Over 650 Attend 'Good Trouble' Rallies In Dublin, Livermore

DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, CA — At least 650 people gathered in Dublin and Livermore Thursday afternoon to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights leader who died in 2020. More than 1700 similar rallies were held across the country Thursday/

In Livermore, over 450 people gathered at Livermorium Plaza for a rally that included tables of local nonprofits and speeches by Livermore residents: radio personality, speaker and author Faith Alpher, nonprofit leader Michael Mosby, Workday executive and leadership coach Jacqueline Brown, and LVJUSD Board Trustee Christiaan Vandenheuvel.

All speakers urged rallygoers to speak up against injustice, and advocate for the less fortunate.

“Fly the flag for all – the feeble, the strong, the wrong, the aged, the afraid, and those looking for freedom. We fly the flag for you,” said Alpher.

“Let’s make some good, necessary trouble – not for ourselves but for our neighbors, for our community, and most importantly, for our children,” Brown said.

Vandenheuvel said that the arc of history does not bend toward justice on its own, so “We have to help bend it – with our voices, our actions, and our courage.”

“John Lewis urged us to get into good trouble, necessary good trouble, because when we get into good trouble, we are no longer bystanders, we are no longer spectators, we are standing ten toes down on the arc of justice. When we get into good trouble, we say no more,” said Mosby.

Community organizations at the Livermore rally included CityServe, Tri-Valley Haven, Umoja of Las Positas College, Tri-Valley for Black Lives, and Livermore Indivisible.

In Dublin, about 250 residents gathered to listen to speeches by Indivisible Tri-Valley co-founder Ward Knowsky, Global Prayer Network Founder and Pastor/Theologian and author Reverend Monica Cross, nonprofit professional Sheila Burks, and local nurse Jennifer Esteen.

“We showed up today because Congressman Lewis taught us that getting into ‘good trouble’ is how we change history,” Kanowsky said. “Our democracy is under attack — and we won’t be silent while extremist politicians try to roll back our rights and erase our voices.”

“Lives are on the line. We must stand up tall, stand up proud and say ‘No, not on our watch,’” said Cross.

The event also included signage and armband making tables, voter registration, and “Bake Good Trouble” fundraiser for Tri-Valley Haven Food Pantry.

On Saturday, Japanese-American and immigrant rights organizations are organizing the third official protest against rumors that ICE plans to turn the shuttered FCI Dublin facility into a detention center. The organizers are drawing direct parallels to World War II, when Japanese-Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and interred in camps under the guise of national security.

The rally will take place at Don Biddle Park on Saturday at 11 a.m.

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