{"id":161072,"date":"2026-02-03T00:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T00:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/161072\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T00:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T00:25:11","slug":"while-workers-and-students-hold-a-general-strike-against-ice-sacramento-businesses-weigh-their-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/161072\/","title":{"rendered":"While Workers and Students Hold a General Strike Against ICE, Sacramento Businesses Weigh Their Options"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Downtown Sacramento filled with
\n over 1,000 students and workers protesting mass deportations Jan.
\n 30, part of a \u201cNational Shutdown\u201d that involved hundreds of
\n cities around the country. The Sacramento event was led by
\n students from six public high schools, who secured
\n
\n a
\n permit<\/a>, left class
\n after second period, gathered at the state Capitol and held a
\n march and rally from Cesar Chavez Plaza. Hundreds of other
\n protesters joined them, holding \u201cAbolish ICE\u201d signs sponsored by
\n Sacramento Councilmember Mai Vang\u2019s congressional campaign along
\n with handmade signs with slogans like \u201cLiberty and justice for
\n all\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t spell cowardice without ICE.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

\n A shutdown is effectively a kind
\n of strike \u2014 as in a workplace strike, participants protest
\n conditions by withholding labor, but instead of pushing against
\n workplace conditions, they are rallying against broader issues.
\n While small businesses were not the direct target of this strike,
\n many business owners found themselves in the spotlight as they
\n decided whether or not to stay open Jan. 30. Staying open might
\n appear to be a statement against the protests, while closing
\n could mean losing a valuable day of profits \u2014 especially in
\n industries with hair-thin margins, like restaurants.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

\n Sun House Cafe owners Lalo Mata
\n and Leandra Coronado said that, as Indigenous and Latinx business
\n owners, the protests \u201chit really close to home.\u201d \u201cAs a small
\n business you never want to risk a day being closed due to rent,
\n payroll and more additional costs,\u201d they said via direct message.
\n \u201cWe believe today is about reflection, connecting with one
\n another and taking a stand for immigrants across the
\n country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

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

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Protesters rally at Sacramento\u2019s State Capitol during the Jan. 30
\n ICE OUT! national protest.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Other businesses kept their doors
\n open, but made announcements clarifying that they supported the
\n protests, including the gift store Strapping<\/a>, the queer bar Radclyffe\u2019s<\/a> and the Mexican bakery
\n Panaderia La Guadalupe<\/a>. The R Street vintage store Old Gold<\/a> explained on Instagram that \u201cJanuary is an
\n extremely hard month for us and many small businesses\u201d but said
\n that they would donate 10 percent of the month\u2019s cash sales to
\n NorCal Resist, a nonprofit based in Arden Arcade. Known for
\n mutual aid projects like food and diaper distribution and free
\n brake light repairs, the organization also provides immigration
\n defense such as ICE bond assistance and legal workshops.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The state Capitol stands in the background as student protesters
\n gather.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Old Gold wasn\u2019t the only business
\n to announce they would become NorCal Resist patrons. The downtown
\n Immortal Cafe & Supply, which also announced they would stay
\n open, said they would donate 10 percent of Jan. 30 sales to the
\n organization. The Elk Grove bookstore
\n A Seat at the Table
\n Books<\/a> donated 30
\n percent of cafe sales that day, while the Nevada City Asian
\n store Winnie Superette<\/a> said they would donate 50 percent of
\n sales.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n A protester pulls his child in a wagon.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n The pizza pop-up Camilleri\u2019s<\/a>, which operates out of a secret location in
\n Greenhaven, said they would donate 100 percent of proceeds for a
\n dough and sauce \u201cdrop\u201d Jan. 30. Seasons Coffee<\/a>, the aesthetic coffee shop inside the CLARA,
\n said they would donate an unspecified amount, as did
\n
\n Sacramento Running Company<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n A protester holds a sign printed by Sacramento Councilmember Mai
\n Vang\u2019s congressional campaign.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Out-of-town businesses
\n including The Candy Store<\/a> in San Francisco and
\n Yoga Salinas<\/a> joined in
\n the support with 20 and 100 percent of their Jan. 30 profits.
\n Even the Folsom branch of the chain ice cream shop
\n Ben & Jerry\u2019s<\/a>, known for their support of social causes,
\n announced Jan. 30 that they would donate 50 percent of all sundae
\n sales to NorCal Resist through the month of February.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Protesters walk down Capitol Mall.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Though some might consider
\n staying open during a strike a breach of labor activist
\n standards, NorCal Resist said they appreciated the donations. \u201cWe
\n are super appreciative of the support from those and other local
\n businesses,\u201d a representative wrote by email. \u201cIt\u2019s been a
\n difficult time for nonprofits that work in the immigrant
\n community, with so many families losing their breadwinners,
\n needing support with legal fees, rent, immigration bonds and so
\n many other costs. The extra support means a lot to us and the
\n families we work with.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n A protester holds a sign reading \u201cWe are not a police state\u201d
\n while standing in front of the John E. Moss federal building.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

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