Hundreds converged in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters on Saturday afternoon, March 1, to protest Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, along with decisions taken by the Trump Administration.
The rally, which crowded both sidewalks along Crenshaw Boulevard, was organized by three democratic organizations: 5051, Indivisible and Westside Democratic HQ. The protest was dubbed “Destruction of Our Government by Elon” – a play on words of Musk’s task force.
“Today, we helped people share their voice,” said Emily W., an organizer with 5051, an ongoing political action organization. “We’re non-violent. but we did prepare for violent counter-protesters, but we didn’t see any today. It’s been peaceful, we hope that it’s been inspiring to folks to keep fighting.”
Protesters held signs addressing an array of issues, from putting a stop to DOGE, protecting trans rights and denouncing President Trump’s and Musk’s actions, among others.
The Department of Government Efficiency was created on Jan. 20 by President Trump, with a mission to slash federal spending. Since then, the task force – led by Musk – has dismissed workers across the federal government.
“I’m here to protest Elon Musk’s takeover of the government,” said Nancy Polikoff, 73, from Marina Del Rey on Saturday. “It’s already affected people I know that have lost their jobs. I also think his entire purpose is self dealing, so he’s going to make sure the agencies that regulate his businesses shut down and he’s going to tamper with government contracts to make sure they all come out in his favor.”
Critics of the task force say that Musk, who runs companies including SpaceX that receive billions in government contracts, could be engaged in work through DOGE that may pose conflicts of interest with his private business.
Democratic lawmakers are also demanding answers from Musk about whether staffers at DOGE have shared national security secrets over…
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