incarceration.

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[–] 341 points 9 months ago (12 children)

He quoted Trump saying 'We need to just get over it' about the Perry High School shooting in Iowa.

What he said wasn't even hateful, it was a fucking quote.

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  • [–] 173 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    Well, it was from Trump, so it was a pretty hateful quote, to be fair

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  • [–] 45 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    I got in trouble with Facebook once for quoting Trump's thing about how he could shoot someone without losing supporters. If it isn't appropriate to say on Facebook, it isn't appropriate to say in a presidential campaign!

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    [–] 173 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    As he should, absolutely his first amendment right was violated.

    If the right can spout pure hatred and bullshit with impunity, so can everyone else.

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    [–] 141 points 9 months ago (11 children)

    (From the article)

    This is the image they jailed him for.

    This should be a slam dunk win for him. Blatant political retribution. The people who jailed him should be jailed, disbarred, fined, etc., the citizens shouldn’t have to pay the court award for their fascism.

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  • [–] 52 points 9 months ago (7 children)

    May I say thanks for the pixelation. I'm serious, it's tiring looking at his ugly clueless face all the time.

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  • [–] 80 points 9 months ago (7 children)

    ...

    Then they came for the retired law enforcement

    ...

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  • [–] 94 points 9 months ago (6 children)

    And I said nothing because ACAB

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  • [–] 74 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    The US has lost their license to roast us (the rest of the world) for saying mean things on the internet and getting a vist from the police. Welcome to the club you fat bitch.

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    [–] 61 points 9 months ago

    At least he is American and can sue. Some immigrants were deported and had their lives destroyed just because they had their opinions

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  • [–] 58 points 9 months ago (103 children)

    Was there ever a time that Republicans actually stayed true to their principles when it wasn’t to their advantage?

    In my life experience I honestly can’t think of a time.

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    [–] 57 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    Excited to be in the Supermax Prison built entirely for people who reposted illegal memes.

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  • [–] 56 points 9 months ago (6 children)

    Turns out being a cop doesn't protect you from the regime.

    Wish all the law enforcement officers who voted for a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist realized that before voting for a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist.

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  • [–] 55 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    Kirk hasn't said anything racist in a while.

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    [–] 34 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    The former police officer shared a meme on Facebook about a vigil being held in Tennessee for Kirk.

    “This seems relevant today,” read the meme, which included a photo of Trump and a quote the then-candidate made in 2024 following a shooting at Perry High School in Des Moines, Iowa.

    “We have to get over it,” Trump is quoted as saying in the meme.

    Four officers came to Bushart’s home the next day, arrested him and took him to jail for “threatening mass violence at a school.” Authorities at the time said that the post was understood locally to be a threat to an area school that has a similar name to the one where the 2024 shooting occurred, according to court records.

    “When Mr. Bushart posted the meme, he had no inkling or reason to think that anyone would take it as a threat of violence. And unsurprisingly, defendants … have produced no evidence that any person interpreted the meme as a threat,” the lawsuit states. “In fact, the Perry County School District has no records at all concerning Mr. Bushart or the meme.”

    And there are people in this country who may still see nothing wrong with this, because it involves their dear blameless president.

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  • [–] 27 points 9 months ago

    Let's not use the opinionated word "tragedy."

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  • [–] 24 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    The worst part is the sheriff literally not understanding what's wrong with his actions.

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  • [–] 22 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I never thought I'd side with a retired Tennessee cop, but here I am

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    [–] 18 points 9 months ago

    This is the way.

    If fucking Nazis are still permitted to go on marches (and that's the typical case discussed) then someone sure as FUCK can say whatever they want about some asshat like Kirk passing away...

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