Tennessee Man Wins $835,000 Settlement After Being Jailed For Charlie Kirk Meme

A man in Tennessee will be paid $835,000 as part of a settlement after he was jailed for 37 days for refusing to remove a Facebook meme about Charlie Kirk.

The Charge: Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer, was arrested in September for a felony charge of recklessly threatening mass violence at a school and held on a $2 million bond. In late October, a Tennessee district attorney moved to drop the charge against him, and he was released from jail.

The Lawsuit: Bushart filed a federal lawsuit against Perry County, Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, and a county investigator involved in the probe, Jason Morrow. The suit cited several constitutional infringements, including violating his right to free speech and Fourth Amendment rights pertaining to "wrongful arrest, wrongful prosecution, and wrongful incarceration." Bushart was represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

"Healthy Democracy": In a statement following the announcement of the settlement, Bushart said "I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," adding that "The people's freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy."

"Facebook Warrior": A Facebook page that was sharing a prayer vigil to honor Kirk, who was fatally shot at Utah Valley University in September, was where Bushart, the self-proclaimed "Facebook warrior" posted several "memes created by others." One of these memes reportedly was of President Donald Trump saying, "We have to get over this," after a shooting took place at Perry High School in Iowa. The original poster of the meme also reportedly commented on the post, saying "this seems relevant today." Weems had the man arrested after claiming that people felt Bushart was "threatening the local high school" with the post.

How The Media Covered It: Some outlets on the right, like Breitbart (Right bias) called the posts "anti-Charlie Kirk" and highlighted that in the aftermath of Kirk's assassination, "several people came out and mocked and celebrated Kirk's death." The article also called Bushart "a so-called Facebook warrior." Some outlets on the left, like The New York Times (Lean Left), highlighted what the article called "an avalanche of social media commentary across the country" following Kirk's shooting, explaining that with it "came firings, resignations and a debate about the boundaries of free speech." The article also said, "He was jailed over a Charlie Kirk post. The Sheriff now owes him $835,000."

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