Philadelphia business owners and residents participated in a national protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Protesters gathered at the north side of City Hall in Center City on Friday, around 4 p.m.
“What we need to remember is change really happens here,” Zee O’Conner, one of the protesters, told NBC10. “What we’re trying to accomplish is shut down most aspects of the economy to really inspire significant change and to show that the power is in the people.”
The gathering was part of a nationwide day of action calling on people to not go to work or school, close businesses and only shop at local establishments in order to impact the economy and protest ICE.
“I think we’re so far past things being political,” Maggie Greene, the owner of Muse Yoga & Fitness, told NBC10. “This is basic human rights.”
Greene told NBC10 closing her business on Friday as part of the protest wasn’t an easy decision but it was an important one.
“I was a little nervous of course,” she said. “I didn’t know if there would be any feathers ruffled or anything like that but it felt really important to me to stay in line with my own values and hope that my team would be proud of me.”
Another business owner, Daniela Morales, told NBC10 she couldn’t afford to shut her doors on Friday after already closing for days because of the recent snowstorm.
“Opening doesn’t mean we aren’t supporting the strike,” she said. “It is the reality of our economic state. For us to stay open is for us to survive.”
Morales said she’s showing her support by donating to immigrant rights organizations.
Another business owner, Jennifer Zavala, is sharing “Know Your Rights” information and details about upcoming rallies and protests.
“It really comes out to resources being able to share those in creating community,” Zavala said. “Because if people are afraid to come out of their house, how are they supposed to know that the neighborhood supports them and keeps them safe while they’re doing that?”
Friday’s protest comes just days after Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joined a nationwide coalition of prosecutors who are working to ensure federal agents are prosecuted for any violation of state laws.
The coalition was formed in the aftermath of the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, who were both fatally shot by ICE agents in separate incidents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Philadelphia City Councilmembers also proposed “ICE OUT” legislation, a package of bills aimed at limiting how ICE operates within Philadelphia.
