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| Fifth Column |
| Elon Musk asked, βWho is funding and organizing all these [Tesla Takedown] paid protests?β |
| 2025-04-01 |
Asra Nomani @AsraNomani Hello @ElonMusk and Friends, You asked who is funding and organizing the #TeslaTakedown protests. I've got answers for you, after going onto the streets of northern Virginia for the local protests here, seeing familiar faces from the Virginia Democratic political machine and then following the money -- and the data. AstroTurf Protest Industry To your question, at latest count, as of 3/30, 5:30 AM: π΄24 organizations and counting are funding and organizing the #TeslaTakedown protests and leading the very partisan propaganda campaign against Tesla, Tesla drivers, Tesla employees, Donald Trump and you. See below to see all 24 groups with their revenues, involvement, tax ID numbers and other info. π΄These organizations have combined annual revenues of at least $124 MILLION and counting. π΄ 100% of the groups are aligned with the Democratic Party. At the protest on 3/29 at Tyco Road, in Tysons, Va., a photo I took of a "Virginia Democrats" sign in front of the Tesla dealership. π΄ Most of these groups enjoy tax-deductible status as 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, claiming they are "nonpartisan." A few have PACs. The organizations have not returned requests for comment. Database π΄ You can see the raw data on 306 #TeslaTakedown protests in the database here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13MOGhdMPc-_lGGdEGkS0QVSayczGG7Z5rlk_LUxdCTk/edit?usp=sharing Back story I'm a former Wall Street Journal reporter and a propaganda expert and editor of the @DPearlProject , a journalism nonprofit named for my WSJ colleague and friend Daniel Pearl. Since Oct. 7th, I have been reporting on the anti-Jew, anti-America, anti-Israel protests and building a database, following the money. It numbers 2,000 groups now, and I am working on a web and mobile app for parents, policymakers, university administrators, law enforcement, the public and others. I went to the #TeslaTakedown protest a week ago Saturday on Tyco Road at the Tysons, Va., and saw familiar faces from Indivisible and the Fairfax County Democratic Party, shouting for you to be deported as they stood outside the Tesla dealership. I wondered too who is organizing and funding the protests nationwide. I got the protest details scraped from ActionNetwork and Mobilize, the two platforms aligned with the Democratic Party promoting the #TeslaTakedown protests, and built a public database of the groups behind the Tesla protest. AstroTurf, not "grassroots" π΄ In an article for the @FairfaxTimes , I wrote about how the local protests in Tysons, are a window into how the protests are AstroTurf, not "grassroots." What this case reveals is the way that a multi-million dollar professional protest industry manufactures outrage in top-down political theater, agitprop, or agitation propaganda, and now criminal offenses. Here is the article: https://fairfaxtimes.com/articles/local-teslatakedown-reveals-grassroots-protests-are-astroturf/article_1c368d4d-708c-4074-b5fa-5eaf6a32ea97.html π΄ Next step: I just got data on the April 5 #HandsOff protests and will be adding that data to the database. In addition, I am completing an analysis of the propaganda using the tools of natural language processing and content analysis. Why is this important to report on? Because defending principles of free enterprise and individual liberty in the U.S. means allowing people to buy whatever make of car they wish without fear of danger or harassment and allowing companies to do business without fear of danger or harassment. All, please let me know if you have any questions, ideas or recommendations. Asra asra@asranomani.com To support the Pearl Project: http://asranomani.com/donate 24+ Groups Leading and Funding #TeslaTakedown (and counting) π΄1. Name: 50501 Mission: protesting "anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies" Annual Revenues: not yet found IRS Status: Not transparent