Tennessee man jailed 37 days for Trump meme wins settlement after lawsuit
Tennessee man jailed 37 days for Trump meme wins settlement after lawsuit
因发布特朗普梗图被监禁37天，田纳西州男子诉讼获赔
NASHVILLE, May 20, 2026 — After spending 37 days in jail for nothing more than posting a meme, retired Tennessee law enforcement officer Larry Bushart has won a substantial settlement from the county and sheriff behind his arrest. 纳什维尔，2026年5月20日——田纳西州退休执法人员拉里·布沙特（Larry Bushart）因发布一张梗图而被监禁了37天。近日，他已从导致其被捕的县政府和警长处赢得了巨额和解金。
Represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and Phillips & Phillips, PLLC, Larry Bushart filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last December against Sheriff Nick Weems, Investigator Jason Morrow, and Perry County, Tennessee, for violating his constitutional rights in retaliation for his protected speech. Today, the parties announced in a joint statement that Larry will receive $835,000 in exchange for dismissing his complaint. 在个人权利与表达基金会（FIRE）及 Phillips & Phillips 律师事务所的代理下，拉里·布沙特于去年12月对警长尼克·威姆斯（Nick Weems）、调查员杰森·莫罗（Jason Morrow）及田纳西州佩里县提起联邦民权诉讼，指控他们因报复其受保护的言论而侵犯了他的宪法权利。今日，双方发表联合声明宣布，拉里将获得83.5万美元的赔偿，以换取撤回诉讼。
“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” said Larry. “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.” “我很高兴我的第一修正案权利得到了伸张，”拉里表示，“民众参与公民对话的自由对于健康的民主至关重要。我期待着翻开新的一页，与家人共度时光。”
After the September 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Larry commented on a Facebook post promoting a vigil in nearby Perry County by sharing a meme that accurately quoted Donald Trump’s statement after a school shooting: “We have to get over it.” That meme — which Larry didn’t create or alter — included a reference to the 2024 school shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. But that did not stop Weems from seeking and obtaining a warrant for Larry’s arrest, based on the absurd notion that the meme could be interpreted as a threat against Perry County High School in Tennessee. 2025年9月保守派活动人士查理·柯克（Charlie Kirk）遇刺后，拉里在Facebook上评论了一篇关于附近佩里县守夜活动的帖子，分享了一张准确引用唐纳德·特朗普在某次校园枪击案后所发表言论的梗图：“我们必须克服它（We have to get over it）。”这张并非由拉里创作或修改的梗图，提及了2024年发生在爱荷华州佩里高中的校园枪击案。但这并没有阻止威姆斯警长申请并获得拉里的逮捕令，其理由荒谬地认为该梗图可被解读为对田纳西州佩里县高中的威胁。
Video of the arrest shows Larry informed the arresting officer (not a defendant in the case) that he had never made a threat. 逮捕视频显示，拉里曾告知逮捕他的警官（非本案被告），他从未发出过任何威胁。
“No one should be hauled off to jail in the dark of night over a harmless meme just because the authorities disagree with its message,” said FIRE senior attorney Adam Steinbaugh. “We’re pleased that Larry has been compensated for this injustice, but local law enforcement never should have forced him to endure this ordeal in the first place.” “仅仅因为当局不同意梗图传达的信息，就不应在深夜将任何人抓进监狱，”FIRE高级律师亚当·斯坦鲍（Adam Steinbaugh）表示，“我们很高兴拉里因遭受的不公获得了赔偿，但当地执法部门本不应强迫他经历这场磨难。”
Weems admitted in a later interview that he knew at the time of the arrest that Larry’s Facebook post was a pre-existing meme that referred to an actual shooting that took place in a different state, over 500 miles away. But Weems and Morrow left out that extremely important context from their warrant application. Not that it should have mattered; the Supreme Court has long held that heated political rhetoric is fully protected by the First Amendment. 威姆斯在后来的采访中承认，他在逮捕时就知道拉里的Facebook帖子是一张现成的梗图，指的是发生在500多英里外另一个州的真实枪击事件。但威姆斯和莫罗在申请逮捕令时隐瞒了这一极其重要的背景信息。当然，这本不应成为问题；最高法院早已裁定，激烈的政治言论受到第一修正案的全面保护。
Larry spent over a month behind bars on a $2 million bond. Perry County released him from jail only after his plight went viral nationwide and prompted outrage. During his stay in jail, Larry lost his post-retirement job and missed his anniversary — as well as the birth of his grandchild. After his release, he teamed up with FIRE to hold those who violated his constitutional rights accountable. 拉里在200万美元保释金的情况下被关押了一个多月。直到他的遭遇在全国范围内引发公愤后，佩里县才将他释放。在狱中期间，拉里失去了退休后的工作，错过了结婚纪念日，也错过了孙辈的出生。获释后，他与FIRE合作，追究那些侵犯他宪法权利的人的责任。