Political event and tweet leads to arrest of Richmond man
Jimmie Lee Jarvis was charged with a felony for a tweet.
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Jimmie Lee Jarvis was arrested for a tweet
(There is no relation between myself and Jimmie Lee Jarvis)
Jimmie Lee Jarvis was arrested and charged with a felony for posting a photo on Twitter about an event that Republican provocateur Andy Ngo was hosting in Richmond recently.
Ngo was trying to host an event at the Commonwealth Club but the venue canceled it after learning more about Ngo. The event was then moved to The Westin before they also canceled it.
Ngo then announced that he found a third venue to host the event and only notified the ticket holders shortly before it took place.
Prior to knowledge of where the event was being hosted, Jarvis posted the following tweet:
“The claims that his post in any way constitutes a threat are unbelievable,” said Tom Barbour, Jarvis’ attorney. “It could not be more obvious that this post was satirical and therefore constitutionally protected speech.”
Barbour believes these charges are a violation of Jarvis’ First Amendment rights. “This case is a clear violation of Mr. Jarvis’ First Amendment right to free speech and his Fourth Amendment right against unlawful arrest and imprisonment,” Barbour said.
Ngo has made a name for himself by railing against protests and “Antifa.”
Ngo is on the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch list. SPLC has posted the following description of Ngo: "What Ngo has portrayed as his journalistic work largely consists of publishing anti-antifa, Islamophobic and transphobic tweets and articles to his sizable Twitter following, along with disseminating the arrest records and personal details of left-wing demonstrators."
Jarvis was released Friday morning on a personal recognizance bond in Henrico County.
Jarvis’ court case is scheduled for December.
New poll on presidential candidates in Virginia
The University of Mary Washington released poll results today comparing potential 2024 presidential candidates and their popularity with Virginia voters.