Overview
- Larry Bushart Jr., 61, was arrested on September 22 for allegedly threatening mass violence on school property after posting a meme in a Perry County, Tennessee Facebook group.
- The post showed Donald Trump with the quote “We have to get over it” and the caption “This seems relevant today,” which some locals took as a reference to Perry County High School.
- Sheriff Nick Weems says investigators believe Bushart intended to cause hysteria, while noting separate “hate memes” about Charlie Kirk’s killing were considered protected speech.
- Bushart remains jailed after an initial $2 million bond; his lawyers have sought reconsideration, prosecutors requested a delay, and the next court date is set for December 4.
- Civil-liberties commentators, including a Cato Institute analysis published October 27, argue the post is protected political hyperbole under the Supreme Court’s true-threat doctrine, noting the meme’s origin tied to an Iowa school with the same name.