06/27/2025
Spooky’s Pizza and Grill opened its doors and its heart to Murfreesboro and the surrounding area in April 2016.
In August 2024, the Tennessee Department of Health began threatening to shut the restaurant down over a “food establishment permit” that expired on June 30, 2024. Six months earlier, I’d restructured the business as a lawful Private Membership Association and was, according to the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court, no longer obligated, to ask permission or purchase a permit from the State to conduct business.
Charging money for a license or permit to engage in protected activity (e.g., speech, religion, trade) is unlawful taxation of a right.
A right cannot be lawfully transformed into a privilege and then taxed, licensed, or regulated out of existence.
Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105 (1943)
“A state may not impose a charge for the enjoyment of a right granted by the federal Constitution.”
On May 9, 2025, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Deputies placed me in handcuffs, removed me from my business and transported me to the Davidson County Detention Center where I was forced to sit in a chair for 19.5 hours. Ironically, I have never possessed a permit or owned a business in Davidson County.
If the Tennessee Department of Health believes that Spooky’s posed a legitimate threat to the health or safety of its members, they would have shut us down. But they haven’t. Their actions have nothing to do with health or public safety, and everything to do with money. They are simply not unaccustomed to dealing with someone who knows their rights and refuses to surrender them.
On June 6, 2025, I filed a federal Article III Common Law lawsuit naming the Tennessee Department of Health and associated officials as defendants for constitutional and civil rights violations, coercion, abuse of process, and retaliation.
Two weeks ago, I attended one of my granddaughter’s kindergarten graduations. As I watched the little girls and boys walk across that stage in their caps and gowns, I saw the future. And in that moment, I realized just how much of their future rests in our hands. What kind of world will they inherit if we remain silent when faced with injustice? Unless they see us fight for liberty, they will not have the courage to stand up when it matters most.
With a heavy heart, I am closing Spooky’s permanently at 9:00 p.m. this Saturday. My decision does not come from failure; it comes from necessity. My inherent rights are not negotiable, not licensed and not taxable. I will defend them at all costs.
If the Tennessee Department of Health interprets this closure as a victory, they are gravely mistaken. All they’ve done is awaken a sleeping giant. The real battle will take place in the courtroom, public square, and in the hearts of anyone who refuses to bow to a system that punishes independence, criminalizes freedom, and ignores the laws it has sworn to uphold.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each of you who supported us for nearly a decade. It has been an honor and a privilege serving you. I am eternally grateful for the amazing young men and women who represented the heart and soul of what we proudly called the “Skeleton Crew.” Finally, I want to thank my family and friends who stood by me and helped bring this American Dream to life. Spooky’s was something far greater than a restaurant. It was home.
Come leave your mark on the mural wall—your name, your memory, your connection with this amazing haunt. One day paint may cover it, but the spirit of Spooky's will never die!
I will keep Spooky’s page active and will share my progress along the way. I encourage you to post your memories about what Spooky’s meant to you and your families. Together our voices can shine a light on government overreach and expose the truth they would rather keep hidden.
If this story moves you, please share it with every man, woman, small business owner, and American who still believes liberty is not a crime.
To stand beside me in this fight, please consider contributing via:
Venmo: -Peters-46
Cash App: $TNPIZZAMAN
If you are unable to offer financial support, your prayers are welcome, appreciated, and just as powerful. I feel them, and I thank you.
With love, conviction, and gratitude,
Joe
