PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Community members made "good trouble" at Park Square on Thursday in honor of late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. 

 

"Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of non-violent action to respond to attacks that are being posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration, and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people," emcee Sonya Bykofsky said. 

 

"… John Lewis coined the phrase 'good trouble,' and he used that to describe the necessary disruptions that lead to positive change. That's why we're here. That is our goal. This is the anniversary of his passing so we are here, again, to defend our democracy, to carry on his legacy, from voter suppression bills like the SAVE Act to the criminalization of protest, the Trump administration has launched a full-scale attack on our civil and human rights, but we know again that we will win if we stand together." 

 

The Georgian congressman passed at the age of 80 in 2020. Shirley Edgerton of the Berkshire NAACP relayed Lewis' experience of constant fear as a child because of signs that said, "No colored boys," and "No colored girls." 

 

"His parents and grandparents used to tell him, 'Don't get in trouble.' Nevertheless, as a young man, he was inspired to activism by the Montgomery Bus Boycott that started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat," she said.

 

"He said she inspired us to find a way to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble." 

 

She explained that Lewis risked his life countless times by organizing voter registration drives, sit-ins at lunch counters, and was beaten and arrested while challenging Jim Crow segregation in the South. 

 

"While still a young man, John Lewis was already in a nationally recognized leadership position," Edgerton said. "He was named one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement." 

 

The rally was hosted by Stand Up Berkshires, the local NAACP chapter, Indivisible Berkshires, and Berkshire Democratic Brigades at Park Square. Great Barrington, West Stockbridge, and Williamstown had similar events. 

 

It featured several musical performances, including one by the Pittsfield Community Gospel Choir, and a (flameless) candlelit vigil around the park. 

 

More than 1,500 "Good Trouble" events were reportedly planned across the country, some later this weekend. They are the latest protests against the administration's actions since Jan. 20, with the "No Kings" rallies on June 14 drawing millions. 

 

"Here we are in 2025 under the leadership of you-know-who, facing the reversal of civil and human rights gains. There has been a crackdown on freedom of speech by targeting student protests, lawyers, and the press, a blatant attack on DEI that sought to expand opportunities and access for Black Americans, [LGBTQ+] communities, immigrants, and other oppressed groups, and even dismantling the Department of Education," Edgerton said followed by "boos" from the crowd. 

 

She said the president is aggressively attempting to destroy the lifetime work of Lewis and Parks and others such as Ella Baker and Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

 

To combat this, Edgerton said the youth and younger generations need to be educated on America's history of social, economic, and political disparity, "and the truth of our not-so-smooth history of making progress towards equality for all."  

 

This, she said, includes standing with the immigrant community, staying engaged, and encouraging younger generations to register to vote, and to vote "Republican enablers" out of office. 

 

"Trump is using the federal government as his personal weapon to fire public servants and those he despises that are in his way of his destruction of democracy. He has taken taxpayer money from our communities and is destroying our public school systems. These are lawless and reckless actions," she said. 

 

"What can we do? We can follow the advice of John Lewis. He said, 'If people see something that is not right, not fair, not just, do something.' We cannot afford to be quiet." 

 

More than 100 people turned out for the evening event, holding homemade signs and flags. 

 

Bykofsky noted that could could have been anywhere else but chose to participate and protect democracy. 

 

"I appreciate the fact that you all understand democracy is not a spectator sport, and that you understand we are in a constitutional crisis right now, and you understand the severity of this," she said.  

 

"So, thank you for being here. Thank you for continuing to come out, because you need to keep showing up. The powers that be that want to keep us down, count on the fact that we will get tired and we will go away."