The Minnesota General Strike
By Labor unions, protest organizers, and others have called a general strike in Minnesota today to protest the occupation by federal troops. ICE is the focus, but there are others there like CBP.
Coverage by New York Times, Washington Post, and The Guardian.
Guardian:
A “no work, no school, no shopping” blackout day of protest was kicked off by community leaders, faith leaders and labor unions on Friday in protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surge in the state.
The “Day of Truth & Freedom” protest comes in the wake of the killing of Renee Good, the unarmed woman killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Their demands include that ICE leave Minnesota, that the ICE officer who killed Good be legally held accountable, an end to additional federal funding for ICE, and for the agency to be investigated for human rights and constitutional violations.
Hundreds of local businesses in Minnesota have announced closures in solidarity. Thousands of people are expected to call out from work to join the action, while others will participate by not shopping on Friday. The Minneapolis city council endorsed the day of action and the general strike.
NYT:
Parts of the city seemed like a ghost town on Friday morning, with many cafes and local coffee chains shuttered, signs posted in their windows expressing solidarity with the strike.
One of the few places still serving coffee was Misfit in Minneapolis, which sits in a large warehouse like building west of downtown. The owner, Marcus Parkansky, said his way of participating in the strike was to remain open on Friday but only offer coffee, pastries and espresso shots free of charge. And, thanks to a donation from a woman in Texas, there will also be a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of Baileys, for anyone who wants to spike their cup.
As to the point of the strike, Mr. Parkansky said he hopes it shows the federal government how organized Minneapolis is and how much people oppose the immigration enforcement surge. “What we want to see is for the shenanigans to stop,” he said.
WaPo:
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA — Friday is the busiest day at the 620 Club, a buzzing bar known for its coney dogs, jukebox and billiards. But this Friday, it is among hundreds of businesses in the Twin Cities that are closed in an economic protest of the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota.
The goal of the protest, said 620 Club co-owner Ruth Kashmark, is to demonstrate that “this is what the world’s going to look like if you take our hard-working neighbors away.”
Immigrant-run businesses just blocks away have been hit hard by ICE activity, with one shutting down and others locking their doors and reducing work hours, Kashmark said.
“This is hurting small businesses,” she said. “I don’t have any immigrant employees. So I’m not even feeling it like other businesses, but I thought I’d shut down for one day to show solidarity. We’ll take the loss.”
Faith leaders are playing a big part. From In These Times:
About 100 faith leaders blocked the road outside of Terminal 1 departures at the Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport Friday morning in an act of civil disobedience and as part of the January 23 Minnesota shutdown against ICE.
They sang “before this campaign fails, we’ll all go down to jail, everybody has a right to live.” And they held signs that show abducted members of UNITE HERE Local 17, as a crowd of thousands of supporters sang and chanted.
The action comes as all eyes are on Minnesota Friday morning. A major work stoppage has been called by a large coalition to resist the onslaught of thousands of federal agents that have descended on the state, unleashing violence and abducting Minnesotans.
Some of the protesters, workers and faith leaders outside the airport could be heard chanting “We are the workers, the mighty mighty workers!” “We are under reacting” and another person with a bullhorn loudly emphasized: “We are here to tell corporations to stop being complicit with ICE.”
There are sympathy demonstrations across the country. Tell us about yours!