✊ VOICES FROM THE BORDERLANDS: Why We're Taking Down Tesla #TucsonResists #TeslaTakedown
What to know before joining Saturday's 9 AM Tesla Takedown
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🌍 People all over the world are speaking up against a very rich man named Elon Musk who runs Tesla and now works for the government where he's making decisions that hurt many communities. In Tucson, people will gather near the mall tomorrow morning wearing white clothes 👕 with purple ribbons 🎗️ to show they want big companies to have less control over our country's decisions.
When people stand together peacefully ✌️ like this, it can make a big difference - Tesla's value has already dropped by almost half! 📉 The protest is from 9 to 10:30 in the morning because it gets hot in the desert 🌵☀️. People will stay on the sidewalks 🚶 and hand out information 📄 about why this matters for everyone's future.
🗝️ Takeaways
🗓️ Join the Tesla Takedown protest at Tucson Mall (5081 N. Oracle Rd.) TOMORROW, March 29, from 9-10:30 AM (note earlier time due to heat)
👕 Wear WHITE clothing - purple ribbons will be distributed to create flag colors symbolism
💰 The movement is working - Tesla stock has already dropped nearly 50% since December
🛑 This is strictly a PEACEFUL protest - stay on sidewalks, don't engage counter-protesters
🤝 Democracy is at stake - "Crowds and Courts will make the difference!"
🛣️ Meet volunteer coordinator at the Red Lobster parking lot (NW corner) if you want to help
🌐 For those who can't attend, support through social media with #TeslaTakedown and #TucsonResists
Rising Against the Machine: Join Us at the Tesla Takedown
La tierra recuerda lo que nosotros olvidamos.
The desert sun sets over the Tucson Mountains as I write this, casting long shadows across the valley floor where generations of O'odham, Yaqui, and later Chicano communities have lived and resisted. Tomorrow, we continue that legacy as we gather at Oracle and River to join the nationwide Tesla Takedown movement.
Why We Rise: The Roots of Resistance
For those who haven't been paying attention (or perhaps too busy watching Elon's Twitter antics), the Tesla Takedown movement has emerged as a direct response to the billionaire's tightening grip on our already fragile democracy. As the appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — sí, como el meme, qué irónico — Musk has overseen the gutting of federal agencies and mass layoffs of public servants who actually serve the public rather than corporate interests.
And we're supposed to just smile and nod while another billionaire dismantles government from within? Ni modo.
This isn't just about Elon or Tesla. It's about what happens when we allow corporate power to capture our democracy. It's about the same forces that have militarized our borderlands, contaminated our water, and treated our communities as disposable. The faces change, but the system remains.
But something beautiful is happening across Turtle Island and beyond. Over 200 demonstrations in the U.S. and 500 globally are planned for March 29th. The movement has already caused Tesla's stock to plummet nearly 50% since December. Mira cómo tiemblan cuando nos organizamos.
Join Us in Tucson: The Details
Tomorrow morning, Tucson joins the resistance. Here's what you need to know:
When and Where:
Saturday, March 29, 2025
9 AM to 10:30 AM (we moved it earlier because, well, desert heat)
Tesla Showroom, 5081 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson (by the Tucson Mall)
The Look:
Wear white clothing (shirt, blouse, hat—whatever works)
Purple ribbons will be distributed (red + blue with white = our flag colors)
Bring signs that focus on corporate power and democracy, not personal attacks
Water and sun protection (this is Arizona, after all)
What to Expect:
Community Service Officers from TPD will be present
Information slips will be available to share with friends about future actions
Volunteers will be coordinating
Need inspiration? Check out the drone footage from our March 15 protest:
Sacred Rules of Engagement:
This is a peaceful protest—absolutely no property damage or trespassing
Stay on sidewalks except when crossing streets
Don't engage with counter-protesters or respond to taunts
If someone's being disruptive, notify the CSOs or Phin
Como nos recuerdan los organizadores, "Crowds and Courts will make the difference!" It will take both public pressure and legal challenges to create meaningful change.
Beyond Our Borders: Why This Matters to Border Communities
For those of us living in the borderlands, this fight is deeply personal. The same corporate-political alliance that has Musk gutting federal agencies is also:
Expanding surveillance technologies at the border, often using tech developed by Musk-affiliated companies
Accelerating extraction on sacred lands
Rolling back environmental protections for air and water
Targeting immigrant communities with increasingly militarized enforcement
When I walk the desert paths my ancestors traveled, I see the same pattern repeating: powerful interests treating our home as expendable, our communities as obstacles, our resistance as inconvenient.
The billionaire class has never understood the meaning of comunidad. They see land as property, water as commodity, people as labor. Meanwhile, we're out here remembering that we belong to the land, not the other way around.
For Those Who Cannot Join Physically
Not everyone can stand on Oracle Road tomorrow morning, but the movement needs all of us:
Amplify our voices by sharing protest images with #TeslaTakedown and #TucsonResists
Have those uncomfortable conversations with family members who still believe billionaires will save us
Support those on the frontlines through mutual aid networks
Consider your economic power by divesting from Tesla if you own stock
Connect local struggles to this broader movement for democratic accountability
From Despair to Action
Some nights, watching the stars from my backyard in Tucson, I feel the weight of what we're up against. Corporate power entrenched in government. Media controlled by the same interests. Communities divided against each other.
Pero luego recuerdo: no somos los primeros en enfrentar gigantes.
The Zapatistas taught us that another world is possible. The water protectors at Standing Rock showed us what solidarity looks like. The borderlands have always been a laboratory for resistance, where Indigenous, Mexican, and migrant communities have found ways to survive and thrive despite everything designed to break us.
When we gather tomorrow at Oracle and River, we aren't just protesting a car company or a billionaire. We're declaring that desert people have always known how to make something flourish from seemingly barren ground. Democracy is worth fighting for, especially when it seems most endangered.
As the organizers remind us, we're already having an impact. Tesla's stock is tumbling. Pressure builds. Even as winter visitors head north, we need to show up in greater numbers. When we stand visible on those sidewalks, we invite others to join us in reclaiming our collective power.
La lucha no es de un día—es de toda la vida.
I want to hear from you in the comments whether you're joining us tomorrow or supporting us from afar.
What other forms of resistance do you believe are effective against corporate capture of our democracy?
How are you connecting this movement to other struggles for justice in your community?
Have a scoop or a story you want us to follow up on? Send us a message!
Right on! If I still lived in Tucson I’d be there for sure. We have one 120 miles away from us tomorrow, but April 5th we’re protesting here in our small town. 💪🏾❤️
I was so glad to have this information before going to the protest. Providing it was a community service and good advice about how to conduct ourselves.
I'm forwarding it to my sister & niece in South Carolina. I hope people in South Carolina will be able to come together for peaceful protests the way Tucson has.