San Franciscans will descend upon Dolores Park on Friday afternoon to join the “ICE Out” walkouts and protest taking place in dozens of cities across the country today.
Organizers are hoping to replicate the success of a “general strike” that took place on Jan. 23 in Minneapolis, when hundreds of businesses shut down and thousands of people filled the streets to lambast Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The group 50501 showed marches planned coast to coast, and students at the University of Minnesota have called for academic walkouts. In San Francisco, at least 70 businesses said they would close, and the Dolores Park protest was set to kick off at 1 p.m.
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A few hours beforehand, the only sign of the impending protest was three stickers plastered on top of street placards near the park that replaced the road name and read “ABOLISH ICE.”
One plastered on the corner of 18th and Guerrero, one at the corner of Church and 18th, and another at Mission and 18th.
Two girls walked toward the park with a picnic basket full of snacks, unaware of the commotion they would likely encounter in a few hours.
Friday’s “National Day of Action,” is organized as a response to the protests in Minnesota which have ensued since Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, were killed by ICE.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Tagged: ICE, immigration, Mission, protests
Clara-Sophia Daly is a multimedia storyteller and reporter who has worked both in print and audio. A graduate of Skidmore College where she studied International Affairs and Media/Film studies, she enjoys working at the intersection of art and politics, and focusing on the stories of individuals to reveal larger themes.