Car horns honk, civilians yell—a community of people gather on the busy Superior intersection of Marshall Rd. and McCaslin Blvd. with signs held high, displaying only a fraction of the anger they feel as American citizens. That anger continues to grow with every action taken by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.
“We don’t like this administration,” a protester who wished to remain anonymous said. “The injustice is that tax dollars are going to a cause that we don’t appreciate.”
Shortly after the election, Donald Trump made Tesla founder Elon Musk head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s increasing role in the government became apparent throughout the winter and into the spring.
The protesters started gathering in January near the Tesla dealership in Superior every Saturday from 11:00-2:00.
“I started to become more aware of some of the things he was doing. And they’re alarming, and so I became looking for a way to get more active” a protester said.
Elon Musk has taken a metaphorical chainsaw to federal budget cuts, establishing himself as a major power in the federal government. He has fired over 257,000 federal employees in numerous departments, plans to cut the budget for the federal parks by 5.1 billion, virtually eliminated USAID, an organization that spread humanitarian assistance to other countries, and cut the Peace Corps budget drastically.
DOGE’s efforts are an attempt to save $1 trillion in federal spending, according to Musk.
The resistant movement in Louisville and Superior has grown with every action taken by DOGE, Hundreds of people gathering every weekend, but it all started with one person recognizing that there was an issue. She goes by Anna E to keep her identity safe in light of threats she has received since organizing the peaceful protests.
“I started this because, first off, my dad was an immigrant,” Anna E said. “Once Trump said that protesting was illegal, I’m a very loud, obnoxious person, so I can’t allow that. I’m not going to allow somebody to silence me. I’m not going to allow anybody to silence anybody else.”
Anna E’s passion and perseverance have built this protest into what it is. By creating the protest, she feels she has given people a space to use their voice to make a difference.
“It’s important. If we’re not here every Saturday, doing our thing, if we’re not protesting, it’s like throwing a rock in a pond and watching the ripples fade,” she said.
Most of the protesters interviewed by The Mix wished to remain anonymous because they feared for their safety. However, they weren’t afraid to speak their minds.
“I am deeply opposed to what the Trump regime is doing to our country,” a protester said. “I think we’ve slid into autocracy and fascism, and this is the only way to fight back.”
While the protesters have been met with backlash, such as motorists driving onto the sidewalk trying to hit them with their vehicles, the protesters say they will remain committed to advocating for change.
“I think that protests are the way to fight back, and I compare it to the civil rights movement,” one protester said. “The legislatures didn’t say, ’Oh, let’s give Black people their rights because we’re so nice.’ It was because of years of protest, and then they finally caved. The leadership caved when the people lead,” a protester said.
Musk has expressed on social media that he would lobby to support the ban of transgender healthcare for people under the age of eighteen, and support putting those who advocate for it in jail. This issue is what drove a protester named Terry to the streets.
“I have a trans kid, and to watch the government say that your beloved child doesn’t have a right to exist or is sick or twisted or whatever. Just makes me crazy,” Terry said.
Anna E understands her role in the government and the protection of the First Amendment, regardless of political orientation because she believes that it’s necessary to do so—that the government’s actions warrant a collective response.
“It’s not just a Democrat, Republican thing, it’s the very basis,” she said. “I believe in our country, but I believe that our country has failed, and I want it to be the place that I think that everyone should be able to enjoy the fruits of our country—immigrants, trans, LGBTQ, all of the people who are right now being thrown away. And Musk needs to stop.”
The Mix reached out to the Superior Tesla dealership and Tesla itself for comment multiple times but did not receive any responses.
