601 CHRIS

A Tennessee man is suing the Kingsport Police Department after he says officers retaliated against him for filming and publicly criticizing a police officer who was allegedly speeding.

According to the lawsuit, Joshua Gibbons recorded a Kingsport police SUV traveling at a high rate of speed at night without its lights or siren activated in October 2022. Gibbons followed the officer to a fast-food drive-thru, confronted him about the alleged speeding and later posted the footage online.

The lawsuit alleges that after police became aware of the video, investigators searched through Gibbons’ social media and obtained warrants accusing him of speeding, using a cellphone while driving and disorderly conduct.

Then, just nine days after the original encounter, eight armed officers reportedly arrived at his home before dawn and arrested him in front of his mother and daughter.

Gibbons spent nearly four years fighting the case through two trials. His traffic-related charges were dismissed, and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ultimately overturned his disorderly conduct conviction, finding there was no evidence his criticism interfered with lawful police activity.

Gibbons is now moving forward with a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging First Amendment retaliation.

“They tried to intimidate me, but I’m not backing down,” Gibbons said. “They sent eight heavily armed officers to arrest me because I embarrassed them.”

He was nominated for an Oscar and won a BAFTA for his first-ever acting role. Two years later, he was back behind the counter selling phones.

Barkhad Abdi was working as a limo driver in Minneapolis when he saw an open casting call for Somali actors for a Tom Hanks film. He had never acted before. He auditioned anyway and landed the role of Abduwali Muse, the leader of the Somali pirates in Captain Phillips. The film was made in 2012 on a budget of $55 million. Abdi was paid $65,000 for his performance, just slightly above the Screen Actors Guild minimum for a feature film.

After the nine-week shoot ended, he went back to Minneapolis and took a job at his brother's mobile phone store in the 24 Mall. He could not afford not to work. He sold phones behind the counter while the film sat in post-production.

When Captain Phillips finally premiered in October 2013, Abdi quit the phone shop. His reasoning was simple. "When the movie came out, reviews either gonna be good or bad," he told The New Yorker. "Either way, I cannot be working here".

The reviews were not just good. They were extraordinary. Abdi was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He won the BAFTA. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The film grossed $218 million worldwide. He became the breakout star of the awards season.

But the money was already gone. The $65,000 had been paid two years earlier. During the awards circuit, Abdi lived on a studio per diem that he could use at the Beverly Hilton, where Sony put him up. A town car was available only for official publicity events. His clothes were loaners. He asked to stay at a commuter hotel near LAX instead, so he could be closer to a friend, a Somali cabdriver from Minneapolis, who drove him around for free.

He was broke while walking red carpets. He was broke while cameras flashed. He was broke while the world learned his name.

Abdi has since built a steady career, appearing in films like Eye in the Sky, Blade Runner 2049, and Good Time. But for a brief moment in 2014, one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood was a former phone salesman who could not afford his own suit.

With Dwayne The Rock Johnson – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

With Tyler Perry – I just earned their Champions badge! 🎉

Tennessee d**th row inmate Christa Pike remains alive but hospitalized after surviving two ex*cution attempts.

Officials say Christa Pike’s ex*cution went "very ragged, very poorly."

Her attorney said that Pike "has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring."

Media witnesses claim Christa Pike sat up at one point during the ex*cution process and spoke saying: “it’s burning, something is wrong. I feel like my arm is going to burst"