TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Every other Saturday morning, hundreds of Tucson residents gather outside the Tesla store and service center at River and Oracle roads, holding signs in protest. What began just a few months ago with a crowd of around 50 has grown to more than 1,000 participants, according to organizers.
The demonstrations, now in their seventh iteration, are part of a growing grassroots movement led by married couple Phineas and Mitchell Anderson.
“They really want to get things done. They want changes to happen, and so they're out here protesting,” said Phineas Anderson. “And we will continue to protest, as long as Trump and Musk do what they're doing, which is dismantling our democracy.”
The Andersons began organizing the protests in response to what they describe as illegal overreach by the current administration.
"We were the first in the nation," Phineas Anderson said, referring to their protest on Feb. 7. "We had 54 people. The next time we had 271, it was the largest in the country at that time on the 15th of February. Then we jumped to 1,300. Then we jumped to 1,700. Then we jumped to 1,916. So people get the word out."
On Saturday, Mitchell Anderson said they counted 1,050 protestors.
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“It’s to show everybody that everybody can stand up,” said Mitchell Anderson.
That same message is what keeps protester Linda Dugan coming back. She's attended six of the seven protests. She believes some of the recent federal cuts proposed under President Donald Trump’s administration are undermining essential democratic safeguards.
As part of a broader federal strategy, the administration has pursued sweeping cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency. The White House says the goal is to reduce waste and fraud.
Elon Musk said Thursday that he expects the Department of Government Efficiency to save $150 billion from the federal budget in fiscal year 2026.
"Some of it is just absurd like people getting unemployment insurance who haven't been born yet. I mean, I think anyone can appreciate whether, I mean come on, that's just crazy," Musk said.
Still, Dugan said some of the proposed measures cross important boundaries and the other branches of the government need to step in.
“Our president is kind of taking charge of things that he really doesn't have a right to take charge of and the Congress is just kind of sitting back. They're not really standing up for what they need to be doing,” Dugan said. “Some of the courts have already said no, you can't do that like with USAID, for example. And I don't know, we're just kind of in this limbo right now to see how he's going to react to all these court decisions.”
Dugan says the unpredictability of the future also concerns her.
"The whole thing with the stock market and the tariffs," she said. "It's unsettling."
Alongside Dugan was Mary Ann Ahrens, who has attended four of the seven protests.
"It feels wonderful that people want to help make our country better and encourage government services to serve people," Ahrens said of the growing turnout.
Dugan carried a sign that read “Save Our Constitution,” joining hundreds of others with signs advocating for causes ranging from Medicaid and veterans’ rights to public education.
“You do this to educate people as they're driving by, hoping that they'll join us at some future point,” said Phineas Anderson.
The protests are expected to continue biweekly.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
