Hundreds of enthusiastic residents filed into the First Congressional Church across from Grand Junction High School on Saturday to voice their irritation and concern over the current decisions by the Trump administration.
In what was called the “Musk or Us” rally, the gathering packed the large church with people seated outside the main area and lined up against both inside walls.
The rally was referred to as a town hall where 3rd Congressional District Rep. Jeff Hurd was invited, and even though the rally was labeled “Musk or Us,” Hurd was a frequent target of speakers.
First Congressional Church Pastor Paul Ashby kicked off the event with a series of questions for the standing-room only crowd, which resulted in thunderous responses.
“When Jesus was asked the question ‘Who was my neighbor?’ he shared the story of the Good Samaritan, and thank goodness we have Good Samaritans in our district and our towns,” he told the crowd.
He said that over the past month he has raised many questions to his congregation.
A crowd estimated to be more than 300 people filled the First Congressional Church in Grand Junction for a “Musk or Us” rally.
Dale Shrull/The Daily Sentinel
“Questions like do we want an un-elected billionaire megalomaniac having access to all of our bank accounts, our social security and our tax records?” Ashby asked.
With each question asked the crowd responded with a thunderous “No.”
“Are we willing to speak the truth that tariffs are paid by us and not by foreign nations?” Ashby asked.
The crowd this time responded with a “Yes.”
One of the largest and loudest responses came when talking about the war between Russia and the Ukraine.
Ashby even used a tale from the Old Testament for the Ukraine subject.
“There’s a lot of crazy stuff in the book called the Bible, there’s a lot of crazy stuff,” he said holding up the book. “But I would believe a guy named Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days before I would believe that Ukraine started a war with Russia.
“I wish our Representative (Hurd) were here today. I think he would say no to many of these things too, and I’d like to hear it from him.”
At the end of this event introduction, Ashby lit a candle that “is symbolic for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”
The heavily Democrat crowd was vocal about criticisms of the Trump administration, Elon Musk and Rep. Hurd.
One speaker asked the audience if anyone voted for Donald Trump in the recent election, and no one raised a hand.
Photos by Dale Shrull/The Daily Sentinel
A small group of protesters gathered at the corner of 12th Street and North Avenue on Saturday before going to a “Musk or Us” town hall meeting at the First Congressional Church.
Dale Shrull/The Daily Sentinel
Even only a little over a month into the new administration, many speakers used the event as a campaign rallying cry for voters to “flip” seats in the House and Senate, including Hurd’s.
With the crowd estimated to be more than 300, people streamed to the microphone to voice their frustrations. Some literally had to be pulled away from speaking to give way to others.
Teachers from School District 51 spoke about concerns the Department of Education and federal funding might go away.
Federal workers spoke about the need for staff to manage public lands. Few subjects were bypassed.
An anti-Musk and other issues protest was held at the corner of 12th Street and North Avenue before the rally at the church.
Rep. Hurd’s office declined to comment on the event.
The event was sponsored by Indivisible GJ, Mountain Action Indivisible, North Fork Indivisible and Indivisible Montrose.