Headquarters: Not transparent EIN IRS Number: Not transparent Key Leader(s): Not transparent Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Protests π΄2. Name: ActionNetwork Mission: "trains and educates progressive" Annual Revenues: unknown IRS Status: 501(c)(4) EIN IRS Number: 46-1832144 Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Organizing platform. π΄3. Name: Action Network Fund Mission: "helps organizations incorporate organizing strategies" Annual Revenues: 195025 IRS Status: 501(c)(3) EIN IRS Number: 45-2288010 Key Leader(s): Mark Fleischman Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Organizing platform π΄4. Name: ActUp New York Inc. Mission: ACT UP NY, the "AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power," a "diverse, non-partisan group of individuals united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis." Annual Revenues: $36,411 IRS Status: not yet found Headquarters: New York EIN IRS Number: 13-3501884 Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC demonstrations π΄5. Name: Climate Defenders Annual Revenues: not yet found IRS Status: Program of the New York Communities Organizing Fund, Inc., 501(c)(3) Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC protests π΄6. Name: Climate Defenders Action Fund Mission: Dedicated to "dismantle the fossil fuel industry" Annual Revenues: not yet found IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: San Diego EIN IRS Number: 82-3232098 Key Leader(s): Cecilia Aguillon, Tara Kelly Hammond, Christine James, Lester Machado, David Neison Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC π΄7. Name: Democratic Party local and state chapters Annual Revenues: Tallying for each chapter Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Local presence in coordinated events π΄8. Name: Democratic Socialists of America Annual Revenues: $5,800,000 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: New York EIN IRS Number: 13-3109557 Key Leader(s): Michael Grochowski Involvement in Tesla Takedown: local protests π΄9. Name: Disruption Project Annual Revenues: 28480 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: Philadelphia EIN IRS Number: 85-1066939 Key Leader(s): Wende Marshall, Kathryn Sipp, Arielle Klagsbrun, Jeffrey Ordower Involvement in Tesla Takedown: 218/306 protests π΄10. Name: Housing Works Inc. Mission: providing "assistance & expertise to homeless persons living with AIDS or HIV-related illnesses" Annual Revenues: $51,762,615 IRS Status: 501(c)(3) Headquarters: Brooklyn, N.Y. EIN IRS Number: 13-3584089 Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC demonstrations π΄11. Name: Indivisible Action Annual Revenues: $9,922,930 IRS Status: Hybrid Political Action Committee Headquarters: Washington, D.C. EIN IRS Number: 83-0529629 Key Leader(s): Elizabeth Ramey Involvement in Tesla Takedown: National protests π΄12. Name: Indivisible Project, organizing "Tesla Takedown" and "Hands Off" protests Annual Revenues: 12565196 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: Washington, D.C. EIN IRS Number: 81-4944067 Key Leader(s): Leah Greenberg, Ezra Levin Involvement in Tesla Takedown: 88/306; it has bragged it has organized 600 #HandsOff protests for April 5. π΄13. Name: http://Mobilize.us, run by MobilizeAmerica Inc. - owned by EveryAction, the parent company of NGP VAN Annual Revenues: not found yet Involvement in Tesla Takedown: organizing platform π΄14. Name: MoveOnorg Civic Action Annual Revenues: $6,000,000 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: Beaverton, Or. EIN IRS Number: 06-1553389 Key Leader(s): Rahna Epting Involvement in Tesla Takedown: #HandsOff "De-escalation Training" π΄15. Name: Not Above the Law Coalition -- counted now as one but includes numerous groups Members: As of 6/9/2023: American Oversight; Center for American Progress Action Fund; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW); Common Cause; Congressional Integrity Project; Constitutional Accountability Center; The Criminalization of Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies; Daily Kos; Defend Democracy