TEXAS — Some businesses across the country and in the Lone Star State are taking part in a “national shutdown” in response to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal officers and the broader immigration enforcement operations across the U.S.  

Even more protests are scheduled for Saturday across the country. The national organization 50501—which stands for 50 protests in 50 states on one day—has organized a day of action, which includes a rally in Austin. 

Here are some businesses participating in the nationwide shutdown:

Austin

Businesses like Potluck Vintage, Golden Mean, Uptown Modern and Antone’s Record Shop have all posted on social media that they will be closed on Friday, Jan. 30, to support the nationwide shutdown. 

Some businesses have chosen to remain open on Friday, but say they will donate their proceeds to organizations. BookPeople is one of those businesses. 

In a statement posted on social media, BookPeople said that it will be open on Friday, “not for business as usual, but instead as a place to rest and connect, with absolutely no expectation to spend money. We will have a cart of free books available for those who would like to gather and read in our space without making a purchase.”

All the proceeds the store makes on purchases Friday will be donated to two union-based organizations in Minnesota: UNITE HERE Local #17 and the AFL-CIO Minnesota Regional Labor Federation. 

 

Local coffee shop Mercado Sin Nombre posted a long statement on Instagram about their decision to remain open on Friday. 

The post said the coffee shop is a “small, family owned business” that needs to stay open to support the livelihoods of the business and its staff, but they are offering deals throughout the weekend. 

On Friday, they are offering free drip coffee at the window. On Saturday, 15% of the cafe and website’s profits will be donated to El Buen Samaritano. On Sunday, 50% of all sales at the Texas Farmers Market will be donated to raíces.org.

San Antonio

Nowhere Bookshop said they decided to close Friday after discussing it with their staff and with some feedback from the community, according to a Facebook post. 

“We’ve seen ICE’s escalation of extreme violence in Minnesota. We’re closing tomorrow in solidarity with Minnesota, and in recognition that we’re all affected–directly or indirectly–by racist immigration policies in the U.S.,” the post said. 

During the weekend, Nowhere Bookshop will donate a portion of its sales both in-store and online to Sueños Sin Fronteras de Tejas and the Texas Immigration Law Council. 

 

Other businesses that will be closed on Friday in San Antonio include Del Bravo Record Shop, Copper Rose Wine and The Clay Department.

Dallas-Fort Worth

Cafe Ciro in Pleasant Grove announced it would be closed on Friday in a statement posted in both English and Spanish. 

“Our community comes first,” the post said. “We’re choosing to stand in solidarity and not stay silent.”

 

What is a national shutdown?

Calls for an economic blackout came from student groups at the University of Minnesota with endorsements from hundreds of organizations across the country.

According to the group’s website, they are asking people not to go to work or school and to abstain from shopping on Friday, Jan. 30. 

“It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!” the website said. 

This latest form of economic protest follows a general strike on Jan. 23 in Minneapolis, where hundreds of businesses closed for the day and thousands of people took to the streets. 

Why are they calling for a shutdown?

On Jan. 24, U.S. Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis shot and killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti. In multiple bystander videos taken of the incident, Pretti was seen filming the officers before a scuffle ensued. During the struggle, an officer appears to pull a handgun from Pretti’s waist area and begins to move away. The words “gun, gun” are heard, and soon after, shots are fired by officers. Pretti had a license to carry a concealed weapon.

Pretti’s death occurred in the same month 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis. Her death sparked nationwide anti-ICE demonstrations, including in Austin.  

Minneapolis has been the most recent site of President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Thousands of officers were deployed to the city, with people like Good and Pretti out protesting the operations. 

Organizers of the national shutdown also highlighted the deaths of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Chicago in September, and Keith Porter Jr., who was shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, as reasons for the calls for a shutdown.