Gage County Supervisors Discuss Protests

By Gordon Hopkins Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson expressed surprise at the negative reaction by some members of the public after he brought up the ongoing protests outside the courthouse at a recent meeting of the Gage County Supervisors on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.Every weekend for the past six months, opponents of President Donald Trump’s agenda have protested outside the Gage County Courthouse.The sheriff noted that protesters have sometimes been located on the courthouse lawn, rather than the sidewalk. One of those protesters, Roy Lauby, told FJN, “Last Sunday two Sheriff deputies told us we couldn't stand on the grass. This was the first time we were told this after rallying every Sunday for six months.”Another protester, Charles Riedesel, concurred, “As for last Sunday, I was there for most of it. I saw the deputies asking us to back off the grass, and saw everyone try to oblige. I never witnessed nor heard about any previous admonition.” Riedesel provided photographs of prior protests to FJN and said in an email, “These events have been totally peaceful - if they weren’t, I would not take any part in them. As can be seen in my photos, almost never is anyone encroaching more than a few feet onto the lawn, there is no obstruction of the sidewalk, and there has never been any attempt to do anything other than peacefully demonstrate.”At the meeting, County Attorney Roger Harris indicated county policy does not allow demonstrations on the courthouse lawn. Riedesel said, “Since this became news, a couple of us have been doing some checking. According to the ACLU, there should be no prohibition on using courthouse lawns for demonstrations.” FJN also spoke to Sheriff Gustafson, who is surprised at the backlash over what he felt were fairly innocuous comments, “Just a quick reference I made, and my God, it took off like wildfire.”The sheriff said, “If they're going to protest, they actually have a right to do that as long as it’s done peacefully on the sidewalk. They cannot be off on the yard.”Gustafson estimated the protests have normally consisted of anywhere between two and 15 people. A much larger protest is anticipated Saturday morning, October 18, at Charles Park, when the nationwide “No Kings” protests are scheduled throughout the U.S., including 15 cities in Nebraska.

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