Action Project; Defend the Vote Action Fund; DemCast USA; End Citizens United/Let America Vote; Fix Democracy First; Free Speech For People; Greenpeace USA; Indivisible; J Street; League of Conservation Voters; MoveOn; NextGen America; Our Revolution; People For the American Way; People Power United; Public Citizen; Public Wise; Secure Elections Network; Sierra Club; Stand Up America; Wisconsin Democracy Campaign; and The Workers Circle. SOURCE: press release Involvement in Tesla Takedown: "Hands Off! Mass Call for mobilizing against Trump's power grab" π΄16. Name: Planet Over Profit Annual Revenues: not yet found IRS Status: Program of New York Communities Organizing Fund, Inc. EIN IRS Number: not yet found Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC demonstrations π΄17. Name: Public Citizen Foundation Annual Revenues: $13,389,271 IRS Status: 501(c)(3) Headquarters: Washington, D.C. EIN IRS Number: 52-1263996 Key Leader(s): Mark Chavez, director, chair; Robert Weissman, president; Sid Wolfe, founder, senior fellow; Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC demonstrations π΄18. Name: Public Citizen Inc. Annual Revenues: $5,728,329 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: Washington, D.C. EIN IRS Number: 23-7104508 Key Leader(s): JASON ADKINS, DIRECTOR, CHAIR; JOAN CLAYBROOK, DIRECTOR; ROBERT WEISSMAN, PRESIDENT Involvement in Tesla Takedown: "Hands Off! Mass Call for mobilizing against Trump's power grab" π΄19. Name: Rise and Resist Inc. Annual Revenues: $21,999 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) (most recent filing 2017) Headquarters: New York, N.Y. EIN IRS Number: 82-2188628 Key Leader(s): Ivy Arce, Martin Joseph QUinn, Jamie Ray Bauer, Jay W. Walker, Stuart Waldman Annual Revenues: $14,588 IRS Status: Fiscal program of A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, 501(c)(3) - EIN No. 23-7379088 Involvement in Tesla Takedown: NYC demonstrations π΄20. Name: Stand Up America Inc. Mission: Established to "mobilize progressive Americans" Annual Revenues: $9.867,658 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: Bethesda, Md. EIN IRS Number: 32-0512546 Key Leader(s): Sean Eldridge, Christina Harvey, Joe Hines, Brett Edkins, Monica Garcia, Joi Rae, Brynna Quillin Involvement in Tesla Takedown: "Hands Off! Mass Call for mobilizing against Trump's power grab" π΄21. Name: Swing Left Mission: Dedicated to "help Democrats win" Annual Revenues: $16,523,456 IRS Status: Hybrid PAC/Super PAC EIN IRS Number: FEC Committee ID: C00632133 Key Leader(s): Yasmin Radjy Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Protests π΄22. Name: Tax Reformers LLC, running "http://TaxElon.us" "("an offshoot of http://TeslaTakedown.com") Annual Revenues: not yet found IRS Status: not yet found Headquarters: Erie, Pa. EIN IRS Number: not yet found Involvement in Tesla Takedown: Protests π΄23. Name: Third Act Initiative Inc. Annual Revenues: $2,008,973 IRS Status: 501(c)(4) Headquarters: New York EIN IRS Number: 88-0776955 Key Leader(s): Bill McKibben, Vanessa Arcara, Akaya Windwood Involvement in Tesla Takedown: DC, Virginia and Maryland protests π΄24. Name: Troublemakers Annual Revenues: not yet available IRS Status: not yet available Headquarters: Seattle EIN IRS Number: not yet available Key Leader(s): unknown Involvement in Tesla Takedown: 224/306 protests If you have any tips to add to this reporting, please write to me at asra@asranomani.com or DM me. Thank you. Related: Asra Nomani 03/13/2025 Mahmoud Khalil: Palestinian Graduate Arrested In US Worked For UK 'Flagship Soft Power Policy', judge rules to keep him longer in LA detention, a dozen arrested in unruly protest crowd outside courtroom Asra Nomani 10/06/2021 Parents respond to DOJ, school boards' statements: 'I am what a domestic terrorist looks like?' Asra Nomani 01/26/2016 "Try To Relax Here For A While Because They’re Going To Kill You Anyway" |
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| #1 17 Teslas Go Up in Flames in Rome. Coincidenceβor Arson? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-04-01 07:53 |