FASCIST FLORIDA
A Lakeland 13-year-old used a bullhorn during a protest at Munn Park. She was arrested soon after

Gary White, The Ledger
Mon, February 20, 2023

Lakeland resident Lillie "Rain" Johnson, 13, protests shortly after their release from the Lakeland Police Department after being arrested Monday afternoon. Lillie led marchers at a rally for abortion rights in Munn Park in downtown Lakeland.

When Lillie Johnson ventured to Munn Park on Monday afternoon, the 13-year-old wanted to join others in protesting the recent Supreme Court decision nullifying Roe v. Wade.

Instead, the Lakeland teenager soon became a symbol for youthful resistance to the ruling that ended a constitutional right to an abortion.

As Lillie — who prefers the name “Rain” — led marchers in a chant of “My body, my choice,” two Lakeland police officers stepped forward and seized the teen by the arms, escorting them to a squad car. Lillie, who had been speaking through a bullhorn, was charged with violating a city ordinance that forbids using a device to amplify one’s voice.

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Lillie’s mother, Lauren Johnson, recorded part of the incident on her phone and later posted the video on social media. It drew the attention of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running for governor as a Democrat.

@laurenjohnson332 no music upload #lakeland #protest #13yo #arrested #bullhorn ♬ original sound - LaurenJohnson

Fried tweeted: “I'm posting this with her mother's permission because I need everyone to see what Ron DeSantis’ Florida really looks like. 13 year olds being arrested for protesting for their own freedom.”

The tweet had generated more than 9,000 comments and 31,000 retweets as of Tuesday afternoon. Fried followed up Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. by tweeting, “Florida doesn't have to be like this. This young woman is an inspiration. Let's give her a better, freer future.”

Fried is running against fellow Democrat Charlie Crist for the chance to challenge Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican. The DeSantis campaign did not respond immediately to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
'I was just glad that it was me'

Lillie, a ninth-grader, spent less than an hour at the police station before returning to Munn Park and rejoining about 200 people at the rally. Lillie, who identifies as nonbinary, said they were left bruised by the officers’ handling.

The teen joined their mother and two of their four siblings at the Munn Park event.

“My mom has talked to me about this, and I have talked to her about this and I knew that this was always one of the risks of protesting,” Lillie said Tuesday morning. “And I was a little bit scared, but mainly I was just glad that it was me, that not anyone else got in serious trouble for it because almost everyone there was over 18. In the moment, yes, it was kind of scary, but at the same time I was just kind of like — just acceptance of whatever happens, happens. I was fighting for what was right.”

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It was the second time in 11 days that a protest involving abortion had yielded an arrest for the use of a bullhorn. LPD officers arrested a Seffner man on June 24 at the Lakeland Women’s Health Center, the only clinic in Polk County that performs abortions. Quentin Eugene Deckard, an anti-abortion protester, was arrested on charges of breach of the peace and violating the city's noise ordinance, LPD reported.

Violation of the ordinance is a second-degree misdemeanor. City code lists the maximum penalty as 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

LPD spokesperson Robin Tillett said Tuesday that reports and affidavits involving juveniles are exempt from public-records laws.

“Since the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, we’ve had hundreds of people peacefully assemble across our City with few isolated incidents,” Tillett said by email. “Officers are in attendance to assure a safe and secure environment for those exercising their rights while doing so in accordance with Florida state statutes and city ordinances.”

Lillie "Rain" Johnson, 13, leads marchers during a rally for abortion rights Monday afternoon in Munn Park in downtown Lakeland. Lillie was arrested for using a bullhorn but returned and rejoined about 200 people at the demonstration.

Mercedes Werbinski of Lakeland said she organized Monday’s rally, which began at noon in Munn Park. Werbinski, 20, said that several people used bullhorns at times as they gathered in the park and later marched around its perimeter. Werbinksi said Lakeland police officers, who were watching from a corner of the park, at one point issued verbal warnings about the bullhorns.

“They did give us a warning,” Werbinski said. “But there was so many people using the megaphone (Monday) that it was kind of absurd that a 13-year-old got arrested for using one.”

The 51-second video begins after one of the officers has already gripped Lillie by the arm. Lauren Johnson shot the video while following Lillie as the two officers walked them down a sidewalk and toward a police car.

