A Tennessee man has taken legal action against the Kingsport Police Department after a yearslong criminal case that began with him recording an officer on the road and ended with an appellate court throwing out his conviction, according to Fox News.
Joshua Gibbons says police targeted him because he publicly called attention to an officer’s behavior. His lawsuit, brought with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, names the city of Kingsport, its police chief and individual officers and alleges that the department retaliated against speech protected by the First Amendment.
The confrontation began in October 2022, when Gibbons saw a Kingsport police SUV traveling quickly at night without its emergency lights activated. He recorded the vehicle, eventually catching up with the officer at a fast food restaurant and questioning him about his driving. Nothing came of the encounter at the time, and the officer simply continued on his way.
The situation escalated after Gibbons put the footage online. Gibbons frequently records police activity and publishes the videos, and FIRE contends the department began scrutinizing his YouTube account after another person complained about separate footage in which an officer appeared to give Gibbons the middle finger.
According to the lawsuit, police soon turned their attention to the earlier driving video. Authorities secured a warrant accusing Gibbons of disorderly conduct as well as traffic violations related to his own driving while recording. FIRE says the warrant was obtained through a court clerk rather than presented to a judge.
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