Rally in La Jolla honors late Rep. John Lewis with protest of Trump administration
People gathered in La Jolla Thursday evening to honor late U S Rep John Lewis and to take on the Trump administration Photo by Gabrielle Wallace Times of San Diego People across the country took to the streets Thursday to commemorate the late United States representative and civil rights leader John Lewis while raising a little good trouble along the way It was the five-year anniversary of Lewis passing and the ralliers weren t just there to celebrate him but to protest the Trump administration too La Jolla was no exception The La Jolla rally began at p m and ran more than minutes I can t speak for everybody here but those of us who are lucky enough to live in La Jolla are fortunate We have to stand here not for Democrats or Republicans red or blue but for every person who s being hurt mentioned Susan Liberman an organizer of the event While the event was organized in honor of Lewis a large number of in attendance were there solely to speak out against the current administration I m accumulating rallies It has nothing to do with John Lewis commented Z Kripke an -year-old living in La Jolla Kripke a former pediatrician reported she is a longtime activist Thursday s rally wasn t her first and wouldn t be her last she noted She thought the La Jolla event was especially fundamental because it s a public with differing opinions While La Jolla locals led the charge at the rally they were joined by people from out of state as well Brent Ferguson is from the East Coast but was in town visiting family He joined in waving his copy of On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder This is celebrating the life and the legacy of John Lewis on the anniversary of his death five years ago and I think each month there are protests organized to stand up for critical moments Ferguson reported Lewis served in the House of Representatives for years from until his death at in Before that he was the chairman of the Apprentice Nonviolent Coordinating Committee which helped orchestrate nonviolent protests such as sit-ins during the civil rights movement Lewis was known as one of the Big Six referring to key activists and leaders including the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr in the civil rights movement Lewis was known for the phrase good trouble explaining how peaceful protesting was a positive way to bring attention to issues causing particular trouble without getting violent Nancy Vincent and Cary Shillington explained they were there to cause a little bit of good trouble themselves They carried a sign with Lewis s words If not us then who If not now then when Signs at the La Jolla rally on the -year anniversary of John Lewis s passing carry Lewis s words and face Photo by Gabrielle Wallace Times of San Diego They were not the only signs bearing Lewis s sentiments at the rally Several carried Lewis words or his portrait While certain people were there to honor Lewis or at least emulate what he stood for majority rallied to speak their minds and show their disapproval of the leadership Supportive honks were shared by cars passing by and chants broke out sporadically throughout the rally Show me what democracy looks like someone called out Attendees chanted back This is what democracy looks like The La Jolla rally was one of several in San Diego Thursday Similar rallies ran all day starting at a m Events honoring Lewis also took place across the country
