Protesters against Trump administration policies lined a stretch of Route 58 in Riverhead Thursday evening on the “Good Trouble Lives On” national day of action marking the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights icon John Lewis.
The Riverhead protest was one of 1,600 rallies planned across the nation “to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration,” according to organizers. “Good Trouble”
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America,” Congressman John Lewis famously said, urging people to take action to fight injustice and inequality.
As a young activist in 1965, Lewis led a march of 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. The marchers attempted to cross the bridge on their way to Montgomery, the state capital to advocate for voting rights and were brutally attacked by state troopers, an event that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The march and the attack moved the nation, including President Lyndon Johnson, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Decade days later, Lewis coined the term “good trouble” to urge people to peacefully protest against injustice;
The “Good Trouble” national day of action was organized to honor Lewis’ legacy by reminding people in power “that in America, the power lies with the people.”
Protesters carried signs with messages to make that point, as well as messages blasting President Trump’s immigration policies and executive actions they characterized as attacks on American democracy.
Riverhead has been a site in other nationwide protests this year so far, including one dubbed “Hands Off!,” objecting to federal government layoffs and office closings undertaken by “DOGE,” the Elon Musk-led “Department of Government Efficiency” and one called “No Kings,” protesting Trump’s executive actions said to move the presidency toward authoritarian rule.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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