Ann Arbor Indivisible, a division of the national Indivisible organization that seeks to support grassroot movements across the country, protested outside Tesla’s Jackson Rd dealership on February 27.
When asked to comment on the reason for the protest, organizer Gus Teschke expressed the group’s concern about Elon Musk’s recent government actions and his involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE was created by President Trump by reorganizing and renaming the existing United States Digital Service. Teschke and other protestors described unease at a man who is not an elected official making decisions for the American people.
“We would love to just call to have him fired from DOGE, but he’s not hired,” Teschke said. “He’s just a random guy.”
While not elected into his position, Musk is in an advisory role in DOGE as a special government employee, which is a designated role that allows the federal government to hire outside consultants who are not elected officials.
At the protest there were calls to “deport” Elon Musk, though he has had dual citizenship in Canada and the US since 2002. Many protestors expressed concern that Musk is making decisions that, while affecting the American public, will not be felt by him in a substantial way.
“It’s really important to demonstrate how wrong it is to have somebody who has no skin in this game, who will suffer no harm or ill effects of what he’s doing,” Barbara Schmid, a protestor at the picket, said. “He’s inflicting his decisions on everybody else. It’s beyond the pale, and people need to know.”
The short-term goal of Ann Arbor Indivisible currently is a Tesla boycott to call attention to their message. Teschke said the protest was to “drive down” Tesla’s stock value and make it more difficult for Musk to continue operating in the US.
When asked, management of the Tesla dealership declined to comment.
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