Every other Saturday protesters gather at the Tesla dealership in Lyndhurst. On March 15, approximately 350 people gathered outside on Mayfield Road to protest the Trump administration’s DOGE program, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk oversees.
The demonstration was sponsored by the Lyndhurst Democratic Club and the Democratic clubs of Solon, South Euclid, Chagrin Gateway, Hillcrest, University Heights, and Cleveland Heights.
Just east of Richmond Road, protesters held signs reading, “I pledge to the Constitution, not Elon Musk.” A steady flow of cars blasted their horns in solidarity, while protesters chanted, “Get rid of Musk,” showing their frustration over the actions of DOGE and Musk. Protesters argued that Musk was making decisions that will negatively affect Americans for years to come.
Jennifer Adamson, a member of the Lyndhurst Democratic Club, was not surprised by the turnout. People realize democracy is at stake, she said.
“This is about Elon Musk masquerading as an elected official when no one voted for him,” she said. “He’s doing this DOGE takeover, clearly trying to fire federal workers, and overtaking the government, which feels very unconstitutional. We’re trying to bring awareness to this crisis in America today. Our protest on February 15 was a national event that was cold and raining. We still drew over 200 people.”
The effort to stop the hemorrhaging of government jobs is not just happening in Northeast Ohio. Nationwide, various groups are putting the word out to meet at Tesla dealerships. Locally, DOGE has shuttered the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Education.; every employee in Cleveland was terminated. According to WKYC, the Veterans Administration also laid off several workers in February.
Cathy Covarrubias, president of the Lyndhurst Democratic Club, said more and more Americans are realizing how damaging the DOGE cuts are and aren’t ashamed to voice their opposition loudly.
“I’m only expecting the numbers to get bigger and bigger the more protests we have,” she said. “This is the second one. Another organization did it, but this is the second one the Lyndhurst Democrats have put together. We have had many veterans who voted for Trump showing up after realizing how tough it is to get services now, and these cuts are making it worse.”
The group’s next protest in front of the Mayfield Road Tesla dealership is March 29.
Not everyone agrees with the protesters. In fact, Dale Fellows, chairman of the nearby Lake County Republican Party, thinks Musk could be beneficial to the things protesters are most concerned about.
“You know, there’s nothing wrong with peaceful protest, but now they’ve generated despicable destruction of property,” he said, referring to Tesla vehicles being set on fire at other protests around the nation. “Ironically, the target of these protests is not being hurt as much as the people that work at these dealerships are. Musk can do a lot that could potentially save us financially especially with Social Security. There are so many stories of fraud. Lake County Republicans don’t have any plans to respond to the protests. Our goal is to continue to spread the word among our friends and neighbors about how wrong this is and hopefully it’ll stop.”
Protester Virginia Avel, a resident of Lyndhurst, said she is very worried about America being disrupted by people who don’t care about it but promote support for oligarchs. Avel said it’s unimaginable to think Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security could be cut, and points out that, like her, many people depend on both. She primarily depends on Medicare.
Considering the fact Ohio is a red state, one could wonder how much the anti-Musk groups will be heard. Covarrubia has no concern about their voices getting muted.
“If Trump has noticed the protests, I can guarantee that our other Republican officials know about them too,” she said. “Everyone on the political spectrum realizes the harm being caused by Trump and Elon’s actions. The size of our protests has only grown over time, and I predict they will continue as long as Trump and Elon continue to take a hatchet to our government.”
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