13-year-old protesting abortion restrictions detained by Lakeland police, gains Nikki Fried support

LAKELAND, Fla. - Days after she was detained at a protest in Lakeland, a 13-year-old returned Thursday to protest against abortion restrictions, gaining support from Tampa Bay residents and Florida’s agriculture commissioner.

At least 50 people stood along the street near the Southgate shopping center at the "Freedom to Choose" rally for abortion rights, including 13-year-old Lillie "Rain" Johnson.

"Knowing that some of my family members bodily autonomy rights have just been threatened and stripped away from them, breaks my heart and just only encourages me more to fight for what is right and the freedom of anyone with a uterus to do whatever they want with their body," said Lillie.

Lillie said she is passionate about defending the freedom to choose, and a police encounter Monday will not deter her. Her mother Lauren Johnson took video of her daughter at a different abortion protest at Munn Park where Lakeland police officers took her away. 

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"There was an arrest, and she went back out afterwards and continued to protest after we were able to receive her back from the station," her mother said, who said officers detained her for about an hour.

Their lawyer said the arrest stems from violating a noise ordinance by using a megaphone, and they are waiting to find out about formal charges. 

"You know, watching your child have to go through that is hard. However, you know, I’m so proud that she just, she went right back out," said Lauren.

Her mother said she’s attended protests for various human rights issues with her daughter, and abortion rights are one of the first major human rights issues that Lillie said she’s decided to get more involved in. 

"I was a little probably a bit disturbed, but overall, I knew that what they wanted to do was shut it down. And I did not let it happen," said Lillie about the arrest.

The video of Lillie’s arrest took off on social media, drawing the attention of Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and Democratic candidate for governor.

"That is voicing her First Amendment rights, fighting for what she believes in. And so how could I not be here to show her support?" said Fried. "I know that I'm standing on the shoulders of so many women who came before me, and it's now my job to take the women behind me and bring us with that together."

Support for Lillie came from Clearwater to Davenport as protested waved signs expressing their disagreement with Florida's new abortion law banning the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy and Roe v. Wade’s reversal.

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"There's no man, no government, no person has a right to tell me what to do, whether it's a rape situation or not. It's my choice, nobody else's," said Tiffany Chomos of Davenport. "What people need to realize is they need to vote. They need to do the right thing. Because if they don't and if we don't all clump together, it's not us that's going to be horribly affected by this. It's our kids. It's our grandkids, our future generations."

The Johnsons said they will continue fighting for the freedom to choose.

"With just everything going on, people using their voice and getting the attention of someone running for governor really just helps get that message out there that we need to fight for what is right," the 13-year-old said.

Lakeland police could not share the arrest affidavit or report involving the teen with FOX13 since it involves a juvenile. The police department released this statement in an email: 

"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."