Larry Bushart was imprisoned for refusing to delete Facebook posts before the charges against him were dropped. The authorities in Tennessee were criticized.
Imprisoned for 37 days following a Facebook post mocking the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 61-year-old American Larry Bushart is set to be compensated with $835,000, approximately 719,000 euros, by the Tennessee authorities, according to the Washington Post.
Last September, the former police officer refused to delete a meme shared in a Facebook thread announcing a vigil in honor of Charlie Kirk in Perry County. The meme depicted Donald Trump mocking the influencer’s death, twisting a statement made by the president following the shooting at Perry High School in Iowa: “We need to move on.”
He was then jailed, unable to pay his $2 million bail, until the charges were ultimately dropped by the authorities in October. According to Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems, as quoted by the Washington Post, the former officer’s “hateful memes” actually fell under legal free speech.
However, the few weeks behind bars cost him his job and caused him to miss the birth of his granddaughter. This led Larry Bushart to file a federal lawsuit against Perry County, its sheriff, and the investigator who obtained his arrest warrant in December.
The Tennessee authorities were therefore ordered to pay Larry Bushart $835,000 in compensation. “I am thrilled that my constitutional rights were respected,” Larry Bushart said in a statement quoted by the Washington Post on Wednesday. “The freedom to engage in public debate is essential to a healthy democracy. I look forward to turning the page and spending time with my family,” he concluded.
Cary Davis, a lawyer with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a group defending individual rights, stated to Ars Technica, “When government representatives fail in this duty, the Constitution holds them accountable.” He added, “We hope the agreement reached with Larry sends a clear message to law enforcement across the country: respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.”
