When Isai Cuevas closes the doors of his Oaxacan restaurant Donaji on Friday, he won’t just be joining a national strike to denounce the Trump administration’s immigration policies. He’ll be teaching his three children a lesson about dignity and self-determination.
“They’re gonna grow into our values that we teach them,” said Cuevas, a Mexican immigrant who owns the restaurant in the Mission with his wife. “This is part of showing support to each other. We need to act. We need to show up. We need to protest.”
San Francisco, Oakland, and other Bay Area cities are taking part in nationwide protests Friday after federal agents were recorded killing Alex Pretti and Renee Good in separate shootings this month in Minneapolis. Kids will walk out of school, and business owners will close their shops to denounce the harsh immigration policies.
The collective action is inspired by the 700 small businesses and several cultural institutions that closed Friday in Minneapolis as part of an economic protest that organizers estimate drew 50,000 people in subzero temperatures — the biggest strike that city had seen in 80 years. Now, Bay Area businesses and residents are answering the call.
Where to gather
The largest Bay Area gathering will be at San Francisco’s Dolores Park, where protesters are called to assemble at 1 p.m. A contingent from UC Berkeley will rally at West Crescent Lawn at noon before hopping on BART to join the Dolores Park demonstration.
In Oakland, there will be a rally at 2 p.m. at the Fruitvale BART station. Students at Life Academy plan to skip class and walk to the plaza.
College students across the region are organizing their own actions. Stanford students will gather at noon at the campus’ White Plaza, while Santa Clara University’s student group is meeting at the Bronco statue at noon. At College of San Mateo, students will walk out at 12:30 p.m. from Building 10 for a march to Central Park.
At Alameda City Hall, a solidarity gathering will begin at noon; organizers invite community members to share stories and take photos in support of Minneapolis.
Business blackout
For Cuevas, closing Donaji on one of the busiest days of the week is a sacrifice he’s willing to make.
“It’s been a very stressful time,” Cuevas said. “I’m Mexican. I came to the United States. I have three kids. Obviously, it’s been a lot of concern. I have all my friends, Latinos from the industry. Ninety-nine percent of my staff is Latinos.”
Richard Weld, who owns the toy store Tantrum with his wife, Amanda, said the decision to close both locations, in the Inner Richmond and Mill Valley, came quickly after watching events unfold in Minneapolis. Weld has a friend who has a small business there.
“We feel kind of small and hopeless these days,” Weld said. “It seems like enough people are sort of coming together over this. We think, we hope, that it will send a message.”
Tantrum, which has been in the city for more than 12 years, has seen universal support for the closure, Weld said. His daughter will be walking out with her school to participate in the protests.
Katie Douglas, owner of the Castro running shop Running Wylder, is also closing Friday but struggled with the decision — not because of lost revenue but because she views her store as a community hub.
“I actually might be at the store all day anyway tomorrow, but just not accepting money or orders,” Douglas said. She’s considering offering free coffee to anyone who wants to be around like-minded people or make signs for the protest.
“If Minneapolis is teaching us anything right now, it’s that we really need to look out for our neighbors and for our friends,” she said. “Now more than ever.”
But Douglas also has a message about the limits of small-business solidarity: Customers should make sure large retailers feel the pressure.
“What really needs to happen is people need to choose to not spend their money at companies that actually are billion-dollar companies and are traded on Wall Street — Amazon, Whole Foods, Target — to actually move the needle.”
Black Jet Baking Co. in Bernal Heights announced that it too would close Friday, noting on social media that it’s “harder and harder to go on with business as usual” while “our current administration is legitimizing cruelty, killing citizens and destroying the fabric of America.” Customers with special orders can pick them up at a side door.
Touchstone Climbing, which operates 17 locations in San Francisco, will close all facilities for the day. Remi Moehring, the assistant director of operations, said the decision came easily.
“There’s a general feeling in the entire state of California and the entire country of just, you know, sort of helplessness, and we really wanted to do something,” Moehring said. Staff will be paid through the closure.
While the response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Moehring acknowledged that a “vocal minority” of members are upset about the closure. “We’re just trying to remind them that this is something that both staff and management and leadership are aligned on.”
Ways to help
Several business owners asked that Bay Area residents support them by shopping. Tantrum, Running Wylder, and the others will reopen Saturday.
“I hope that people understand what we are doing and that they show up and help us,” Cuevas said. “Small businesses, we always show up here in San Francisco for a lot of things. We always swim against the current.”
Organizers are directing people to nationalshutdown.org (opens in new tab) for more information on actions nationwide. Eddie’s List has a list (opens in new tab) of Bay Area businesses shutting down Friday.