Protests Intensify at Tesla Showrooms with Musical Bands, Quirky Puppets, and Makeshift Cybertrucks

In Berkeley's Ocean View area, usually filled with weekend shoppers and diners, a notable shift has taken place recently. A Tesla dealership located between a furniture store and makeup retailer has become a focal point for protests that have steadily grown over the past month.

A month ago, Kathy Sprague from the Bay Area stood alone outside Berkeley's Fourth Street Tesla dealership. Fast forward to March 1st, and she was one of over 300 demonstrators, dressed in a bear outfit with a sign highlighting Tesla's stock drop.

"Elon Musk hasn't been elected or put through any public vote, so I feel compelled to express my dissent, even solo," Sprague expressed. "Friends of mine invested in Teslas for environmental reasons, but they won't be repeating that choice—it feels wrong now."

She mentioned, "There's a vast array of electric vehicle alternatives," while pointing towards VinFast, a neighboring Vietnamese electric car dealership.

This gathering began modestly but expanded rapidly post-noon. Protesters paraded a 10-foot cardboard Cybertruck along the street and halted at the center for spray-painting. A Mariachi ensemble performed with its full set of instruments, adding rhythms to the protest. A raccoon puppet brandishing a sign, "This is rubbish," mocked the Cybertruck's design with a reference to memes.

Alex Winter, a prime mover behind this protest initiative and founder of the Tesla Takedown site, shared insights with Business Insider. The protest momentum started among a small circle of friends on Bluesky and gained traction with the launch of the website to focus efforts.

Winter, a director and writer based out of Los Angeles, noted his surprise at the scale of engagement; their site now sees thousands of visits every hour, with numerous global events lined up.

"Online misinformation and the rise of extreme right agendas have been focal points for quite some time now," Winter explained, "My concerns about Musk go back to his PayPal days, and the subsequent social media controversies have only magnified these issues."

This scene at the Berkeley Tesla showroom mirrored many other demonstrations occurring nationwide, a large-scale expression of dissatisfaction with Musk's connections to the Trump administration and actions linked to reducing federal workforce size.

San Francisco's exclusive Tesla showroom has witnessed at least five substantial protests within a fortnight, and similar acts of vandalism at Tesla facilities have been reported across other major urban areas.

On digital platforms, owners of Tesla vehicles talk about frequent road rage directed at them. Bumper stickers stating, "I purchased this before Musk's antics," have become popular on Amazon, purchased to avert negative attention.

The California New Car Dealers Association disclosed that Tesla vehicle registrations are on the downward trend, dropping by 11.6% from the year prior in 2024.

Brian Maas, head of this dealers' association, remarked that though Tesla's setbacks challenge the state's eco-transition, competing zero-emission automakers are stepping up.

Maas elaborated, "Over the years, many companies have invested substantially in pioneering the electric vehicle segment, creating fierce competition, unlike ten years ago."

In Europe, Tesla has also experienced dipping sales figures. Based on reports from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, their sales in January stood 45% lower than the same time last year.

Businesses like Germany's Dirk Rossmann GmbH and LichtBlick have chosen to exclude Tesla from their fleet acquisitions, attributing this decision to Musk's controversial political stances.

Charles Cho, a resident in California, expressed dissatisfaction after regularly having to repair his Tesla Model Y. The buyback he managed through legal assistance represents his dissatisfaction, heightened by Musk's public gestures.

"Musk's recent behavior is distasteful," Cho asserted, "I neither want to drive the car nor be associated with it publicly; hence, I opted for a buyback." He now looks forward to the forthcoming Rivian R2 model for his eco-friendly driving needs.

Specialists in management and policy have declared to Business Insider that while public protests might not directly sway Musk's actions, his ties with Trump could fray if public backlash impacts Trump’s support.

"Musk typically doesn't cave to public disapproval," said Larry Gerston, public policy professor emeritus from San Jose State University. Nonetheless, Gerston theorized that any fallout Musk incurs could lead Trump to distance himself.

"Musk and Tesla are inseparable identities at this moment," Gerston further remarked.

Dr. Kellie McElhaney from UC Berkeley commented that while Musk's wealth is diversified, enabling him to largely ignore the consequences of a Tesla boycott, the empowerment protests provide is significant.

"A drop in consumer sales may not immediately impact Tesla, especially if government contracts support it. Perhaps focusing on people's empowerment is ultimately more important than brand health metrics," McElhaney suggested.