Alex Pretti memorial grows amid ICE protests in Minneapolis
USA TODAY’s National Correspondent Trevor Hughes is on the ground in Minneapolis.
Several shops in Midtown Reno are closing Friday, Jan. 30 in solidarity with small businesses that are shutting for the day to protest Minneapolis immigration enforcement operations that have resulted in fatal shootings.
“We are all small businesses that stand in solidarity with small businesses and communities in Minneapolis,” Ilya Arbatman, co-owner of Midtown bookstore Radical Cat, told the Reno Gazette Journal in an email Thursday morning.
The protests are in response to ICE activity, including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti earlier this month in Minneapolis.
Called a “national shutdown,” the Jan. 30 strike comes a week after hundreds of Minnesota businesses closed as part of a statewide strike. On Friday, the national shutdown calls for an end to ICE funding, which has been in discussion in the U.S. Senate this week, with the threat of a government shutdown.
“We are not able to conduct ‘business-as-usual’ when conditions around us leave us no choice but join a popular movement that demands: no ICE army in the streets, no more violence with impunity, no more federal abuse of power,” Arbatman said.
Other businesses echoed similar sentiments.
“Friday is typically one of our busiest days of the week, but it feels wrong to open the store on a day where I feel people should be focused on the bigger picture,” Reyna Casey, owner of vintage clothing store Dress 2 Kill, told the RGJ on Thursday.
Michelle Czarka, owner of Pantry Products, a body-care and candle store, said her store is closing but those that remain open are showing support in other ways.
“What we’ve been saying is that it’s a privilege to close our business, protest happens in many different forms and some of our neighbors are remaining open to be a safe space for the community,” Czarka said.
Tooti Frooti and Bad Apple VNTG posted on social media: “Now is the time to pressure lawmakers to vote on policies that prioritize protecting our communities and stop funding these orgs aimed at destroying lives while killing innocent bystanders.”
Which Reno businesses are closed on Jan. 30?
The following businesses have confirmed they are closing Jan. 30 as part of the general strike in solidarity with Minnesota and the nationwide anti-ICE protest.
- The Radical Cat
- Finetooth Records
- Glass Die
- Bad Apple VNTG
- Tooti Frooti
- Bibo Coffee (both locations)
- Dress 2 Kill
- Coyote Supply Co.
- Pantry Products
- Corrigan’s Lost Highway
- Nook and Cranny Bookshop
- Midtown Tattoo
- Sierra Water Gardens
- Magpie Coffee Roasters
If you know of any other businesses participating in the Jan. 30 strike, please email Connect reporter Carly Sauvageau at CarlyS@rgj.com.
