"Good Trouble" protest held in Chicago in Daley Plaza
On July 17, the five-year anniversary of Rep. John Lewis' death, a Make Good Trouble Rally was held in downtown Chicago to protest President Trump and his policies.
The protest was organized by a group called Good Trouble Lives On.
"We are facing the most brazen rollback of civil rights in generations," they write on their website. "Whether you're outraged by attacks on voting rights, the gutting of essential services, disappearances of our neighbors, or the assault on free speech and our right to protest—this movement is for you. Trump is trying to divide us, but we know the power of coming together."
Protests and rallies were held across the country, but organizers said Chicago is one of their flagship cities.
Organizers said their Thursday event was based on Lewis' philosophy of "peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change."
Tens of thousands of people have flocked to downtown Chicago for other major protests this year, first on April 5 for the "Hands Off" protest and again on June 15 for the "No Kings" rally.
When and where was the Chicago Good Trouble rally
The protest began in Daley Plaza starting at 5:30 p.m.
By 6 p.m., a crowd had assembled to the accompaniment of an assortment of pop music staples, with many holding signs. The Palestinian and Ukrainian flags were spotted, as was the flag of Greenland.
Speakers began taking the podium shortly after 6:15 p.m. There was also a livestream event across the country that incorporated speakers from rallies nationwide.
The rally was still in progress at 8:23 p.m. Organizers said there was no planned march for after the rally.
What does "good trouble" mean?
"Good trouble" is a turn of phrase often used by Rep. John Lewis during his long career as an activist, civil rights leader and politician. The most oft-quoted example is from a speech he gave at the 55th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama.
On March 7, 1965, Lewis – who was a 25-year-old civil rights activist at the time – led more than 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama during a rally advocating for voting rights. They were met by state troopers who used billy clubs, physical violence and tear gas on the demonstrators. The footage, aired on television later that night, shocked the American public, sparked nationwide outrage and galvanized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act later that year.
The event retroactively became known as "Bloody Sunday," named after the 1972 protest in Derry, Northern Ireland, in which British soldiers fatally shot 13 unarmed civilians during a protest.
Fifty-five years later, on March 7, 2020, just a few months before he died, Lewis spoke in Selma on that anniversary and told his audience, "Speak up. Speak out. Get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America."
"Congressman John Lewis — a man who fought for the cause and put his body on the line for justice," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the rally Thursday evening. "Congressman Lewis taught us that there are times when we must defy the status quo and push back against unjust laws — and let me tell you, that time is now."
