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Protests were held nationwide Saturday targeting Elon Musk and his cost-cutting initiatives, and in Leon Springs, one was held outside of the Tesla dealership there. About 100 protesters set up on the sidewalk that parallels the access road to Interstate 10.
Seventy-two-year-old Tom Dukes had an enthusiastic message, with a twist.
“I am standing out here to do my part to make sure America knows that oligarchies are not nearly as much fun as you might think they would be,” he said.
Dukes laughed easily and often, but as someone who has protested off and on for 60 years, he was serious about the concept of protest, and what freedom means.
“Freedom is the right to state your case, the right to express your opinion, and the right to respect the opinions of others,” Dukes said
It cost Susan Dollar more effort to protest than many as she navigated a walker.
“I have suffered a fractured pelvis, so I'm on the slow side today,” Dollar said.
Her problem with Musk is his being given so much power over the budget.
“Going in and blanket laying off people through his DOGE group, I think is the fact that he has millions of dollars in federal contracts is somewhat a conflict of interest,” she said.
Richard Caldwell, who is from Boerne, held an American flag, but he flew it upside down, and he said that action in itself was a statement.
“What it's saying, is we're in distress, and I feel like that's where we are right now. This country is in distress,” Caldwell said. “After [the] Trump and Zelensky meeting, we've lost our standing in the world, and it's going to take us years to get that back.”
One protester who didn't want to give his name questioned why Musk is allowed to do what he’s doing.
“No one elected Elon Musk, no one appointed Elon Musk or confirmed Elon Musk. He's not accountable to anybody except as the CEO of Tesla,” he noted.
Linda Schott considers Musk’s influence a change in our government, and one that she feels contradicts U.S. history.
“There doesn't seem to be respect for the fundamentals of our constitutional system, no respect for the rule of law,” Schott said. “And given what happened with Ukraine [the Zelensky meeting in the Oval Office], it seems like he's switching our basic position in the country to one that's aligned with the forces of dictators, and it makes me sick to see us lined up on the opposite side of democracy and freedom.”
The switching of alliances and the weakening of NATO was something in particular that bothered her.
“I was telling my husband it’s probably a good thing that most of the people that fought in World War II have already passed on, because they'd be sick to see this,” she said.
Victoria Olmo said she was worried about the new administration, and in particular, what it plans to do about her status earned as an Army veteran.
"I am a retired veteran, 100% disabled, and I'm worried that my benefits are going to be taken away," Olmo said. "My whole income comes from my VA benefits and Social Security Disability."
The Leon Springs protest was one of hundreds held across the country.
