SOMA Action, a grassroots progressive group based in South Orange and Maplewood, will be holding its second “Tesla Takedown” protest rally this Saturday, March 15, at noon in front of the Tesla dealership on Route 22 in Springfield, NJ.
The first rally two weeks ago drew well more than 200 people, said Amy Higer, co-chair of the Democracy Action committee and also on Board Trustee of SOMA Action. They were there to protest “the outsized political power Elon Musk, an unelected public figure, wields in the Trump administration.”
Tesla has become the symbol of Musk’s controversial decisions under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said Higer, initiating mass layoffs of federal workers, cancelling critical government contracts and disrupting federal agencies.
The Trump administration says that DOGE is cutting spending and trimming a bloated US government. The legality of DOGE and its actions are under question, with many of its cuts currently under court challenge.
Springfield NJ is also located in the 7th Congressional district, currently represented by Tom Kean Jr. , who has come under fire recently for the rarely hosting town halls. Higer said that the protest on Saturday will call attention to the over $1 million that Kean Jr. took from Musk’s super PAC for his reelection campaign. “While Kean Jr. presents himself as a moderate,” said Higer, “he has voted in lockstep with his party, backing efforts that jeopardize government programs and public services.”
Photo via SOMA Action
Higer said that SOMA Action was seeing increased interest for local residents. Although many went quiet after the November election —”People were stunned and depressed,” said Higer, now, “People are figuring it out. It’s a new era where people are paying attention and engaged.”
“We now have 30 people on the leadership team,” said Higer. “We’re tying to do as much as we can.”
SOMA Action emphasizes peaceful protest, she added. Regarding the last rally, “It was angry but very enthusiastic. People were happy to be out and it felt good to be together with other people.”
Click here for more information on the SOMA Action Tesla Takedown Rally: https://mobilize.us/s/
Photo via SOMA Action.
