LAWSUIT: Eight officers raided his home before dawn. His offense? He filmed an officer speeding, criticized him when he got to a drive-thru, and embarrassed the department. In a free country, criticizing police shouldn’t end in handcuffs. In 2022, Joshua Gibbons filmed a Kingsport, Tennessee police SUV speeding without lights or sirens, violating state law. He caught up with the officer at a drive-thru and had salty words about his disregard for the law. That exchange lasted all of one minute. The consequences for Joshua lasted four years. After someone complained about a different video — an officer flipping Gibbons off — police scoured Gibbons’ YouTube channel for ammunition. Before dawn the next morning, while Gibbons was still in bed, eight armed officers raided his mother’s home to arrest him — for speeding using a cellphone while driving, and disorderly conduct. A judge dismissed the speeding and cellphone charges but convicted him of disorderly conduct, saying he was “offended by the way” Gibbons was “talking to that officer.” Gibbons appealed. At a second trial, a jury again found him guilty. In June, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously reversed that conviction and dismissed the charge. The court found “no evidence” that Gibbons’ criticism prevented anyone from doing anything lawful. The court recognized — as many courts had held — that even “profane and insulting” words alone aren’t a crime, especially when directed at police officers, who are trained to exercise restraint. With FIRE’s help, Gibbons is suing to vindicate his First Amendment rights. The First Amendment protects your right to film and criticize police. Kingsport PD needs to hear that message loud and clear.

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