Protest report
Gainesville, FL 3/29 - Tesla Takedown
I drove to Gainesville to do antifa shit today. Protest and security for the protest. They have been having regular protests against Trump and Musk up there for a little while now, across from the Tesla dealership. Peaceful, constitutionally protected protest.
Well, Bob Rose, who hosts a conservative talk show on 97.3 FM here, apparently didn’t like that and was encouraging people to show up and counter protest us. Then last night, we heard that Proud Boys were going to be in the area. So even though I tend to worry about my own town, I can’t let Nazis show up in my backyard and not be there. This morning I drove up with some other committed socialists.
They got going at about 0900. Our side started showing up around 930 for a 1000 start time. In the end, we had maybe a bit over 200 people. They had about half of that. They were all gathered up in front of the dealership. You have nothing better to do than simp for a billionaire? We were on all four street corners two blocks down.
Most importantly, only one suspected Proud Boy showed up. As the first of us showed up and were setting up, he was riding around on one of those electric wheel things and talking about violence, but then he was suddenly on the other side with them. I only think he might have been a PB because of the black and yellow tape on some of his things (their colors) and his talk of violence (their favorite past time.) But in the end, no overt Nazism beyond support for Trump/Musk.
We had a LOT of support. All kinds of folks driving by, honking and waving. Definitely more support than the pro-tesla folks. Quite a few Tesla owners (including one Wankpanzer) were driving around the area, filming us.
Our first agitator was clearly homeless and mentally ill. But he became an issue because he was trying to engage with the women there, who were getting uncomfortable around him. So I put myself between him and the women he was baiting and didn’t say a word. He picked up his stuff and went across the street. Once there, he began harassing other protestors from our side, so I did the same thing. This time he squared up on me. “YOU THINK YOU INTIMIDATE ME?”
“Have a nice day. Keep moving.” He did. So twice I confronted him without really saying or doing shit, and both times he left. You don’t have to be forceful.
The only violence committed was by them. One old guy kept walking over from their side and instigating. He was verbally attacking members of the crowd and filming them. So I put myself between them and him, just like I did before. He walked off after a while when someone else was yelling at him and I wouldn’t physically let him engage with anyone. He came back later, and started in again with the older folks. When I got in his face again, he told me I should be ashamed of myself. (I was wearing my Army football style jersey) “Motherfucker, I fought for this country. I’ll talk and protest how I want.” Then he started hollering about how my daddy was ashamed of me (lol) and walked down the line before shoving a guy. I got down there and pushed him away with my arm and he left.
The last time we engaged he said something about how I’d be afraid to enter a VFW. “Actually, I’m a life member.”
That set him off. “Which hall? Huh? What’s your name? I’m gonna find out who you are and get you kicked out of the VFW!” OOooooohhhhh… I’m so scared. He was the only one on either side that caused a problem. Of fucking course it was the Trump/Musk supporter. As I’m getting physical with him because he started it, all the Trump/Musk supporters stood on their side filming it while our side was yelling at me and the others to break it up. (I don’t think most of them understood I was there as security.) We were there to peacefully protest. He was not, and the rest were at least hoping for violence. Because they are idiots and think anyone against them is some violent antifa gang member there to destroy the city or something. Folks, it doesn’t work that way at all.
EDIT: I forgot to add, during our last encounter with him, he told us he was at J6 and he was one of the ones pardoned. He still thinks he is a good guy though, and that I am the bad guy. It’s baffling. I don’t know if he was talking out of his ass or not, but I do know that Florida was strongly represented in the J6 insurrectionist crowd.
We had at least five people stop at the intersection and threaten one or more of us with violence. Guess what - not one person stopped to threaten the Trump/Musk supporters. Again, the violence is coming from the right. And as usual, they were all cowards. Despite threats, not one of them was man enough to step out of his car. Punk ass bitches. Don’t threaten me and then drive away. Let’s scrap you cocksuckers.
My favorite line though - lady in a lifted truck stops at the intersection and is flipping us off and such. “How does Trump’s dick taste, you fucking whore?” Lol. My favorite line from the other side - guy stopped at the light and yelled out his window “You’re chopping the dicks off of little boys!” It had real Alex Jones “they’re turning the frogs gay” type vibes. Lol. Keep drinking that Kool-aid my man.
We made it home safe. We raised awareness. We had fun. We showed them we were not afraid. And I’m doing it again next week, and the week after, and the week after…
Update: Now that the news is out and I’ve had a chance to look at it:
https://www.wcjb.com/2025/03/29/protests-held-gainesville-support-opposition-elon-musk-trump-administration/
Go there and watch the video. Stop at 38 seconds in. There is a man carrying a small sign, wearing a red shirt, and a red/white/blue hat. He is over there agitating. That’s the dude that told me he was at J6. That’s the dude that said he would get me kicked out of the VFW. And that was the ONLY dude there on both sides trying to start a fight.