Man Jailed for Posting Exodus Lyrics Faced 5-10 Years in Prison; Calls Situation Out of Hand
Last week, it was made public that an Exodus fan from Kentucky was jailed for eight days after posting lyrics from Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer) on Facebook. James Evans, 31, spoke about his incarceration shortly after his release, but the metalhead went further into the controversial situation in a new interview.
According to Billboard, a fellow Central City, Ky., resident alerted school officials of Evans Facebook post, which led to the mans arrest two days later.
Police originally made their way to Evans mothers house. She directed the cops to her sons Central City home, where they asked the Exodus fan if he was planning to harm anyone. I assumed the conversation got resolved, Evans tells Billboard, but the next day, police returned to Evans home, asking his wife what kind of car he drove and if he was in possession of any weapons.
They informed her that I may or not be charged, he says. They said they were going to talk to me at work, but they never showed up. I didnt think it was that big of a deal. Though police didnt stop by where Evans works as a screen printer, they returned the following morning with a warrant for Evans arrest.
They never even cuffed me, just put me in the back of the car, Evans says. They knew I wasnt dangerous. They were kind of shocked, too, because they thought it had been resolved. They just had to serve it because it was in their jurisdiction. Evans found himself in court on Aug. 27, being charged with a Class C felony for terrorist threatenings, which can lead to between 5 and 10 years in prison. I couldnt believe it got that out of hand, he says. At the same time its worrisome because I have a family to take care of. I have a 3-month-old son.
The next week, Evan returned to court and was handed a deferment for six months. He was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. If Evans complies with the court, all charges will be dropped.
An earlier story:
Man Jailed for Eight Days After Posting Exodus Song Lyrics on Facebook
Evans arrest warrant read that he threatened to kill students and or staff at school.
In response, Exodus management sent out the following press release:
The band Exodus does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying. That being said, the band is somewhat baffled by the fact that this man being charged for what seems against his first amendment rights of Freedom of Speech.
Exodus guitarist Gary Holt added to the statement with some views of his own:
The idea that an individual in this great country of ours could be arrested for simply posting lyrics to a song is something I never believed could happen in a free society. James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it. 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***ed up behavior. It was the Virginia Tech massacre perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho that was the subject and inspiration to write the song, one in which we put the brakes on playing it live after the Sandy Hook shooting, as we did not want to seem insensitive.
As some of us in Exodus are parents, of course these things hit close to home, its every parents worst fear. These moments are the stuff of nightmares, and life, as well as music, isnt always pretty. But when we start to overreact to things like lyrics by any band, including Exodus, and start arresting people, we are caving in to paranoia and are well on our way to becoming an Orwellian society.
After eight days in lockup, Evans spoke with 14News about the situation. Its nonsense, Evans begins. I feel like my civil rights have been violated. You know first amendment freedom of speech out the window. Even all the guys I was in the cell with they thought it was nonsense themselves. I had several officials tell me it was nonsense that there was no reason why I should have even been here.
Your thoughts?
Last week, it was made public that an Exodus fan from Kentucky was jailed for eight days after posting lyrics from Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer) on Facebook. James Evans, 31, spoke about his incarceration shortly after his release, but the metalhead went further into the controversial situation in a new interview.
According to Billboard, a fellow Central City, Ky., resident alerted school officials of Evans Facebook post, which led to the mans arrest two days later.
Police originally made their way to Evans mothers house. She directed the cops to her sons Central City home, where they asked the Exodus fan if he was planning to harm anyone. I assumed the conversation got resolved, Evans tells Billboard, but the next day, police returned to Evans home, asking his wife what kind of car he drove and if he was in possession of any weapons.
They informed her that I may or not be charged, he says. They said they were going to talk to me at work, but they never showed up. I didnt think it was that big of a deal. Though police didnt stop by where Evans works as a screen printer, they returned the following morning with a warrant for Evans arrest.
They never even cuffed me, just put me in the back of the car, Evans says. They knew I wasnt dangerous. They were kind of shocked, too, because they thought it had been resolved. They just had to serve it because it was in their jurisdiction. Evans found himself in court on Aug. 27, being charged with a Class C felony for terrorist threatenings, which can lead to between 5 and 10 years in prison. I couldnt believe it got that out of hand, he says. At the same time its worrisome because I have a family to take care of. I have a 3-month-old son.
The next week, Evan returned to court and was handed a deferment for six months. He was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. If Evans complies with the court, all charges will be dropped.
An earlier story:
Man Jailed for Eight Days After Posting Exodus Song Lyrics on Facebook
Evans arrest warrant read that he threatened to kill students and or staff at school.
In response, Exodus management sent out the following press release:
The band Exodus does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying. That being said, the band is somewhat baffled by the fact that this man being charged for what seems against his first amendment rights of Freedom of Speech.
Exodus guitarist Gary Holt added to the statement with some views of his own:
The idea that an individual in this great country of ours could be arrested for simply posting lyrics to a song is something I never believed could happen in a free society. James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it. 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***ed up behavior. It was the Virginia Tech massacre perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho that was the subject and inspiration to write the song, one in which we put the brakes on playing it live after the Sandy Hook shooting, as we did not want to seem insensitive.
As some of us in Exodus are parents, of course these things hit close to home, its every parents worst fear. These moments are the stuff of nightmares, and life, as well as music, isnt always pretty. But when we start to overreact to things like lyrics by any band, including Exodus, and start arresting people, we are caving in to paranoia and are well on our way to becoming an Orwellian society.
After eight days in lockup, Evans spoke with 14News about the situation. Its nonsense, Evans begins. I feel like my civil rights have been violated. You know first amendment freedom of speech out the window. Even all the guys I was in the cell with they thought it was nonsense themselves. I had several officials tell me it was nonsense that there was no reason why I should have even been here.
Your thoughts?
