University Profiled Conservative Student for Years to Later Paint Him as Terrorist for Posting Rifle Picture on Social Media
Shane Trejo
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Big League Politics has reported extensively on the case of Lucas Gerhard, the former student at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault St. Marie, Mich. who was charged with making terrorist threats for posting a picture of a rifle on social media.
One crucial aspect of the case is the repressive campus atmosphere that resulted in Gerhard being profiled as a potential threat. This set the stage for his Snapchat post of the so-called “assault rifle” allowed them to use law enforcement to strike back against a conservative rabble-rouser who campus officials wanted out of their hair.
We have obtained documents showing the institutional conspiracy that was waged against Gerhard, an proud conservative who was not shy about sharing his beliefs on campus, and how a file maintained by LSSU staff based largely on anonymous snitching was used to paint him as a terrorist threat in the courts.
The probable cause affidavit from the 91st District Court noted Gerhard’s “extreme political views” as being part of the reason his dorm room was searched, and although nothing illegal was found in the search, eventually leading to his arrest. His “extreme political views” were also listed in the search warrant as an excuse to seize information from his private Snapchat account in an attempt to enter his political posts as evidence during the trial.
In addition, a profile emerged of Gerhard being harassed on campus due to his conservative political opinions, which was later exploited to push for his charges. One such documented incident came after a student reported Gerhard to authorities for a “wellness check” because he posted a politically-incorrect opinion related to female law enforcement in an online discussion forum related to a class. The resident adviser found that the check was unfounded, but the record was logged and eventually used as part of a profile to show Gerhard as a potential threat.
Another complaint was filed against Gerhard because he was dressed in a Sheriffs office cadet uniform with a duffel bag and a riot shield for a speech he was planning to give to a communication class. When law enforcement approached Gerhard regarding the complaint, he allowed police to search his duffel bag, which contained no weapons, and presented his note cards to police for the speech. After his story checked out, law enforcement let him go and noted that the complaint filed against Gerhard was unfounded.
Additional informing occurred against Gerhard because of language in his Instagram profile. This prompted an anonymous individual, noting that they were driven into hysteria because of media coverage following a mass shooting, to make a report to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department about Gerhard. The woman who made the complaint against Gerhard’s rifle post also noted during court testimony that news reporting contributed to her fear as well.
“This young man is a seriously potential threat. I have wanted to let you know about this boy for a long time. After yesterday, I had no choice but to contact you,” the snitch wrote.
“Lucas Gerhard has been posting some very concerning social media posts and I am not comfortable with them. Things like this and past issues I know about legitimately make me concerned for having to be on the same campus,” another snitch wrote.
Gerhard’s car was also reported as being vandalized on campus, with a rear window being broken on his 2008 Crown Victoria in Sept. 2018, which may have been retaliation from far-left extremists for being an outspoken conservative.
It is noted in the LSSU case report that Gerhard’s Snapchat post of the rifle was found to be suspicious based off of “previous interactions Gerhard has had with the school,” ie. his profile built largely from the unsubstantiated testimony of anonymous snitches. The case report also referenced “previous incidents and threats made by Gerhard,” although none of them were listed specifically since they were dismissed after the concerns of snitches who targeted Gerhard based on his conservative beliefs were considered baseless by authorities.
In today’s snitch culture where citizen spies are encouraged to act as Soviet-style apparatchiks against their fellow countrymen by the Democrat Party, fake news media, and deep state in order to enforce Big Brother, political speech and genuine self-expression can have severe consequences, and Gerhard has learned that the hard way. His case is still ongoing, and Big League Politics will continue to provide updates as it develops. You can contribute to his GoFundMe here.
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