Holdrege police got the call Wednesday morning: A house on the 600 block of Burlington Street was flying an upside-down U.S. flag.
The sign of danger, of dire distress.
“So we responded,†police dispatcher Tori Johnston said Friday. “And they’re just in distress over Trump.â€
The distraught are Democrats living in the center of town in a county (Phelps) that gave more than 83 percent of its vote to President Donald Trump.
And the flag has been a fixture on Burlington Street for years. Brian Osborn put it out on Sept. 11, 2001, and it flew there, right-side-up, until after the presidential election in November.
He put it back out, upside-down, on Trump’s inauguration day.
“I think the things the flag stands for are far more important than the flag itself,†he said.
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The 65-year-old was home when the officer arrived for the well-being check, but his longtime “accomplice†answered the door. Trish Sheffield explained to the officer it was a political statement, that the nation is now in distress.
The officer grinned and left, Osborn said.
Most people who know him won’t be surprised, he said. He’s a self-described rabble-rouser, a letter-to-the-editor writer who started an anti-Trump Facebook page.
“And most people around here are going to consider it somewhat humorous,†he said. “But my reasons for doing it weren’t necessarily humorous.â€
He’s repulsed by Trump’s treatment of women. He’s worried about the future of the First Amendment. He’s worried about America's relationship with Mexico. He’s worried about how veterans will be treated.
“I think a lot of veterans are going to be raising their heads here real soon, just like the women did last week," the former sailor said. "We’ll be the next group marching in the streets.â€
The visit from the police officer made the Holdrege newspaper, and then Facebook, so the story is spreading. And Osborn isn't sure what that means for his future as commander of the Martin-Horn American Legion Post 66.
“I don’t know. I don't know how the other members are going to see me.â€