Organizers say today’s protests will be peaceful, but they are bracing for hostile confrontations with Musk and Trump supporters.
- More than 200 protests are scheduled to take place today in what organizers are calling a global day of action, part of a campaign called “Tesla Takedown.”
- Protesters are targeting Tesla because they believe its CEO Elon Musk is using the wealth he built from the company to fund political actions they view as a threat to democracy.
- The organizers’ goal is to disrupt Tesla’s financial standing by urging people to sell their Teslas, dump its stock and join protests at Tesla dealerships in a bid to reduce Musk’s influence.
New York state officials to investigate Tesla’s Buffalo lease terms
New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and New York State Assemblyman Micah Lasher — whose districts include parts of Manhattan — addressed the crowd of protestors in the Meatpacking District saying they plan on introducing legislation next week to investigate the terms of a state-owned factory in Buffalo, New York that Tesla is leasing.
The plant was part of a $1 billion project launched by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2012 to invest in Buffalo’s economy.
Lasher said the legislation will call for an “immediate examination” to determine if Tesla is creating jobs, paying its rent and “making the investments in the state of New York that they’re obligated to.”
“And if they aren’t this contract will be canceled and Elon Musk will be evicted,” Lasher said.
