June 6 protest moved to virtual event

The original peaceful protest planned to be held June 6 on the east side of the Nodaway County Courthouse was moved June 4 by the organizers to a virtual format at the same time of the onsite protest.

The 3 pm protest, which will have law enforcement leaders speak, may be viewed through the Facebook link of the Nodaway County Sheriff Department.

“The three women had been meeting with local law enforcement,” said Nodaway County Sheriff Randy Strong. “After the assessment of the increased social media action in other parts of the country as well as the rhetoric on local social media, the women felt a virtual format would be better.”

Strong had also been getting feedback from local business owners in the uptown area and noted it was becoming more apparent that some law enforcement agencies were stretching their numbers to other cities as a mutual aid element.

“However, it was not a law enforcement decision,” said Strong.

He shared approximately 10 people gathered on the west side of the Nodaway County Courthouse during the early evening hours of June 4. The peaceful protest was well-received by drivers of vehicles who passed by with some honking their vehicles horns in support.

He sees a similar crowd of peaceful protesters coming to the Courthouse at 3 pm, Saturday, June 6. He also shared the law enforcement personnel will continue to assess social media and be aware of any potentially unlawful acts throughout the night.