The “Good Trouble Lives On” protest drew dozens of people to the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway on Thursday night before protesters marched to the Valencia United Methodist Church for a prayer vigil to honor the memory of John Lewis, a civil rights activist and Georgia congressman who died in 2020.
The protest was part of a national slate of such events organized by progressive organizations. Protesters brought signs opposing the Trump administration and the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and some passing cars honked as people walked to the church.
Ingrid B., one of the organizers of the local march and one of the founders of Indivisible California 27, felt that doing protests like this is a way to push back.
“We need to push back … if you do not agree with what the administration is doing and how it’s all being handled, then you really need to push back,” said Ingrid, who declined to provide her last name. “No, it’s not a matter of simple things or politics. It’s a matter of due process, human rights. It’s much deeper. So, it’s time to get out and do what we have to do.”
She added that she is an immigrant from Venezuela and has been living here for 26 years. Asked if she was paid to be at the protest, Ingrid laughed, and she said she wished she was.
“No, we’re putting our own money to do all this. We’re spending our own money, we have to organize and everything, and sometimes we all just raise funds within our group. Yes. Some people help out and bring water and bring snacks or this sign,” Ingrid said.
Adam Swart, CEO of Beverly Hills-based publicity firm Crowds on Demand, declined a $20 million national contract to provide protesters for Thursday’s protests – saying it would “be ineffective” and “make everyone look bad,” he said in an interview with NewsNation, as reported on Yahoo News and other national media outlets.
Swart, whose company compensates individuals to participate in protests nationwide, declined to say what entity had offered the deal.
“Crowds on Demand is your home for impactful advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, PR stunts, crowds for hire and corporate events,” says the company’s website. “Services available nationwide.”
Good Trouble Lives On is a national protest organization that lists more than 150 partners on its website, goodtroubleliveson.org. “Coined by civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, ‘Good Trouble’ is the action of coming together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change,” says the “about” page of the site.
At the SCV version of the protest, one couple, Jeff Chaffin and Chris Davis-Chaffin, came out with their signs and said they felt like it was time to speak out.
“We’ve been sitting at home for several months, and we’ve been watching how things are starting to deteriorate and one of our rights as citizens is to protest, and we want to express that. We want to use that before the possibility is not there,” Davis-Chaffin said. “And there’s only so many times you can stand there screaming at the TV going, ‘That’s wrong.’”
