Mastodawn

Retired cop jailed for 37 days over Charlie Kirk meme sues, saying his First Amendment rights were violated

https://lemmy.world/post/40347736

Retired cop jailed for 37 days over Charlie Kirk meme sues, saying his First Amendment rights were violated - Lemmy.World

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.

BlameThePeacock Dec 17

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.

Lost_My_Mind Dec 17

He is the right wing. It was a meme of hate supporting kirk.

BlameThePeacock Dec 18

He isn’t, it wasn’t, and you’re an asshole.

It was a picture of Trump with a quote that he had said about a school shooting saying “We have to get over it”. This guy also added “This Seems Relevant”

ѕєχυαℓ ρσℓутσρє Dec 18

Perfect username lol.

JohnnyFlapHoleSeed Dec 18

It’s not even hatred. It’s a quote from the ‘president’ about a similar event, that had more and younger victims.

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.

BrianTheeBiscuiteer Dec 17

And not even close to encouraging breaking the law. I’ve heard politicians have essentially the same “let’s move on” attitude about school shootings.

EndlessNightmare Dec 18

Some politicians wear AR-15 pins. I wish I was joking.

Aljernon Dec 20

Just because we’re leftists doesn’t mean we have to be AK fanboys. AR-15s are good rifles too.

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

The same guy who said Rob Reiner “died due to TDS”?

Eat_Your_Paisley Dec 18

Its OK when Chavez he president does it

Fair point

Iheartcheese Dec 18

All Kimmel did was play clips of trump.

FreshParsnip Dec 18

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!

nocturne Dec 18

I created a Facebook page called “Fled Cruz”, the profile picture was Rafael “Ted” Cruz and the only thing I posted was quotes of his tweets, Facebook shut it down for hate speech. They denied the appeal and deleted the entire page.

bitjunkie Dec 18

Fuck the Zuck

This news story existing a decade ago would have broke the minds of most Americans. Even those that support Trump now. It’s amazing how the slow trickle of Fascism is normalized in society.

UnderpantsWeevil Dec 17

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

billwashere Dec 18

There will be an entire cell block for people that post this.

cannedtuna Dec 18

Tolookah Dec 18

It’s called America

DylanMc6 [any, any]Dec 18

it’s free speech

Lost_My_Mind Dec 17

See, here’s the thing…

Do I think this former cop should have been arrested over a meme? Well, I haven’t seen the meme, but no. You shouldn’t be arrested over a meme posted on social media.

Now for the kicker.

Fuck him! You know if roles had been reversed, and some left wing guy had been shot, the right wing would have called for not only the arrest, but also the death penalty over a meme. They have no empathy. They’re not acting in good faith ever. They don’t view things differently, but with a good moral compass. They act in a way that is motivated by the idea that whatever hurts your opposition, helps you.

So, he got locked up for something that wasn’t illegal? Oh, ok. Let me look through your past as a cop, and you’re telling me you’ve never treated anyone unfairly, or used unnecessary force against those who did nothing wrong? You’re telling me you have a squeeky clean record?

Yeah…fuck off fascist!

CaptainPedantic Dec 17

He posted a quote of Trump dismissively saying to get over a school shooting after Kirk got shot. This cop was essentially saying the right should just get over Kirk’s death. That’s not what a fascist would say.

Username checks out

Greyghoster Dec 18

Wow, you’re looked up his past and his a fascist?! Can you share the details?

Remember_the_tooth Dec 17

…

Then they came for the retired law enforcement

…

And I said nothing because ACAB

Remember_the_tooth Dec 18

Okay, that’s pretty funny.

I do wonder, if the roles were reversed, would he have refused orders to make the arrest?

You do?

hypnotoad Dec 18

No, the answer is no, he would not have refused orders

ACAB

blazeknave Dec 18

This dude literally kept his chin up and went to jail after multiple threats. I’m not ignorant about more than a couple bad apples. I understand the implicit complicity of by standing quietly. I don’t need the lectures, so let’s focus and not whatabout. This single person, is not a bastard. Say what you will, but bastards equals no greater than all minus one, bc this dude. Wrong fucking thread.

hypnotoad Dec 18

ACAB is saying that a system creates bad people; it takes what could have been good and morphs them due to corruption and inherent injustice.

No matter how good the dude, if they follow through on evil orders, they’ve committed an evil act. And you can’t tell me that this (otherwise good and moral dude) didn’t follow don’t evil orders at some point

I guarantee that as a cop, he committed some terrible shit acts that would make you sad. In the name of the law. And therefore, ACAB.

pornpornporn Dec 19

‘A couple bad apples’ isn’t an excuse for bad cops, that’s the complete opposite of what the phrase means.

It’s “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch”. It works like that for literal apples and for cops too. Even if a cop doesn’t go around crushing necks with his knees, if he’s willing to tolerate the bad cops that do that makes him a bad cop too.

Good cops don’t survive to retirement. Even if this particular guy is completely right in this case, ACAB is still true

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

TheGoldenV Dec 18

Oh he knew. He just doesn’t care. No repercussions and the municipality will pay the settlement. Just another day in freedumbville.

