Planted in the grass outside of Congressman Trent Kelly’s Columbus district office are two signs. One has the statement “SAY NO TO MUSK GETTING FAA CONTRACT” sprawled across it in red ink. The other reads “Who will be Trump’s next Oligarch?”
Sitting behind the signs on Friday were Columbus residents Annis Cox, Fred Kinder and Jennifer Bailey. Others drifted in and out. Cox organized the protest with the goal of drawing attention to what she deems “hypocrisy” in the government, specifically opposing businessman and presidential advisor Elon Musk.
“We’ve been mad for a while that we haven’t had elected representatives who stood up and said no to Trump and now to Musk, and it’s just time we start letting other people know what we feel, and maybe Representative Kelly can understand a different point of view,” Cox told The Dispatch at the protest.
The group was protesting in response to recent reports of a potential contract between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
Speculation of the contract arose Wednesday after the Washington Post reported the FAA was on the verge of canceling its $2.4 billion contract with Verizon and giving it to Starlink, a division of SpaceX, Musk’s satellite and rocket company. This contract, awarded to Verizon in 2023, aims to improve ground-based communication systems. However, no official confirmation of a proposed FAA-Starlink contract has emerged.
While Musk owns SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, he was also tasked by President Donald Trump with overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency.
Fellow protestor Kinder added the protest’s aim is simple: “to make people aware.” He echoed Cox’s concerns, questioning the fairness of the reported contract.
“Musk is cleaning house in every agency, and then he gets a contract for (terminals) for the FAA,” Kinder said. “What’s wrong with that picture?”
In the wake of these reports, Bailey, who said she had never protested before, suddenly felt the urgency to make her voice heard.
“This just seems the time to take a stand,” Bailey said.
Kelly represents the first district of Mississippi in Congress. While the protest is located outside of Kelly’s North Seventh Street district office, Cox emphasized she hopes to reach more elected officials than just him.
“He is an elected representative, and this is his office,” she said. “Hopefully, the other elected officials will get the message too.”
Cox believes one protest alone won’t bring about change, but continued efforts across multiple locations send a powerful message.
She also hopes the protest will be the beginning of other conversations.
“The goal is not to be confrontational or in your face about anything,” she explained. “I would love for somebody to come and explain why they think the way they do, and maybe we could explain why we think the way we do. Maybe that’s the beginning of a bridge – that first plank.”
Cox has committed to sitting outside Kelly’s office every Friday from noon to 1 p.m., inviting anyone who shares her concerns to join her.
“Who knows what will come from it,” Cox said.
“We’re just planting the seed,” Kinder added.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
