At least seven events are planned for Thursday, July 17, throughout the Lower Hudson Valley as part of scores of national protests dubbed “Good Trouble Lives On.”
The demonstrations are part of a “national day of action” to protest Trump administration policies that target civil rights and human rights, according to Goodtroubleliveson.org. They are being held on the fifth anniversary of the death of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights leader who was often called the “moral compass’’ of the House. Protest events are scheduled in 1,600 cities and town across the nation.
The concept of “good trouble” embodied by Lewis to describe peaceful protest. Lewis’ mantra: “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”
The national protests come a little over a month after “No Kings” protests on June 14. A slew of protests across the Hudson Valley drew thousands. Those protests coincided with President Trump’s 79th birthday and his unusual military parade in D.C. on the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.
Here are the sights and sounds of the Good Trouble Lives On protests and events in the Lower Hudson Valley.
Rockland protester feels ‘deep, ominous oppression’
“Stand Strong, No Fascism Here,” read Wally Glickman’s sign at the Palisades rally, which was a smaller event attended by several dozen people. Asked what he was most upset about, the 86-year-old retired physics teacher from Pomona advised viewing the first six months of Trump administration in its totality, rather than focusing one objectionable action or another.
“It feels to me here like we’re putting blankets on a really sick patient and hoping the fever will break,” Glickman said. Reaching for another metaphor, he described his sense of “deep, ominous oppression” under the Trump administration as a “giant boot coming down.”
-Chris McKenna
‘Pro-American, Anti-Trump’ at Rockland rally
Joan Russo was trying to put a positive spin on things at the Palisades rally. “Love One Another” was the simple message on her sign, citing a line from the Book of John. Her friend Irit Bloomgarden was holding a blue banner against the railing that read: “Pro-America, Anti-Trump.”
Both were appalled by what they said was the Trump administration’s callous treatment of the most vulnerable, whether it be immigrants or poor people whose safety-net programs are being cut. “I think promoting hatred is horrible, because hatred begets hatred,” said Bloomgarden, 81, of Suffern. “A leader should not do this.”
Russo shared the response she has given to those who have asked her the point of protesting: “You have to speak up so it makes other people feel like they’re not alone.”
-Chris McKenna
Veteran: Trump’s presidency has hurt U.S.-world relations
Robert Guttman, a 72-year-old retiree who served 30 years in the Merchant Marines, was holding a “No Kings No Dictators” sign over the overpass railing at the Palisades event.
He vented his disgust at the Trump administration’s cancellation of foreign aid, saying he had seen firsthand on multiple continents how desperately people needed the food shipments his ship brought from the U.S. “What kind of person takes the food out of starving people’s mouths?” he asked.
He rued the damage being done to U.S. relationships with other countries and the onset of what he saw as a Trump “dictatorship” — the very sort of regime his father fought in World War II. “My old man would turn over in his grave if he could see what’s going on,” Guttman said.
-Chris McKenna
‘Good Trouble Lives On’ banner over Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland
A few dozen people are standing on either side of an overpass in the hamlet of Palisades, holding handmade signs, banners and flags for drivers zooming below them on the Palisades Interstate Parkway.
“Good Trouble Lives On in Rockland County” reads the largest banner. Drivers on the parkway and on Route 340 where the are standing are honking in support. One woman just drove past in a convertible and pumped her fist in the air.
-Chris McKenna
NY-17 Democratic candidate Mike Sacks speaks at Mount Kisco protest
Mike Sacks, one of seven, so far, announced Democratic challengers of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, addressed the crowd. “We have to have a House that works for everybody,” the 42-year-old Croton resident said.By 6:25, the crowd began to disperse as someone played Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up.” By 6:30, about 70 remained and cars kept honking as they passed.
-Nancy Cutler
Eric Garner’s mother speaks at immigration event before NYC Good Trouble protest kicked off
Just before the Good Trouble Lives On protest started in New York City’s Foley Square, Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, joined mothers whose children have been detained in immigration crackdowns.
On July 17, 2014, a New York City police officer fatally put Garner in a stranglehold for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Eleven years later, Carr, who has advocated for police reform after her son’s death, stood outside the Manhattan federal building housing immigration court, where migrants have been detained attending hearings.
“It’s a sad thing to be separated from your family,” Carr said at a press conference. “Although I’m permanently separated from mine, they have a chance of finding their family.”
An estimated 1,000 people were marching through lower Manhattan with the Good Trouble protest at around 6:30 p.m.
-Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY
About 200 gathered at start of Mount Kisco Good Trouble protest
By 5:30 p.m., the official start of the rally, around 200 people and a few dogs lined Main Street, eliciting honks from passing vehicles and at least one driver calling out, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
The crowd had grown to 300 by around 5:45 p.m.
Speakers reflected on the legacy of John Lewis.
In the town just four miles off the Saw Mill Parkway from Chappaqua, one speaker employed the term “deplorables” that landed former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in hot water during the 2016 campaign.
-Nancy Cutler
Mount Kisco preps for protest event at Town Hall
By 5 p.m., a half hour before the demonstration’s start, more than dozen had ready gathered out front of Mount Kisco Town Hall along Main Street.
Johann Heffner of Ossining was here with a group from the Unitarian Universalist Church in Croton-on-Hudson. “The state of our democracy is in peril,” she said.
Bill Lorenzen of Montrose came to Mount Kisco with a hand-carved wood sign that said “Traitor” and an upside-down American flag. He said he was “shocked and embarrassed” that people would side with Trump.
-Nancy Cutler
Watch: What’s the meaning behind Good Trouble Lives On protests?
Politicians around the country evoked Lewis’ exhortation to engage in “good trouble” before Thursday’s Good Trouble Lives On protests. Watch more about the inspiration behind the rallies here.
See a map of Good Trouble Lives On protests in New York
Includes reporting from USA TODAY.
(This is a developing story and will update.)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: See the Good Trouble Lives On protests July 17 in Westchester, Rockland
Reporting by Chris McKenna, Nancy Cutler, John Meore and Seth Harrison, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
