Mainers joined in “Good Trouble Lives On” rallies across the state Thursday honoring the late congressman and Civil rights leader John Lewis.
Among larger events across the state honoring Congressman John Lewis on the 5th anniversary of his passing, activists in Portland held a quiet vigil for justice.
Roseanne Graef, organizer of the event, has come to Lincoln Park in downtown Portland every Thursday afternoon for the last two months. Graef said she is not a big fan of crowds.
“So my friend and I came up with this idea of just having a small, very focused, positive type of protest. And so we decided to call it a vigil. And we also decided that the biggest issue of all the issues we had was the constitutional issues that are facing us,” Graef said.
In Portland, Steven Simpson said the vigil honors John Lewis’s belief in peaceful, non-violent action.
“We’re not marching we’re just standing here expressing ourselves, non-verbally. Sometimes we get yelled at, but that’s okay,” Simpson said.
Simpson said he has come to the weekly vigil four or five times and thinks it’s important to be seen and be in community.
Graef said the event is more about consciousness raising and being together than anything else. She plans to continue her weekly vigils for as long as she can.
