The 13-year-old child arrested at an abortion-rights protest in Lakeland, Florida, on July 4 was released with a summons to appear in court, their mother said.
Lillie Johnson, who uses she/they pronouns, was arrested for allegedly violating a noise ordinance by using a bullhorn at a protest against the Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which protected abortion rights at the federal level.
A video of the arrest shared on TikTok by their mother, Lauren Johnson, shows two Lakeland Police officers pulling Lillie away to a police car. As she follows them, Johnson can be heard shouting, Lillie, don’t resist honey, it’s OK.
A video shared by Amanda Mann shows Johnson picking Lillie up from police custody. A voice can be heard saying, These men had no right to put their hands on you. Another says, they should not have touched you.
In a follow-up TikTok video, Johnson said the protest had been peaceful and that demonstrators had been using microphones to share their stories before police decided the microphones were problematic. Johnson said Lillie was at the front, and officers decided to make her their target.
I’m freed, Lillie said.
We will be at the protest Thursday, Johnson said. With a new bullhorn.
