Labor unions, faith leaders, and community groups announce a statewide shutdown to protest federal immigration enforcement.
Unions and community groups gathered in front of the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota this morning to announce a day of “no work, no school, no shopping” on January 23 to oppose the ferocious assault on the state by federal immigration authorities.
“We are facing a tsunami of hate from our own federal government,” Abdikarim Khasim, a Minnesota rideshare driver, told the crowd. “We’re going to shut it down on the 23rd. We’re going to overcome this.”
JaNaé Bates Imari, representative of the Camphor Memorial UMC church, told the crowd that the joint action will be “a day when every single Minnesotan who loves this state — who loves the idea of truth and freedom — will refuse to work, shop and go to school. We are asking every single person, every family member, every teacher, every bus driver, every childcare worker, to come together, to be in community, to stand with one another.”
“What we have witnessed, what we have all gone through, is not normal,” she added. “We have seen through several videos the murder of one of our own, Renee Good. We have witnessed violence, over and over again. Families being torn apart, loved ones being torn from their hospital beds, from their workplaces, homes. Violence is no longer a threat but a reality that surrounds us.”
Major labor unions in Minnesota are supporting the call, including Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1005, SEIU Local 26, UNITE HERE Local 17, CWA Local 7250, and St. Paul Federation of Educators Local 28 — and organizers expect this list to grow. Faith in Minnesota, a faith-based social justice organization, has also joined the call. Minnesota has a history of joint, coalitional action among community groups, worker centers and unions.
When asked if the groups are calling for a strike, Bates Imari said, “For some people, that is what this will feel like. The reality is that we have to make sure that every single person is doing what we are called to do at this time, that is grounded in their commitment and their conviction. For some people they call that a strike. For many of us, this is our right to refuse until something changes.”On Saturday, at least 10,000 people marched in South Minneapolis to demand ICE leave Minnesota. The rally, organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, called on state and city leadership to protect immigrant workers and hold ICE accountable.
The march was filled with colorful puppets, indigenous dancers, and hundreds of signs both condemning ICE and showing solidarity with Good. The crowd was a diverse mix of members of social justice organizations, labor groups, Minneapolis residents, and supporters from the Minnesota suburbs. Protests chants were sung in English, Spanish and Somali.
The marchers stopped on the street where Good was killed by ICE officer Jonathan Ross, and hundreds of bouquets of flowers, candles, and offerings were left in Good’s honor. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was in attendance and supported calls for ICE to leave Minnesota.
