MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A general strike protesting ICE is unfolding across the Twin Cities on Friday, with business closures and a planned march and rally in downtown Minneapolis.
General strike to protest ICE
The backstory:
According to Indivisible Twin Cities, Minnesotans will come together on Friday, Jan. 23, for “ICE out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom.”
This is a “statewide day of non-violent moral action, reflection” where people are asked to not go to work, not go to school and don’t go shopping. Instead, they will only participate in “community, conscience, and collective action,” Indivisible Twin Cities says.
Organizers say they hope this “day of action” somehow hits ICE financially and gets the attention of federal leaders.
Dig deeper:
Unlike typical strikes, a general strike involves workers across multiple sectors simultaneously pausing their work in order to halt economic activity, with the goal of significant social, political, or economic changes.
Minnesota’s last major general strike was in 1934, when a Teamsters-led labor action shut down Minneapolis’s trucking industry. Workers demanding union recognition and better conditions escalated the dispute into a citywide shutdown.
That strike lasted for nearly the entire summer, after it came on the heels of what is known as “Bloody Friday,” when police shot at picketers, killing two strikers and injuring nearly 70 more. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, instead of a one-day strike, this strike went on for about two months, but did eventually succeed with a Citizens Alliance business group and some significant union gains.
Businesses closed, march and rally planned for Friday
Local perspective:
Despite the frigid cold, people are set to gather at 2 p.m. at The Commons in Minneapolis and take part in a mile-long march to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis where a rally will be held inside. The rally is a ticketed event, more information can be found here.
Many businesses in the Twin Cities are also closing or adjusting their hours on Friday. According to Indivisible Twin Cities, over 700 businesses have committed to close, dozens of places of faith are shutting their doors, and over a dozen unions and federations are joining in on Friday’s actions.
With closures continuing to grow due to both the dangerously cold weather and the day of action, residents planning to leave home on Friday are encouraged to check ahead whether businesses, museums, places of worship or other destinations are open.
