Downtown Sacramento filled with
over 1,000 students and workers protesting mass deportations Jan.
30, part of a “National Shutdown” that involved hundreds of
cities around the country. The Sacramento event was led by
students from six public high schools, who secured

a
permit, left class
after second period, gathered at the state Capitol and held a
march and rally from Cesar Chavez Plaza. Hundreds of other
protesters joined them, holding “Abolish ICE” signs sponsored by
Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang’s congressional campaign along
with handmade signs with slogans like “Liberty and justice for
all” and “Can’t spell cowardice without ICE.”

McClatchy High School students march from the school to the 4th
Avenue/Wayne Hultgren Light Rail station during the Jan. 30 ICE
OUT! national protest.

A shutdown is effectively a kind
of strike — as in a workplace strike, participants protest
conditions by withholding labor, but instead of pushing against
workplace conditions, they are rallying against broader issues.
While small businesses were not the direct target of this strike,
many business owners found themselves in the spotlight as they
decided whether or not to stay open Jan. 30. Staying open might
appear to be a statement against the protests, while closing
could mean losing a valuable day of profits — especially in
industries with hair-thin margins, like restaurants.

After marching from McClatchy High School, protesters board the
train at the 4th Avenue/Wayne Hultgren Light Rail station before
heading to the State Capitol during the Jan. 30 ICE OUT! national
protest.

In the days leading up to the
shutdown, Instagram feeds filled with announcements from
businesses explaining why they would or would not stay open. Some
of the many businesses that announced they would close include
the matcha-focused Sun House Cafe, the plant store Ampersand Bulb Co., the liquor store Good Bottle and the Japanese fusion restaurant

Mecha Mucho.

A sign on the take-out window at Mecha Mucho and Osaka-Ya Shaved
Ice on 10th Street in Sacramento shows their support for the Jan.
30 protest where several businesses in the Sacramento area
participated.

Sun House Cafe owners Lalo Mata
and Leandra Coronado said that, as Indigenous and Latinx business
owners, the protests “hit really close to home.” “As a small
business you never want to risk a day being closed due to rent,
payroll and more additional costs,” they said via direct message.
“We believe today is about reflection, connecting with one
another and taking a stand for immigrants across the
country.”

A student protester waves the Mexican national flag at the 4th
Avenue/Wayne Hultgren Light Rail station during the Jan. 30 ICE
OUT! national protest.

Another option for businesses,
especially those close to the downtown protest grounds, was to
stay open but focus on supporting the protesters instead of
making sales. Meza California, an Arab-Mexican fusion restaurant, said
they would give free coffee to anyone heading to the
protests. Amatoria Books gave out free books and cookies, and if
shoppers really wanted to buy something, they could only use cash
(therefore not funneling any profits to banks). Offbeat Coffee in Upper Land Park offered free drip coffee
and said they would donate 100 percent of profits on other
products to The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, an
immigrant rights organization based in the Los Angeles area since
1986.

Protesters rally at Sacramento’s State Capitol during the Jan. 30
ICE OUT! national protest.

Other businesses kept their doors
open, but made announcements clarifying that they supported the
protests, including the gift store Strapping, the queer bar Radclyffe’s and the Mexican bakery
Panaderia La Guadalupe. The R Street vintage store Old Gold explained on Instagram that “January is an
extremely hard month for us and many small businesses” but said
that they would donate 10 percent of the month’s cash sales to
NorCal Resist, a nonprofit based in Arden Arcade. Known for
mutual aid projects like food and diaper distribution and free
brake light repairs, the organization also provides immigration
defense such as ICE bond assistance and legal workshops.

The state Capitol stands in the background as student protesters
gather.

Old Gold wasn’t the only business
to announce they would become NorCal Resist patrons. The downtown
Immortal Cafe & Supply, which also announced they would stay
open, said they would donate 10 percent of Jan. 30 sales to the
organization. The Elk Grove bookstore
A Seat at the Table
Books donated 30
percent of cafe sales that day, while the Nevada City Asian
store Winnie Superette said they would donate 50 percent of
sales.

A protester pulls his child in a wagon.

The pizza pop-up Camilleri’s, which operates out of a secret location in
Greenhaven, said they would donate 100 percent of proceeds for a
dough and sauce “drop” Jan. 30. Seasons Coffee, the aesthetic coffee shop inside the CLARA,
said they would donate an unspecified amount, as did

Sacramento Running Company.

A protester holds a sign printed by Sacramento Councilmember Mai
Vang’s congressional campaign.

Out-of-town businesses
including The Candy Store in San Francisco and
Yoga Salinas joined in
the support with 20 and 100 percent of their Jan. 30 profits.
Even the Folsom branch of the chain ice cream shop
Ben & Jerry’s, known for their support of social causes,
announced Jan. 30 that they would donate 50 percent of all sundae
sales to NorCal Resist through the month of February.

Protesters walk down Capitol Mall.

Though some might consider
staying open during a strike a breach of labor activist
standards, NorCal Resist said they appreciated the donations. “We
are super appreciative of the support from those and other local
businesses,” a representative wrote by email. “It’s been a
difficult time for nonprofits that work in the immigrant
community, with so many families losing their breadwinners,
needing support with legal fees, rent, immigration bonds and so
many other costs. The extra support means a lot to us and the
families we work with.”

A protester holds a sign reading “We are not a police state”
while standing in front of the John E. Moss federal building.

–

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