Text and Photos submitted to The News
CASSOPOLIS, MI—–Friday evening, July 17, in Cassopolis, about 100 people gathered with protest signs, American flags, and song in front of the Cass County Courthouse to join in a National Day of Action organized by the group “Good Trouble Lives On.” Across the country people rallied to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the death of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis as a way “to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration. Together, we’ll remind them that in America, the power lies with the people.”
Cassopolis resident Carolyn Kelly says she helped to organize the rally because she objects to living in a dictatorship. She stated, “I find that no matter how bad things look, inactivity never helps the situation. When I think about all the things my parents and grandparents had to endure and watching it all just fall apart in just a few short months, I felt it was time for a little Good Trouble.”
The Cassopolis rally also featured reflections on John Lewis from Gerry Bundle, a resident of Jefferson Township. Bundle recalled the time he unexpectedly shared a seat with Lewis on a flight out of Atlanta. Bundle emphasized three things that stood out to him from his conversation with Lewis: his humility, his commitment to non-violence, and the encouragement Lewis gave him to act, best captured by Lewis’s words, “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.”
Bundle stated, “I am standing here today to fulfill that obligation by sharing a few things that are not right: Taking away $80 million in refunds owed to current and former members of our military and their families for illegal ‘surprise fees’ charged by their financial institution is not right! Taxing wealth less than we tax work is not right. Judging someone by the color of their skin, rather than the content of their character, is not right. Bundle challenged the group to answer Lewis’s call to “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”
Organizers of the rally are planning additional events throughout the summer.
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