ATHENS, Ga. — Protestors gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta and City Hall in Athens to call for the removal of billionaire Elon Musk from his position in the Trump administration.
Hundreds gathered outside City Hall in Athens to protest billionaire Elon Musk’s role in President Donald Trump’s administration and massive cuts to federal funding.
The protestors chanted, played bagpipes, and held up signs calling for Musk to be removed from the federal government. The rally was organized with just a few days’ notice by Indivisible Georgia Ten — a local chapter of the nationwide Indivisible Action Committee.
Iva King, one of the co-leaders of the committee, says she was shocked by the turnout.
“I’m just flabbergasted that we had this many people out here on such short notice, and I think this is the beginning of what could be a movement, is a movement, across the country that’s only going to grow.”
(Sarah Kallis/GPB News)
Several protestors said this was the first time they’d attended a demonstration and that they were motivated by personal issues, such as the recent loss of a federally funded job or concerns over access to health care.
An even larger crowd gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta to protest for the same cause.
Jay Bassett is an employee of the Environmental Protection Agency who is on leave because of the divestment from diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
He came to the demonstration to protest similar changes across federal agencies and what he calls an overreach of power from Trump.
“And to watch now the government not pay people for projects they committed to pay for is just a travesty in my mind,” he said.
The protest was part of a nationwide grassroots movement called 50501 that encouraged protests at all 50 state capitols.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
