Weekly Tesla protests will move near Village Hall

Demonstrators who spent every Saturday outside the Tesla dealership protesting President Donald Trump, company founder Elon Musk and the administration’s policies have relocated their weekly protests to Fountain Park outside Mount Kisco Village Hall. (Martin Wilbur Photo)

By MARTIN WILBUR

People who have been protesting weekly outside the Kisco Avenue Tesla dealership in Mount Kisco have relocated the demonstration to Fountain Park outside Village Hall.

Bedford Hills resident Fred Silverman, who inherited the leadership role for the protest held every Saturday since February, said that with the defection of Tesla founder Elon Musk from the Department of Government Efficiency and village officials hoping for less disruption to Kisco Avenue businesses, it was agreed upon to use the public space between the municipal building and the library on Main Street.

Last Saturday, during the Fourth of July weekend, about 150 people showed up to rally for the first time at Fountain Park, according to Silverman. The group of mainly older people still want to express their deep disenchantment with the Trump administration and will return this Saturday, from 1 to 2 p.m., he said, which is one hour shorter than the two hours they spent outside of Tesla.

“Tesla is going to be a little more problematic because he’s moved on and I don’t know what he’s doing,” Silverman said of Musk, “But people are still pretty upset right now about democracy and what’s going on in the country, so we’ll be able to protest.”

The new location will not only relieve Kisco Avenue property owners and their tenants from the protests but should also avoid impeding pedestrians on the sidewalk and eliminate the likelihood that demonstrators will wind up in the street, said village Mayor J. Michael Cindrich.

Cindrich said he believed that the organizer recognized that the protests were having a negative impact on some of the tenants at 120 Kisco Ave., so the switch should benefit the merchants and those looking to exercise their rights.

“Obviously, in the other location, they migrated out into the roadway with signs encouraging people to blow their horns and things like that, which became a major issue on Kisco Avenue, and then we were concerned for their own safety when they went beyond the curb line,” Cindrich said.

The mayor said the village is taking the protests week by week.

However, Silverman indicated that he and his fellow demonstrators hope to return to Fountain Park each week at least through the summer. He said Cindrich sounded receptive to that possibility as did Deputy Mayor Theresa Flora, who Silverman spoke with at the June 26 Coffee and Conversation forum at the library.

“I don’t know how they feel about long-term, and we didn’t really approach that, so that will be another conversation for another day,” Silverman said. “But we’ll be back this Saturday.”

Flora said when she spoke to one of the protesters, they told her that the Village Hall location had more shade on warm days and there were also places to sit down.

“They’ve got staying power,” Flora said. “I’ll give them a lot of credit.”

In addition to not blocking the sidewalk or being out in the street, Silverman was told not to block access to the library and to stay away from in front of the war memorial and the village’s 9/11 memorial, which are on the same block, Cindrich said. He also said that occasionally there are Saturday weddings or funerals at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church across the street and down the block, which could force the group to find a new location for that week.

Silverman said he has been asked whether they would consider having an ongoing rotation of spots in multiple neighboring communities. While he’s not opposed to it and would consider it in the future, Silverman explained that the protesters like knowing where they are going to meet each week.

“It’s a nice place, it’s a good location,” Silverman said. “People felt safe and I think that’s important.”