VitoRobles Dec 18

Pretty much. Never stop these assholes before. It’s the “Tell it to the judge” as police literally don’t have to understand any the laws they enforce.

ordnance_qf_17_pounder Dec 18

(not) nice to see the US has followed the UK in cracking down on free speech.

TheGrandNagus Dec 18

When I dig into UK stories about people being fined or arrested for social media posts, it is virtually always people who advocate for violence against certain groups, and then right wing media twists it into a “they’re jailing people for hurty words” story.

Trainguyrom Dec 18

I believe they’re referencing the classification of Palestine Action as a terrorist group in an effort to chill speech against the Israeli genocide. The UK has also notably been attempting to chill protest in general through several laws passed in the past few years to try to quiet the increasingly impactful pro-climate and anti-genocide protests

Terror arrests surge by 660% due to Palestine Action ban

The protest group was proscribed under terror laws in July, a move that has been heavily criticised

The Independent

sin_free_for_00_days Dec 18

Knowing the injustice done through cash bail to poor citizens in this country - people who have done nothing wrong, but are incarcerated for months because they can’t afford bail - this is nothing more than a continuation of police policy. Of course, the fuckhead in the White House signed an executive order to ban no-cash bail because every thing that piece of shit does is to make the world a worse place.

All that said, this is pretty bad from a basic Bill of Rights standpoint. But again, most of what Cheeto (and law enforcement in general) does tears holes in the law of the land.

Being a retired cop, what are the odds that he has repeated the mantra “you can beat the rap, but you can’t beat the ride” to some poor kid?

Formfiller Dec 18

His first amendment rights were violated

Grandwolf319 Dec 18

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.

[deleted]Dec 18

Like 60+ years ago, before the Southern Strategy, yes.

They have been corrupt selfish assholes my entire life.

Southern strategy - Wikipedia

Xaphanos Dec 18

1860

Madison420 Dec 18

I think you might need to learn less civil war mythology and more actual history.

They weren’t holding up to their principals then either, the whole thing was genuinely about states rights they just said their rights overruled other states rights because ownership of property didn’t change via interstate travel.

It’s far more stupid then most textbooks imply.

youre fucking dumb lmao

Madison420 Dec 18

Read a history book those are all facts. Sure repubs were the “good guys” at the moment but that too is warped, Lincoln was against immediate emancipation but for slow rolling emancipation.

Look it up, the mythology behind the civil war in this country is fuckin wild.

youre fucking dumb and any any conversation about the civil war, states rights, and property that does not mention slaves and that people are not property is disingenuous and fucking stupid. youre a fucking moron lol like fr? it was about states not recognizing property? you fucking clown lmao it was about (southern) states not recognizing people

HarneyToker Dec 18

Yeah, I’m pretty sick of the “It was a different time” bullshit too. It was not about property because people are not property, and humans decided that slavery is wrong LONG before the Civil War. Look in the fucking Bible, the most disseminated piece of literature of all time, and the book that many dumbasses say the US was founded on.

Madison420 Dec 18

I don’t believe people are property but we aren’t talking about what I believe we’re talking about how the civil war was framed and specifically the mythology it’s evolved into. Sure sane people don’t believe slavery is a righteous endeavor but clearly that’s not changed anything today nor in the past given that slavery hasn’t ended globally and in the US slavery specifically and legislatively isn’t illegal in certain instances like lawful imprisonment, again mythology.

HarneyToker Dec 18

Not talking about other places. I’m suggesting that the arguments about “states rights” and “property” are disingenuous because they imply that we didn’t agree that slavery is fucked to begin with. If we are a country founded on Christian values as many would suggest, then it is not possible to have an argument about “property” when you’re referring to people. This was true in 1860, as well.

Madison420 Dec 18

It was literally framed at the time as states rights and specifically interstate property rights, this is what I mean by mythology. You want to ignore actual history because it makes you feel weird, that’s how mythology starts and progresses.

We literally didn’t agree that’s why there was a fucking war about it genius.

The country wasn’t founded on Christian ideals, that’s more mythology you can literally read the founders talking about the nation not being Christian or Christ based at all. Moreover slavery is not just legal in Christianity but fucking prescribed, it’s more mythology.

It quite literally was not true in 1860 hence the goddamn war and continuing racism in America.

And if a man sells his daughter to be a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights. And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

Madison420 Dec 18

That’s clearly the property that was being referred to, I’m sorry I didn’t specifically spell that out for you.

It was about states rights, they just framed it as interstate property rights because slaves were property. Again I apologize for not pandering to the dumbest among us but you’re making a good point that I shouldn’t discount just how dumb people can be.

DylanMc6 [any, any]Dec 18

do you support the “lost cause” of the confederacy?

Madison420 Dec 18

Clearly not.

DylanMc6 [any, any]Dec 18

do you think that “tHe CoNfEdErAcY sHoUlD’vE wOn ThE cIViL wAr”? if so, then let me say that i’m very glad the union won the civil war back in 1865. seriously!

Madison420 Dec 18

You just asked me three times in a row of I support the Confederacy and got the answer no 3 times so you decided to go ahead and ask again?

How exactly do you think knowing history makes me a racist or Confederate sympathizer? Are you seriously so dense that you think that framing the cause of the civil war correctly is tacit support of the Confederacy?