Lillie wore shorts and a crop top and a cape in pink, purple and blue, the colors of bisexuality. The teen carried an American flag and a rainbow flag for LGBTQ pride.

On the video, Johnson can be heard calling out, “Lillie, don’t resist, honey. It’s OK. I got you.”

Lillie said the officers didn’t use handcuffs until reaching the police station. Johnson said officers released Lillie with a notice to appear in court on Aug. 9, but as of Tuesday the court appearance had been canceled.

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Johnson said LPD told her the case had been referred to the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit. As of late Tuesday afternoon, the office had not offered any details about the case.

If the office does pursue a prosecution, Lillie is likely to have private representation. One of the comments on Fried’s tweets came from a lawyer, who offered to represent Lillie at no cost.

“I've got so many lawyers on my mom's comment sections saying that they will represent me pro bono,” Lillie said. “Like, some of the best lawyers have said that they will represent me.”

By Tuesday afternoon, the family had accepted an offer from Orlando lawyer David Haas (no relation to State Attorney Brian Haas of the 10th Judicial Circuit). Haas said he had not yet seen any court documents but said the case had First Amendment implications.

Lakeland City Clerk Kelly Koos said the ordinance was adopted in 1996 and amended in 2010. Tillett said she didn’t have statistics Tuesday afternoon for how many arrests have been made under the ordinance.

Monday’s gathering was at least the third rally for abortion rights in Lakeland since the Supreme Court issued its decision on June 24 overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to an abortion. While some states have “trigger laws” under which abortion is now banned, the procedure remains legal in Florida — though the state Legislature enacted a law in this year’s session blocking abortions after 15 weeks with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. And DeSantis has hinted that further restrictions could be coming after this fall’s elections.
Arrest came without warning, Lakeland teen and other demonstrators say

Werbinski and other local demonstrators accused LPD of selectively enforcing the bullhorn law against Lillie. Werbinski said she organized a Black Lives Matter rally in Munn Park two years ago, following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota. That demonstration drew hundreds of people, and Werbinski said some were using bullhorns but no one was arrested.

Lillie said that some participants in Thursday’s abortion-rights rally outside Southgate Shopping Center used megaphones, but police officers didn’t arrest or warn anyone.

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Werbinksi said an LPD officer told her that bullhorns can be used at permitted events. She said she did not seek a permit for Monday’s demonstration in Munn Park.

Bonnie Patterson-James said she and others at Monday’s event used bullhorns. She said police officers gave her and other adults verbal warnings but arrested Lillie without giving her a warning.

In the video shot by Johnson, some demonstrators can be seen and heard questioning the officers after following them to the police car.

“It turned into a bit of chaos, and the protesters started yelling at the officers,” Patterson-James said. “And I told them ‘This is not what we do. We are not helping her. Step away and march.’”

Patterson-James and others suspect that the arrest stemmed from complaints made by three anti-abortion counter-protestors at Munn Park.
'It's not just about abortion. It’s privacy rights, trans rights, gay rights'

While anti-abortion activists have been demonstrating for years at the Lakeland Women’s Health Center, the Supreme Court decision has spawned a round of large and public gatherings among those who favor abortion rights.

A first demonstration outside Southgate Shopping Center on June 24 drew several dozen people before a storm ended it prematurely.

A repeat demonstration at Southgate on Thursday drew an estimated 300 to 400 people — most of them women and girls — and lasted from 5 p.m. until after dark.

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“I feel like they're pissed off, and I feel like they have every right to be pissed off because this is our rights,” Werbinski said. “And even if some people don't agree with abortion, Roe v. Wade is a little bit more than that. It's not just about abortion. It’s privacy rights, trans rights, gay rights.”

Lillie said they worry not just about the loss of Americans’ rights to have a abortion but also about the potential loss of other rights.

“Roe v. Wade is an umbrella law,” Lillie said. “Roe v. Wade also protects gay marriage, interracial marriages, contraceptive, IVF (in-vitro fertilization), abortion, women's rights, privacy to their health care and, like, just a bunch of other laws.”

Lillie insisted that their mother has never forced them to join a protest. Despite the arrest, the teen intends to continue demonstrating.

“If there is protests all across America, which there are, if we're loud enough and they realize we're not stopping, we hope that they will realize they've just lit a fire they cannot put out and they have some fixing to do,” Lillie said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 13-year-old arrested at Lakeland abortion rights protest gains support