A man with a long history of posting provocative liberal memes on Facebook has been arrested and charged with threatening mass violence after sharing a meme about President Donald Trump, leading to concerns over the limits of free speech in America.
Larry Bushart Jr., 61, is a retired law enforcement officer who spent 24 years working in Tennessee before retiring last year. He had posted numerous liberal memes on Facebook, including ones that criticized Trump and his followers. However, it was one post that would land him in trouble: a meme featuring an image of Trump alongside the quote "We have to get over it," which was accompanied by the words "Seems relevant today."
Bushart's post was shared on a Facebook group discussing a vigil for Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist who had been killed. However, unlike many others who posted memes about Kirk's death, Bushart's post did not express support for him. Instead, it seemed to suggest that Trump's rhetoric was part of the problem.
The sheriff's office in Perry County, Tennessee, where Bushart lives, took notice of his post and launched an investigation. When they arrived at his home, they handcuffed him and read him his Miranda rights.
Bushart's lawyer has not commented on the case, but his son has defended his actions on social media. "The meme he shared was meant to show the hypocrisy in honoring Charlie Kirk while ignoring other tragic incidents of mass violence," he wrote.
The arrest has sparked outrage over the limits of free speech and the role of law enforcement in policing online behavior. Critics argue that Bushart's post did not constitute a threat of violence and that the sheriff's office overstepped its bounds by arresting him.
"This is an egregious violation of his 1st Amendment rights," said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. "One thing that's unique about this case is that nobody has done a course correction here."
Bushart's bail was set at $2 million, which many find excessive. His lawyer filed a motion to reduce his bail on grounds that he is not a flight risk and does not pose a threat to the community.
As Bushart faces the prospect of spending Thanksgiving in jail, his case has raised questions about the dangers of overzealous law enforcement and the erosion of free speech in America.
Larry Bushart Jr., 61, is a retired law enforcement officer who spent 24 years working in Tennessee before retiring last year. He had posted numerous liberal memes on Facebook, including ones that criticized Trump and his followers. However, it was one post that would land him in trouble: a meme featuring an image of Trump alongside the quote "We have to get over it," which was accompanied by the words "Seems relevant today."
Bushart's post was shared on a Facebook group discussing a vigil for Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist who had been killed. However, unlike many others who posted memes about Kirk's death, Bushart's post did not express support for him. Instead, it seemed to suggest that Trump's rhetoric was part of the problem.
The sheriff's office in Perry County, Tennessee, where Bushart lives, took notice of his post and launched an investigation. When they arrived at his home, they handcuffed him and read him his Miranda rights.
Bushart's lawyer has not commented on the case, but his son has defended his actions on social media. "The meme he shared was meant to show the hypocrisy in honoring Charlie Kirk while ignoring other tragic incidents of mass violence," he wrote.
The arrest has sparked outrage over the limits of free speech and the role of law enforcement in policing online behavior. Critics argue that Bushart's post did not constitute a threat of violence and that the sheriff's office overstepped its bounds by arresting him.
"This is an egregious violation of his 1st Amendment rights," said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. "One thing that's unique about this case is that nobody has done a course correction here."
Bushart's bail was set at $2 million, which many find excessive. His lawyer filed a motion to reduce his bail on grounds that he is not a flight risk and does not pose a threat to the community.
As Bushart faces the prospect of spending Thanksgiving in jail, his case has raised questions about the dangers of overzealous law enforcement and the erosion of free speech in America.
this dude shared a meme that was super critical of Trump but not exactly threatening violence like wut is wrong with the cops in TN they're overreacting big time bushart's son makes a legit point about honoring Charlie Kirk while ignoring other incidents of mass violence this case is all about policing online speech which is basically an infringement on our freedom to express ourselves 
$2 million bail is ridiculous who gets that kind of money for a social media post?
like what's next? are they gonna arrest ppl for having an opinion on facebook? newsflash: just cuz u post a meme doesn't mean ur makin threats. bushart's post was clear, but it's still super sketchy that the sheriff's office jumped all over this. i'm all about free speech, but not when it turns into "we're gonna throw u in jail for expressin ur opinion". $2 million bail? that's just ridiculous 
and what's with the hypocrisy? they're worried about bushart gettin arrested, but what about all the ppl who actually did make threats on facebook? seem like a double standard to me 
Is this country gonna start arresting people for being "too liberal" or "too conservative"? It's always the same, they're trying to silence us. 
But at the same time, I get why Bushart did what he did - it's frustrating when someone gets hurt and you want answers. Maybe instead of arresting him, they should've had a convo with him about why his post was off-limits? 
I mean, the lawyer said his dad's post was meant to show hypocrisy, but did they have to take it that far? The bail is pretty steep too - $2 million! That's just crazy 
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. And honestly, I kinda feel for him - his son is all like "Dude, Dad just tried to make a point!" 
. We need to chill out and figure out what free speech even means anymore 
. We need to figure out a way to have open discussions without sacrificing our free speech rights. This is a slippery slope, folks 
. I mean, what even is the threshold for "threat of violence" here? One meme shared on a Facebook group doesn't exactly scream "violent intentions" 
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. It's gotta stop somewhere 
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Whyyyy ?!
I mean, he shared a meme and people got upset ?? So like what's next ?? Arresting people for liking Trump on Facebook or something 
i mean, come on, a meme 
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I guess that's a topic for another day... 
We should be able to express ourselves and stir up some debate without getting locked up for it. I'm all for calling out people who are being inflammatory or hateful, but this feels like an overreach to me. Bushart's son makes a point in saying that his dad was trying to highlight the double standard when it comes to how we talk about violence, and that's actually a super important thing to be discussing 
I get that free speech has its limits, but arresting someone over a meme just seems extreme.
. But at the same time... isn't 2 million bail kinda excessive? 
can you believe this?? some cop gets a whiff of someone expressing an opinion online and suddenly thinks it's a threat to national security lol what's next? being arrested for liking a meme that disagrees with your favorite celeb