LAKELAND, Fla. — A 13-year-old girl from Lakeland is facing charges over her use of a megaphone at an abortion rights rally.
Lillie (Raine) Johnson's arrest was captured on video by her mother and has now been viewed on TikTok nearly 10 million times. It shows two officers walking Lillie away from the rally and placing her in one of their cruisers, before taking her to the department.
Police are overheard in the video telling other protesters she was given warnings ahead of the arrest.
Her mother, Lauren Johnson, told 10 Tampa Bay she believes police were in the wrong.
“How things were handled versus how they could have been handled were very different,” Johnson said.
The lawyer representing the family, David Haas, said Lillie is charged with violating a noise ordinance, but it's still unclear whether it's a city or the new state ordinance.
The city of Lakeland has a noise ordinance, Section 70-47, which prohibits disturbances caused by "amplified human voice."
Regardless of which ordinance is violated, it's a second-degree misdemeanor. The lawyer representing the family says they will fight it.
"We think free speech protects exactly what she was doing," Haas said. "We're going to be examining the constitutionality of the noise ordinance. Pro-choice or pro-life, it doesn’t matter. Ultimately, freedom of speech is at the heart of this case."
Lakeland Police issued a statement after the arrest, which said:
"Since the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, we’ve had hundreds of people peacefully assemble across our City with few isolated incidents. 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."
The arrest has not slowed Lillie down, as she was out once again on Thursday, protesting for abortion rights in Lakeland.
“I know that what I’m doing is the right thing and I have the right to protest anything that I would like,” Lillie said.