More than 1,600 protests and events are scheduled across the United States on Thursday in opposition to President Donald Trump’s controversial policies, including mass deportations and proposed cuts to Medicaid and other support programs for low-income Americans.The events are part of a national day of action titled “Good Trouble Lives On,” held in honour of late Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. Demonstrations are expected in streets, courthouses and other public areas. Organisers have urged all participants to remain peaceful, as reported by the Associated Press. “We are navigating one of the most terrifying moments in our nation’s history,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.“We are all grappling with a rise of authoritarianism and lawlessness within our administration … as the rights, freedoms and expectations of our very democracy are being challenged.”Public Citizen is a nonprofit organization that focuses on challenging corporate power. It is one of the many groups organizing Thursday’s protests.Major demonstrations are planned in Atlanta, St. Louis, Oakland and Annapolis. The rally will be held in Chicago, where participants will gather downtown in the afternoon. The event will include a candlelight vigil honouring John Lewis, along with music and speeches.
Remembering John Lewis:
John Lewis was a longtime US Congressman and a central figure in the civil rights movement. For the first time, he was elected to Congress in 1986. He died in 2020 at the age of 80 following an advanced pancreatic cancer diagnosis.He was the youngest and last surviving member of the Big Six, a group of civil rights leaders led by Martin Luther King Jr. In 1965, at the age of 25, John Lewis led around 600 protesters in the “Bloody Sunday” march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. During the march, he was violently attacked by police and suffered a fractured skull.His actions played a key role in inspiring the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 2020, while commemorating the anniversary of the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Lewis said, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America.”
Opposition to Trump’s policies:
Recent anger against President Trump’s administration has focused on aggressive immigration enforcement. Earlier this month, mass arrests were carried out at two marijuana farms in Southern California. One farmworker died after falling during the operation.The raids came after Trump deployed the National Guard to support federal agents and secure government buildings during enforcement actions in Los Angeles, sparking protests.On June 14, demonstrations known as the “No Kings” protests took place in cities nationwide, from New York to San Francisco. Protesters criticized Trump’s leadership and condemned his decision to celebrate his birthday with a military parade, calling it undemocratic.
