MONROE, MI — About 75 people turned out Thursday night, July 17, to remember the work of Rep. John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his death. The Good Trouble Lives On vigil also was a protest against President Donald Trump’s administration and local politics. It was held on the grounds of the Monroe County Courthouse and Monroe City Hall in downtown Monroe.
Other Good Trouble protests also were held July 17 across the country.
Lewis, a U.S. congressman representing Georgia for 33 years, died in 2020. He advocated “good trouble,” or peaceful efforts to bring about change.
Monroe’s Katybeth Davis started Good Trouble Monroe around 2019. Good Trouble Monroe and Monroe’s Stronger Together Huddle organized Thursday night’s event.
“John Lewis lived with fierce devotion to justice, non-violence and human dignity,” said Sharon McNeil from the Stronger Together Huddle told the audience. “We remember that Sunday in Selma, 1965, when a young John Lewis, just 25-years-old, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Like others, John Lewis was beaten and injured. That walk changed the course of history. It led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He stood for the poor, the voiceless, the forgotten. John Lewis taught us to get into ‘good trouble,’ necessary trouble, for the sake of the beloved community.”
“We will not go down without a fight. We need to make good trouble in the spirt of John Lewis. We have to show up at these (government) meetings. We encourage public comment, petitions and running for office,” Davis said, before opening the microphone to attendees.
“Sing, say something, scream; you have that opportunity to use your voice,” Davis said.
For about an hour, audience members spoke on topics like Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Gaza; Trump; and local politics. A few read poems. McNeil sang “My Country Tis of Thee.”
Shawna Farley spoke about the danger of unchecked power in the federal government and in Monroe County.
“Unchecked power means entitlement. Mark Brant, who in the world would do that?,” she said.
On Tuesday, July 15, former commissioner Brant, who was deemed ineligible to serve by the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, showed up at the monthly meeting and refused to leave the dais.
Steven Meyer also spoke on the need to follow and investigate local politics, particularly the Brant situation.
Jenna Bazzell, English teacher at Monroe County Community College and co-leader of the school’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance, read Danez Smith’s poem “My Presidents.”
“Today, I elect Jonathan, 11, and already making roads out of water, young genius, blog writer, lil’ community activist, curls tight as pinky swears, Black as my nation. I trust the world in his tender blooming hands. I trust him to tell us which rivers are safe to drink and which hold fish like a promise. The trans girl making songs in her closet, spinning the dark into a booming dress? She, too, is my president,” Bazzell read from the poem.
Sarah Nash, an immigration attorney for Adrian Dominican Sisters, read the poem “Home” by Warsan Shire. It begins, “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well.”
Monroe’s Cole Beehn encouraged action.
“What will it take to take action? What is the breaking point?” Beehn said, mentioning current events, like the Epstein list and ICE.
“Is it when your grandchildren have to hide in the basement? I use they/them pronouns. I have an X on my license for gender. The (authorities) could show up at my door tomorrow. We have to make good trouble, small acts of good trouble,” Beehn said.
Davis began Good Trouble Monroe during Trump’s first term in office. Back then, the group had 10 members. Today, Davis estimates it has 200-300 members. They go to public meetings, like city council and school boards.
McNeil started the Stronger Together Huddle in January, 2017, after Trump was elected to his first term.
“It was to told Trump accountable for the first 100 days. We’re still holding him accountable,” McNeil said.
Also attending the Good Trouble gathering were volunteers with Rank MI Vote, who asked attendees to sign a petition. The organization wants an issue on the November, 2026 ballot to allow voters to rank candidates.
“We as voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference. First, second, third and so on,” according to Rank MI Vote’s website. “If no candidate gets more than 50% support from first choices, the candidate with the lowest support is eliminated and those votes automatically count for their next choice. The process repeats until a candidate wins with more than 50% of the vote.”
Thursday’s Good Trouble event was similar to other rallies held this year, including the local and national Hands Off and No Kings rallies and Monroe’s Marching for Our Lives.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe turns out for Good Trouble protest
Reporting by Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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