‘Good Trouble’ Rallies In FL Protest Trump’s Record On Civil Rights

On the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis Thursday, tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration in “Good Trouble Lives On” rallies across the country, including in Florida.

The civil rights titan coined the phrase “good trouble” to describe the peaceful, non-violent demonstrations that upended discriminatory Jim Crow policies of America’s Deep South and led to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lewis, who died in 2020, was one of the most vocal critics of President Donald Trump during his first administration.

Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration, according to organizers.

• Related: Civil Rights Titan John Lewis, 80, Leaves Legacy Of ‘Good Trouble’

Among the more than 50 rallies in Florida on Thursday are:

• 8 to 10 a.m. along the Sarasota Bayfront
• 4 to 6 p.m. at East Bay Drive and Seminole Boulevard near Largo Central Park in Largo
• 4 to 6 p.m. at Duke Energy Trailhead Parking in Clearwater
• 4 to 6 p.m. at Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Park Place Boulevard in the Clearwater Mall area in Clearwater
• 4:30 to 6 p.m. around the perimeter of Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg
• 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the southeast corner of Providence Road and Bloomingdale Avenue in Riverview
• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Manatee County Historic Courthouse in Bradenton
• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Plant City, City Hall
• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa

In a matter of months, the Trump administration has taken broad action through executive action and Department of Government Efficiency cuts to upend civil rights polices Lewis and other civil rights leaders fought for decades ago, The Washington Post, New York Times and others have reported.

As with the No Kings protests earlier this year, a core principle of the Good Trouble Lives On rallies is a commitment to nonviolent action.

“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,” organizers said. “Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”

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