Civil rights activist and Georgia Congressman John Lewis was known for saying he got into “good trouble” by using peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice. Now, in 1,600 cities and towns across the country, protesters are planning to make similar “good trouble” on July 17, the fifth anniversary of Lewis’ death.
“What we want the nation to know is that his legacy lives on, that the good trouble that he got into and that he fought for is not over,” said Barbara Arnwine, co-leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition. “We are absolutely focused on making sure that our voices throughout the country are raised.”
Protesters are expected to turn out for a variety of reasons, including their opposition to the recently passed budget bill, attacks on womens rights and diversity, and immigration enforcement, such as President Donald Trump’s decision to call out the California National Guard to quell pro-immigrant protests in Los Angeles.
If you want to go: ‘Good Trouble’ protest locations: See where demonstrations are planned
“We have a president that is deploying (the) National Guard to actually stop peaceful protests, and it’s making things more dangerous for people, and making things harder for people who just want to stand up, protect their neighbors and speak out, which is something that we’re allowed to do,” said Allison Pulliam, co-director of Declaration for American Democracy Coalition.
A White House spokesperson said this week that President Donald Trump is doing what he promised to do on the campaign trail.
“Nearly 80 million Americans gave President Trump a historic mandate to Make America Great Again and he is delivering on that promise in record time,” said White House spokesperson Liz Huston.
When do they start?
Because they take place on a Thursday, many of the protests are scheduled to occur after the workday ends. Many of the morning events are organized as honk-and-wave protests at overpasses during rush hour.
Organizers said they aren’t worried the weekday timing will affect the number of protesters.
Over 231,000 people were registered to attend by the afternoon of July 15. For previous demonstrations, signups have totaled only a fraction of those who actually turned up to protest.
The Good Trouble protests follow the No Kings protests on June 14, which drew millions of Americans at more than 2,000 locations across the country.
Why now?
Leslie Proll, senior director, of the Voting Rights Program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, pointed out that the protests are happening just weeks before the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s signing the Voting Rights Act, on Aug. 6, 1965.
“In this moment, more than ever, we need to lift up our affirmative vision for a multiracial democracy in which everyone can participate,” she said.
More: Why ‘Good Trouble’ protesters chose Thursday, July 17 to rally against Trump
April Albright, legal director and chief of staff of Black Voters Matter, said Americans need to come out to defend one another once again.
“We need to march, yes. We should protest, yes. We should do our local elections, because power is birthed from the ground up,” she said. “But we need every single facet of our communities actively engaging.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happens when ‘Good Trouble’ meets Trump’s policies?
