James Ian Tyson wants the people of Charlotte to know: “I’m a local Charlottean, I’m a farmer, I’m a carpenter, I’m a family member and a community member. I am not a terrorist.”

The 27-year-old was arrested Sunday and charged with driving with a revoked license. He was jailed on a $10,000 cash bond.

The police officer who arrested him wanted Tyson to remain behind bars during the Democratic National Convention, according to a court document.

The officer informed the magistrate that Tyson was on a terrorist watch list.

Tyson told the Observer Tuesday he was shocked to learn that he was on a terrorist watch list…“They have no reason to have me on that list,” Tyson said. “I haven’t done anything remotely criminal involving politics.

“No one knows how you get on this list … or the accountability process or, most importantly, how they get off this list…”

The U.S. government does not reveal the names of people on the watch list, according to the Department of Homeland Security…A 2009 audit, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, found a high error rate among the FBI’s terrorist watch list…

Tyson said he believes his arrest was intended to keep him from speaking out against climate change during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

In North Carolina, I imagine you still can get on such a list for insisting on universal suffrage. Or saying mean things about tobacco.