A "no work, no school, no shopping" blackout day of protest was held across Minnesota on Friday as communities came together to express their outrage against the surge of immigration agents in the state. The Day of Truth & Freedom protest follows the killing of Renee Good, an unarmed woman killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Leaders from community groups, faith organizations, and labor unions led the day's events, which included marches, rallies, and closures of local businesses in solidarity. Dozens of local businesses in Minnesota have announced their support for the day of action, with some going so far as to close their doors completely in protest.
The protesters are demanding that ICE leave Minnesota, that the officer who killed Good be held accountable for her death, an end to additional federal funding for ICE, and a full investigation into human rights and constitutional violations by the agency.
Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, president of the Minnesota Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, noted that "dangerously cold weather" was forecasted for Friday, but the community is committed to showing up in solidarity. She added, "We are a northern state, and we're built for the cold... We're going to show up, but folks need to pay attention to not just the march, but what people are doing, individual stories of solidarity."
The Minneapolis city council has endorsed the day of action, and the general strike is expected to culminate in a march through downtown Minneapolis at 2pm local time. The event comes as tensions between immigration enforcement and local communities continue to escalate.
Leaders from community groups, faith organizations, and labor unions led the day's events, which included marches, rallies, and closures of local businesses in solidarity. Dozens of local businesses in Minnesota have announced their support for the day of action, with some going so far as to close their doors completely in protest.
The protesters are demanding that ICE leave Minnesota, that the officer who killed Good be held accountable for her death, an end to additional federal funding for ICE, and a full investigation into human rights and constitutional violations by the agency.
Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, president of the Minnesota Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, noted that "dangerously cold weather" was forecasted for Friday, but the community is committed to showing up in solidarity. She added, "We are a northern state, and we're built for the cold... We're going to show up, but folks need to pay attention to not just the march, but what people are doing, individual stories of solidarity."
The Minneapolis city council has endorsed the day of action, and the general strike is expected to culminate in a march through downtown Minneapolis at 2pm local time. The event comes as tensions between immigration enforcement and local communities continue to escalate.
. I'm not saying I disagree with what they're fighting for, but can't we focus on actual solutions instead of just marching in a circle? 
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. Can't we have a real conversation about this stuff? 
. We can do better than this 
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my kids don't even know what ICE stands for, but they deserve to feel safe in their community too... it's heartbreaking to think about Renee Good and her family 
shouldn't we be working together instead of against each other? i want to support these families who are fighting for justice, can i volunteer somewhere? this is getting bigger by the day, we need to be listening and learning from our neighbors 
omg i'm low-key impressed by these minnesotans for comin thru like this!! i mean, the cold weather doesn't even matter 
they're all about showin' up for justice & makin' their voices heard! and can we talk about how cool it is that dozens of local businesses are gettin' on board with the protest? that's some real solidarity right there 
i'm also loving the fact that ppl are sharin' individual stories of support - that's what's gonna make this movement REALLY pop 
gotta keep an eye on this one, it's shapin up to be a major moment in the fight for immigrant rights 
What's next? People getting arrested for simply walking down the street? This is what's wrong with our system, the lack of accountability and respect for human rights... it's just not right 
. I mean, how can we just sit back and watch our own people get targeted by these immigration agents? Renee Good's murder is just a symptom of a larger problem - the systemic disregard for human rights in our country 
. It's time for us to stand up and demand change! The fact that local businesses are closing their doors in solidarity is amazing - it shows that we're not just talking about this issue, but taking action 
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. We need to hold those responsible accountable and demand an end to ICE's oppressive practices 
. It's time for us to take back our state and show the world what we're made of 
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... i'm not saying i agree with the whole no-work-no-school vibe, but i get why they're upset about Renee's death... it's a huge deal when someone gets killed by an immigration officer and no one gets held accountable 
. personally, i think the protesters' demands are reasonable - if there's gonna be an investigation into human rights violations, we should at least know what's going on 
... and hey, if people wanna protest in the cold, that's their prerogative 
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. Like, I get it, they want to show support for their community, but can't they just do that without closing their doors? It's not like the protesters are asking them to give up everything...just a day of solidarity would be nice 
. We need more events like this, where people can express their outrage and demand justice for those who have been wronged 
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