Protest banners greet drivers on morning commute

Westbound drivers on the Lloyd Expressway were greeted with an unusual sight on their Friday morning commute.

A banner, using the same logo as Evansville's "e is for everyone" campaign, was hung from the new pedestrian bridge just east of U.S. 41. The text of the banner said "e is for every charge dropped" and was tagged "#DefendJ20."

Another, on Evansville's West Side, read "E is for early signs of fascism, Resist gentrification. Defend #J20 protestors."

The hashtags appear to reference a political movement connected with what was called the "J20 Resistance." The name of the group references President Donald Trump's inauguration date. A number of protesters were caught up in mass arrests while protesting in Washington D.C.

A collection of resistance campaigns worldwide is joining together for what they're calling an "International Week of Solidarity" July 20-27. The campaign has organized banner drops, letter writing parties and more, though the Evansville banners are not listed on the website as activities affiliated with the group. Some cities will screen footage of the Jan. 20 protest and what police called a riot as part of the events.

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The week will culminate in protests at the D.C. courthouse, where a motion to dismiss the charges for the Jan. 20 protests will be heard.

The group claims that 200-plus defendants who were arrested during the inauguration face felony charges that could carry with them 75 years in prison. The group has been charged under the Federal Riot Statute. On its website, defendj20resistance.org, the group claims it is being unfairly targeted by the D.C. Attorney's Office, and that the office is trying to "set a repressive precedent for political expression under the administration of Donald Trump with Attorney General Jeff Sessions."

The group claims the government is using a long-standing policy of arrests to stifle dissent and cites as evidence arrests at World Trade Organization summit protests in 1999, IMF/World Bank protests in 2000 and more.

An email sent to the organization seeking comment was not returned as of Friday morning.

Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union has also filed a lawsuit against Washington D.C. and others claiming protesters' rights to free speech were violated along with other claims.

While who was responsible for the Evansville banners was not immediately clear, some members of the resistance did speak to media outlet Al Jazeera for a story previewing the week.

"The fact that a lot of people are stepping up in the face of repression is a reflection of how bogus the charges are and the broad recognition of the criminalization of dissent," Sam Menefee-Libey, who is a member of the DC Legal Posse activist group, told Al Jazeera.

"Defendants and supporters have called for this week of solidarity to shine a light on what's going on and to enlist additional supporters."