“Go for it,” Winter recalled Donovan saying.
Creating the website TeslaTakedown.com, a spin on Donovan’s hashtag took a few weeks.
The first protest in Los Angeles, on February 15, drew only about 80 people.
But the effort to create a go-to hub online paid off, Winter said.
Winter and Donovan weren’t alone in kick-starting the grassroots movement.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
The anti-Tesla movement has coincided with the company’s spectacular downturn.
In the days following the election, Tesla shares surged amid a broad market rally.
The stock hit an all-time high in December.
Bumper stickers appealing to embarrassed Tesla owners sold out by the thousands on Amazon and Redbubble.
onto the body of the stainless-steel vehicle.
Influencers created songs mocking the polarizing design of Cybertrucks that garnered millions of views.
Then the protests began.
A month later, wearing the same bear costume, she was joined by roughly 300 protesters.
By the next week, Starr had helped organize a February 23 protest at her local showroom.
Most of the protests were peaceful but others vented their frustrations against Musk in a more destructive way.
Things were getting ugly, with police investigating multiple arson incidents.
The attacks on Tesla dealerships caught the eye of the White House.
He spoke glowingly of Musk and reiterated that the auto exec had his full support.
When asked if the attacks should be considered"domestic terrorism," Trump agreed.
Protests around the US drew large crowds, with thousands showing up at some locations, organizers told BI.
On the West Coast, at least 2,000 protesters showed up at a showroom in Walnut Creek, California.
One in Portland drew more than 1,000 people.
More than 700 protesters flocked to a Boston showroom.
Business Insider attended two Tesla Takedown protests in Michigan.
On the rainy Saturday, a crowd of mostly older demonstrators carrying handmade signs assembled outside Tesla dealerships.
Mike Whitty, 83, said the turnout was impressive for such a rainy day.
“Golly, they’re going to wreck the Michigan auto industry with tariffs.
“I’m worried about fascism and the takeover of our safety and government.”
“One friend, a work colleague, said that they bought their Tesla before the election.
They only have 18,000 miles on it.
They wanted to sell it.
They cannot sell it.”
“Are you disturbed by the recent attacks and vandalism against Tesla facilities and owners?”
wrote one Tesla fan organizing a counterprotest in Irvine, California.
“You are invited to join a growing group of sensible people to visibly counter protest this lunacy!”
Both said their vehicles sustained thousands of dollars in damages.
Some have even been targeted for owning a Tesla in the past.
Onewebsite featuresa digital map with a Molotov cocktail cursor revealing information about former and current Tesla owners andDOGEemployees.
There are at least 80 planned protests in the US, according to the Tesla Takedown website.
It’s difficult to gauge the precise impact the protests have had on the company.
But the most recent quarter’s delivery numberswere jarringeven to those who are typically enthusiastic about Tesla.
Ross Gerber, a longtime investor, and the Tesla bull Dan Ivesattributedthe disappointing data to brand damage.
For Winter, the protests' momentum signals that the tide is turning for how people view Musk.
