Justice for Lucas

UPDATE, Spring 2022:  Lucas is still under house arrest awaiting trial.  The Michigan Supreme Court declined to take up his appeal (just after the horrific Oxford High School shooting, which we fear may have affected their decision).

His trial will be held on July 11. He has been in custody since August of 2019 - 83 days in jail denied bail, and every day ever since under house arrest, forbidden from using the Internet, even for school.

All for the alleged crime of telling a joke about his rifle among friends. (full story below, after the updates)

We need all the support you can offer to cover what is certain to be an enormous trial expense.

Preparing for trial involves a lot of work, which costs a ton of money. Please support Lucas as much as you can in these trying times.

We are praying for media coverage of this trial, to expose this unbelievable injustice.

Whether or not you can contribute today, if you tell Lucas's story to just a few people, that will make a difference too.


UPDATE, Jul 1, 2021: Disgracefully, the Court of Appeals has DENIED Lucas's appeal. Lucas and his attorneys are regrouping, possibly preparing a higher appeal and for certainly for trial.

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed and helped us meet our $90,000 goal. These goals are all conjectural and Lucas's expenses are now sure to be higher, so we have increased the goal again.

Right from the get-go, the Court of Appeals's decision was riddled with falsehoods, beginning in the very first paragraph with these false statements:

"Importantly, the issue is not whether defendant actually made a threat of terrorism, which would be a question for the trier of fact. Rather, the issue is whether, on these facts, defendant can be charged at all. The issue before us turns on whether a social media post made by defendant can constitute a 'true threat.' "

This is all untrue. The issue before the court was not whether a social media post can constitute a "true threat." The issue was whether *this* statement by Lucas could.

The issue was precisely whether or not the defendant actually made a threat of terrorism, and it is not a question for a trier of fact, as no facts were in dispute. True threat analysis is a matter of law.

Ignoring Lucas's intention completely (as required by law), the judges simply assumed to know what was in Lucas's mind when they wrote that "the metaphor of ‘making the snowflakes melt’ is more consistent with placing ‘snowflakes’ in fear, or possibly even killing them, than with causing them offense."

The Court of Appeals just legalized the malicious prosecution of conservatives for anything we say on social media, anywhere and at any time.

This case is now bigger than Lucas. This is now a case on the constitutional rights of every Michigander.

We must do everything for Lucas to win this case, because all of our rights are on trial.


UPDATE, May 25, 2021: 

Incredibly, Lucas is still under house arrest, having had his bond denied by the judge YET AGAIN. But the Court of Appeals will be taking up the case next month, assuming there are no further delays.  (There have been MANY delays along the way.)

THANK YOU Gateway Pundit and 100PercentFedUp.com for taking up Lucas's cause and promoting it. We met our previous goal and have raised it again, this time to what reflects Lucas's actual legal bills in this case so far, as I understand it. (When we started, we set the goal at what we thought we might possibly raise, not what we expected his defense would actually cost, which has become much higher in the face of the judge's ongoing bad rulings.) Lucas still has a long way to go, and we are so grateful for all of your support.

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Lucas Gerhard was a bright student at Lake Superior State University looking forward to his future. An Eagle Scout studying criminal justice, Lucas hoped to be a police officer one day.

That changed in one night when Lucas posted a photo of his new rifle to a private Snapchat group of friends with a comment that it ought to "melt snowflakes, as in snow." 

A student (who was not a recipient of the message) falsely claimed that this was a threat, and his college reported him to the police, who referred him for prosecution. The county prosecutor charged Lucas with making a terrorist threat, a 20-year felony, and spent the next three months in jail, held without bond. 

Lucas still awaits trial under house arrest, as the judge has not yet dismissed the case. Even if the case is dismissed, Lucas' arrest ensures he can never be a police officer again. The news media dragged his name through the mud, destroying his reputation for life.

This Fund is set up for Lucas's legal defense fees. His legal representation has already cost him tens of thousands of dollars, and it will be far more should the judge fail to dismiss the case and it must be appealed. 

I am not an attorney and not representing Lucas, but I am aware of his attorneys and will coordinate this fund to pay for Lucas's legal fees.

I doubt that Lucas is the first person this has happened to, and we need to send a powerful message that the justice system cannot simply destroy people's lives for being politically incorrect. 

But Lucas cannot do it on his own. He needs our support. Please support Lucas's legal defense.