politics @lemmy.world · 24 hours ago

A Retired Police Officer Posted a Meme. It Earned Him 37 Days in Jail.

www.nytimes.com

A Retired Police Officer Posted a Meme. It Earned Him 37 Days in Jail.

www.nytimes.com

Peter Link@lemmy.ml to

politics @lemmy.world · 24 hours ago

nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com

https://archive.ph/FFrVf

Opinion - Guest Essay
By Greg Lukianoff
Nov. 26, 2025

Mr. Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer living in Lexington, Tenn., had posted a meme on Facebook after the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. It was a picture of Donald Trump along with Mr. Trump’s comment in response to a school shooting at Perry High School in Iowa in 2024: “We have to get over it.” The meme was headed by the caption, “This seems relevant today.”

Mr. Bushart shared that meme in a Facebook thread promoting a vigil for Mr. Kirk in nearby Perry County, Tenn. The Perry County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for Mr. Bushart’s arrest, claiming that the post was a threat of “mass violence” at a school.

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