A Tennessee sheriff jailed a man for making a Facebook meme over 40 days, prompting widespread criticism and public pressure.
Larry Bushart Jr., 61, was arrested in September after posting a meme that included the quote "We have to get over it" from President Donald Trump's response to a school shooting. Sheriff Nick Weems claimed that the post caused "mass hysteria," but there was no evidence of any fear among local parents and teachers.
Bushart was charged with making a threat against a school, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine. However, his case attracted significant media attention, including from The Intercept, which reported that the sheriff's office had no communication with the school district about any threats.
The Intercept also obtained body camera footage that suggested officers were uncomfortable with Weems' actions and questioned whether Bushart's post was indeed threatening. The outlet filed open records requests that revealed there was no evidence of any threat being made by Bushart, further undermining Weems' claims.
Public pressure mounted as people began to speak out against the sheriff's actions, calling for Bushart's release. A Facebook group called "Free Larry Bushart" was launched in early October, with numerous members sharing their support and criticizing Weems' behavior.
Bushart's wife said she was "beyond ecstatic" when he was released, while Chris Eargle, who launched the group, said that Weems' account of events made no sense. He stated that if Bushart had simply removed the post, it would not have solved anything and that we need to protect people's free speech rights.
The Intercept has since reported on Weems' claims that he was trying to de-escalate the situation but ultimately decided to pursue charges against Bushart. However, there is no evidence to support this claim, and many are calling for accountability from the sheriff's office.
In a statement following Bushart's release, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression said that people should not be arrested or held without bail over their social media posts and that "a free country does not dispatch police in the dead of night to pull people from their homes because a sheriff objects to their speech."
Larry Bushart Jr., 61, was arrested in September after posting a meme that included the quote "We have to get over it" from President Donald Trump's response to a school shooting. Sheriff Nick Weems claimed that the post caused "mass hysteria," but there was no evidence of any fear among local parents and teachers.
Bushart was charged with making a threat against a school, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine. However, his case attracted significant media attention, including from The Intercept, which reported that the sheriff's office had no communication with the school district about any threats.
The Intercept also obtained body camera footage that suggested officers were uncomfortable with Weems' actions and questioned whether Bushart's post was indeed threatening. The outlet filed open records requests that revealed there was no evidence of any threat being made by Bushart, further undermining Weems' claims.
Public pressure mounted as people began to speak out against the sheriff's actions, calling for Bushart's release. A Facebook group called "Free Larry Bushart" was launched in early October, with numerous members sharing their support and criticizing Weems' behavior.
Bushart's wife said she was "beyond ecstatic" when he was released, while Chris Eargle, who launched the group, said that Weems' account of events made no sense. He stated that if Bushart had simply removed the post, it would not have solved anything and that we need to protect people's free speech rights.
The Intercept has since reported on Weems' claims that he was trying to de-escalate the situation but ultimately decided to pursue charges against Bushart. However, there is no evidence to support this claim, and many are calling for accountability from the sheriff's office.
In a statement following Bushart's release, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression said that people should not be arrested or held without bail over their social media posts and that "a free country does not dispatch police in the dead of night to pull people from their homes because a sheriff objects to their speech."
this is just insane, 40 days for making a meme? what's next, arresting someone for liking a post? 
it's like they're trying to set an example that even the most harmless comments can land you in jail. i don't think we need more laws to control our speech, we should be able to express ourselves without fear of persecution. and what really gets me is that there was no evidence of any threat being made by Bushart, it's like the sheriff just didn't want to deal with the meme 
I'm telling you, this is crazy! So Bushart gets charged for making a meme that was just expressing his opinion on Trump's response... and then the sheriff comes out saying it caused mass hysteria when there's no evidence of that at all? 
And now Bushart's wife is ecstatic because she's finally free and people are speaking out against Weems' overreach. It's all about protecting our free speech rights, you know? 
I mean, if someone just posts something online and suddenly the cops come knocking, that's a recipe for disaster! 
What's next, arresting people for their tweets? 
Come on, Weems, do some actual police work instead of chasing after random meme-makers. 
This is insane! A 40-day old meme gets someone 10 years in prison? It's like they're trying to set an example, but really they're just bullying free speech. I mean, what's next? Jailing people for sharing memes about politics or social justice? 
. I mean, come on, 40 days for making a meme? That's just crazy talk! The fact that Sheriff Weems claimed it was gonna cause "mass hysteria" but didn't even bother checking with the school district beforehand is, like, totally sketchy 
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. If there's no evidence of a threat being made, then why did Weems decide to go ahead and charge Bushart? It just smells like harassment 
. But in this case, it's clear that Weems was trying to silence Bushart 
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This whole thing is just ridiculous. The fact that Sheriff Weems claimed Bushart's post caused "mass hysteria" but there was no evidence of any fear among local parents and teachers, it just shows how out of touch he is with reality 
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, and I think it's time for Sheriff Weems to be held accountable for his actions too. People need to stand up against this kind of overreach and protect their free speech rights. It's not that hard, guys! 
sheriffs supposed to protect and serve but instead they go around arresting ppl for saying somethin on facebook its crazy that bushart was in jail for 40 days over somethin so stupid 
what if he did just want to de-escalate but instead went about it the wrong way? idk maybe but we do know that bushart didnt threaten nothin and we need to stand up for free speech 
its all about protectin our rights not makin some sheriff feel uncomfortable 
I mean seriously who tries to take away someone's freedom of speech? Its like they want ppl to be afraid to express themselves 
40 days in jail for making a meme? 
[Meme of a person trying to hide behind a mask, with a speech bubble saying "I'm not doing this!"]
. It's wild that people are still speaking out against Weems' behavior and calling for accountability. We need more voices like Chris Eargle who are willing to stand up for our 1st amendment rights 
this whole thing is kinda wild... i mean, 40 days for makin' a meme about school safety? 
i mean, free speech is important, but so are our emotions... maybe we should be havin' some real conversations about school safety instead of tryin' to silence people on social media? 
