ACLU to defend man jailed for posting heavy metal band's violent song lyrics on Facebook
James Evans often posts lyrics from songs he is listening to on his Facebook page.
One day last month, the lyrics were from a heavy metal song by Exodus that was inspired by the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, Billboard reports.
“Student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood-splattered treatise of hate. Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends in debate,” the Aug. 24 post by the 31-year-old reads.
Within a few days, Evans was not only talking to police, but in jail after concerned citizens brought the Facebook post to the attention of authorities. After more than a week behind bars, he was given a deferred adjudication in a terroristic threats case and released with a requirement that he undergo a mental evaluation, according to the entertainment magazine. Earlier Billboard and WFIE stories provide additional details.
Now the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky has taken on his defense. They hope to have Evans exonerated in the Muhlenberg County case, the Associated Press reports.
In a written statement, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt said the band “does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying,” Billboard reports.
“James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it,” the statement continues. “The song ‘Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)’ was written as a view through the eyes of a madman and in no way endorses that kind of f–ked up behavior.”
