Dozens of San Francisco businesses closed their doors Friday as the Bay Area joined a national general strike protesting federal immigration enforcement that killed two U.S. citizens this month in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
Protesters gathered at 1 p.m. at Dolores Park for what organizers expect to be the region\u2019s largest demonstration, propelled by student walkouts from high schools and college campuses across the Bay Area. The strike, called for by University of Minnesota student groups under the banner \u201cNo work, no school, no shopping,\u201d follows a Minneapolis protest last week that drew an estimated 50,000 in subzero temperatures.<\/p>\n
In addition to Dolores Park, gatherings are planned at UC Berkeley\u2019s West Crescent Lawn and Santa Clara University\u2019s Bronco statue at noon, and at Oakland\u2019s Fruitvale BART station at 2 p.m. College of San Mateo students will be marching to Central Park in San Mateo, and a solidarity event is set outside Alameda City Hall.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s closures<\/a> involved a variety of businesses (opens in new tab)<\/a>. The Roxie Theater refunded tickets for what was to be a busy weekend. Touchstone Climbing shut all 17 locations. <\/p>\n Local internet service provider Monkeybrains gave its staff of 70 the day off. Remi Moehring, Touchstone\u2019s assistant director of operations, said the company hopes customers \u201cput the business closures \u2014 not just ours, but everyone\u2019s \u2014 into perspective and see the bigger picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Reid Marple, 30, is a sous chef at Hilda and Jesse, a North Beach restaurant that closed for the day. Marple said he could\u2019ve done anything with his time off but chose to join the demonstration at Dolores Park to \u201cwitness this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels good to be involved in something instead of just watching it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Marple said he isn\u2019t surprised about the escalating unrest in Minnesota as he\u2019s been monitoring ICE since the start of Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n \u201cShit has been happening the whole time,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s only been a year, and there\u2019s three more left \u2014 at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Theresa Appleton, 47, took the day off from running her nonprofit to protest.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that this is the end of all this craziness,\u201d Appleton said of Alex Pretti\u2019s killing in Minneapolis. \u201cPeople in our country shouldn\u2019t be murdered in the streets. He had a right to carry that gun.\u201d<\/p>\n The strike comes six days after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse. Pretti was filming officers with his phone when agents pepper-sprayed him and wrestled him to the ground; video shows that one agent removed a gun from his waist before another opened fire. Pretti\u2019s death followed the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old who was in her car when she was shot by an ICE agent. Both were U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n Katherine Douglas, owner of the Noe Valley running shop Running Wylder, said the events in Minneapolis made it clear that closing her store Friday was the right move.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything that\u2019s going on in the country right now is pretty terrible,\u201d Douglas said. \u201cI think our spending power is the most powerful tool that we have. So by not utilizing it, hopefully we send a message.\u201d<\/p>\n