Anti-Trump Protesters Rally In Bloomfield At 'Good Trouble' Demonstration (PHOTOS)

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — It was a day for “good trouble” in Bloomfield, activists say.

Another wave of national protests against President Donald Trump took place Thursday, including in Bloomfield, which has seen several such rallies over the past months.

According to the Good Trouble Lives On website, the latest national day of action was held to “respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration.” Activists are citing “attacks on voting rights,” the “gutting of essential services,” “disappearances of our neighbors” and an “assault on free speech and our right to protest.”

Thursday’s rallies took place on the fifth anniversary of the death of former U.S. congressman John Lewis. 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 Trump during his first administration.

The July 17 rallies were organized separately by local advocacy groups, and supported by dozens of national groups. See a list of national partners here.

In Bloomfield, a rally kicked off at 5 p.m. at 1 Municipal Plaza, the site of other recent protests.

Demonstrators carried signs that read “Good Trouble Lives On – Thank You, John Lewis,” and “They Blame Immigrants So You Won’t Blame Billionaires” (see photo gallery above, courtesy of Steve Moctezuma).

The rallies that took place this week are a continuation of the “No Kings Day” and “Hands Off” protests that have drawn millions of demonstrators.

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The region has also seen demonstrations in support of Trump, including a rally in Essex County organized by local GOP voters prior to the president’s Election Day victory.

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Anti-Trump protests in Essex County have also seen criticism from supporters of the president.

“These people are nuts,” a reader recently told Patch. “The protestors have way too much time on their hands.”

“We the people elected a strong America First leader and that's exactly what we got,” an Essex County resident said after the recent No Kings protests.

“President Trump is doing exactly what he promised during his campaign,” he added. “We all know that President Trump's second term will come to an end in 2028, so why the 'King' label?”

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