On March 29, approximately 430 people gathered on the edge of the Tesla showroom in Devon on Lancaster Avenue from 11 a.m. to noon, according to organizer and Berwyn resident Janet Gilbert. Holding signs, they denounced businessman Elon Musk’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration. The protestors called to “defund Musk” and reduce his influence on U.S. politics through encouraging people to sell their Tesla vehicles and stock.
The protest was part of nationwide grassroots movement “Tesla Takedown,” which named March 29 as its “global day of action.” More than 200 protests took place that day in cities nationwide at Tesla showrooms and charging stations. Charles Schermer, a Philadelphia resident, traveled to Devon to attend the protest.
“What I like about this movement: It’s very focused, mainly on Elon Musk, and, in turn, Donald Trump. It’s focused on what Elon Musk and Donald Trump love most, and that’s money. If we can get people to stop buying Teslas, to stop buying Tesla stock and to turn their Teslas in, the stock value will go down,” Schermer said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here, as well as send a message against the oligarchy and fascism and authoritarianism that’s coming with it.”
Gilbert started her involvement with the movement as a participant. She saw a post about it on Bluesky, a social media app. Gilbert attended what she believes was the first protest in Devon on Feb. 22. The movement in Devon uses Action Network, a movement organization platform, to schedule and spread the word about the weekly protests.
“I don’t know where (the protestors) came from, and they all had signs, and they were just waiting for the first person to stand up,” Gilbert said. “And the next week, we had a little protest, also about 10 people, and the (Philadelphia) Inquirer came and interviewed us. Since then, last week, we had about 250 (protestors) or so. This week, 426.”
Gilbert’s motivation to take action and protest against Musk stems from his involvement in the federal government. Particularly, she disapproves of his use of monetary incentives — such as when Musk gave two Wisconsin voters $1 million checks, according to an Associated Press article.
“I think that Elon Musk has a noxious influence on U.S. politics, paying money to basically bribe people to vote or to register to vote with millions of dollars, lotteries for people to register to vote,” Gilbert said. “I don’t think that a billionaire should have that much influence on our democracy.”
Class of 2023 alumna Lily Robinson attended the protest with her mother while she was on spring break from college. To her, the presence of the community at the protest was an active sign of discontent.
“I wasn’t expecting this many people to be here. It’s kind of fun. I think it shows that there’s a lot more (response) towards what’s incumbent,” Robinson said. “I think showing that folks, even Republicans and people that voted for Trump, are disappointed and upset with what’s going on.”
Miya Cao can be reached at [email protected].
