CLERMONT — A “day of local action,” calling out policies of the Trump administration, is planned this month in Lake and Sumter counties on July 17 and July 19.
The nonpartisan Indivisibles Project chapter in South Lake will gather community members in Clermont in tandem with hundreds of events nationwide to honor the legacy of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia. The event is planned to “fight back against the growing attacks on our civil and human rights.”
One of America’s original Freedom Riders, Lewis (Feb. 21, 1940-July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 to 2020.
One of the most memorable quotes from Lewis, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble,” inspired the name of the event.
In 1965, Lewis led a group of 600 protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday”. During the attack by state troopers, Lewis suffered a skull fracture, but the brutality of the event, captured by the media, helped pass into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The recent demonstrations in Lake and Sumter have been mostly peaceful and uneventful.
Over the past six months, since Trump’s inauguration, the bipartisan Villagers 4 Democracy has hosted sign-waving events in concert with the rest of the nation, such as the “No Kings” events, but the organizers said they were on vacation this month and will not be hosting an event at their usual location by Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages.
The Villages Democratic Club, instead, will be hosting its “Good Trouble” sign wave from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on July 17 at Morse Boulevard between the Lake Sumter Landing roundabouts. Participants are encouraged to travel by golf cart and to bring their own chairs, if they are unable to stand the whole time. Car parking will be limited to public parking lots within Lake Sumter Landing. Do not park in the new Aldi lot.
The local action in Clermont is part of “Good Trouble Lives On,” which has been described as “a nationwide day of peaceful, nonviolent action rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and inspired by Lewis’ call to make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’ “
According to Lake County Indivisibles, those who disagree with the current executive branch’s policies will gather “to demand an end to the authoritarian attacks on our freedom to vote, protest, and organize — and to stand united against efforts to criminalize our communities, roll back our rights and slash vital public programs.”
Those interested can bring their signs to Center Lake Park, between West Ave & Eighth Street on State Road 50, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The sign-waving will be followed by the Good Trouble Rally & March on July 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Clermont City Hall, 685 W. Montrose St.
To learn more about the national campaign, visit goodtroubleliveson.org.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: ‘Good Trouble’ protests planned in honor of U.S. Rep. John Lewis
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
