‘Good Trouble’ In Newark: Rally Protests Donald Trump, Uplifts John Lewis (PHOTOS)

NEWARK, NJ — Some “good trouble” took place in Newark last week, activists say.

Another wave of national protests against President Donald Trump took place on July 17, including in Newark, which has seen several such rallies over the past months.

Last week’s rallies were organized separately by local advocacy groups, and supported by dozens of national groups. They took place on the fifth anniversary of the death of former U.S. congressman John Lewis. The civil rights titan coined the phrase “good trouble” to describe the peaceful, non-violent demonstrations that upended discriminatory Jim Crow policies of America’s Deep South and led to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In Newark, a rally kicked off at the Rodino Federal Building at 970 Broad Street. A march followed to the Martin Luther King Statue at 495 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Protesters hefted signs that read “John Lewis Good Trouble For Justice” and “Impeach Trump.” At about 5:15 p.m., the crowd moved off of the sidewalk and held a “sit-in” in the northbound lanes of Broad Street, while Robyn Spencer – a school teacher and New Jersey resident – read the speech that Lewis gave at the 1963 March On Washington.

When demonstrators arrived at the statue, they concluded the rally by singing the old civil rights song: “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around.”

The local demonstration was sponsored by the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) and the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance.

POP chair Lawrence Hamm said the protestors hit the streets to make “good trouble” in the spirit of the late civil rights icon.

Hamm said Lewis spent many years fighting for racial justice during the Black Freedom Struggle, alleging that Trump is trying to reverse what Lewis and the civil rights movement have achieved.

Hamm also decried the Trump administration's “racist and fascist attacks on Black and Brown people, working and poor people, people’s rights, social programs, civil liberties and democracy itself.”

Other support at the rally came from:

• Charles Hall, President, Local 108 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union UFCW
• Jennifer S. Higgins, President, American Federation of Teachers-New Jersey
• Assatta Mann and Nuzhat Chowdhury (on behalf of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice)
• Garden State Equality
• Local activists/residents Och Robinson and Hanif Denny
• Daniel Karny, a school teacher and Newark resident
• Banita Herndon, president of HPAE Local 5089, representing nurses, and Ryan Novosielski, president of Local 5094, representing professionals
• James Young, a representative of the South Ward Environmental Alliance
• Zayid Muhammad, a leader with New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing

Anti-Trump protests in Essex County have also seen criticism from supporters of the president.

“We the people elected a strong America First leader and that's exactly what we got,” an Essex County resident said after the recent No Kings protests.

“President Trump is doing exactly what he promised during his campaign,” he added. “We all know that President Trump's second term will come to an end in 2028, so why the 'King' label?”

Catch on other recent protest coverage in Newark at the following links:

• Protest Against Trump In Newark: ‘No School Cuts,’ Educators Demand
• Newark Residents Rally At 'No Kings' Protest, Blast Trump's 'Fascist Policies'
• Protests Against Trump, DOGE Education Cuts Continue In Newark
• Newark Activists Speak Out Against ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ At Rally Outside Federal Building

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