There was honking and yelling in front of the Decatur Tesla dealership during rush hour on Monday, but not because of a traffic jam. Protesters gathered outside the dealership to protest President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk.
More than 100 protesters packed the side trails along Church Street in front of Tesla’s dealership on Monday to rally against billionaire and Tesla CEO Musk’s new role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump’s administration.
Local group Indivisible GA-04 sponsored the event, along with several other groups, including Avondale ACTion, Indivisible Marching Buddies, Indivisible ATL and Common Defense. The rally, scheduled for 4:30 p.m., saw many attendees arrive early with homemade signs.
According to Indivisible GA-04’s Martha Shockey, more than 150 people signed up to attend the rally. Shockey was happy with the turnout and the support received from drivers passing by, honking and waving at the protesters.
“It tells me that it was needed, that people really needed to come out and express their views on this situation,” Shockey said.
As the car honking continued, the crowd brought out a megaphone to lead chants. Avondale Alliance for Racial Justice member Lisa Cottrell attended the protest and was excited by the rally’s size.
“I love it; it is very encouraging,” Cottrell said. “We need everybody to be as brave as possible and try to continue to make calls to all of our representatives to stand up for our democracy.”
Ed Anderson, an Air Force veteran and retired DeKalb County teacher, is the Georgia Lead Organizer at Common Defense, a grassroots political organization made of veterans. Anderson joined Common Defense to keep serving his community and stood in support with a “Veterans Against Trump” sign.
“[Rallying] reminds us of marching against the Vietnam War,” Anderson said. “I’d like to see more younger people out here and particularly more people of color, but I’m still thrilled with what the turnout was today.”
