Chicago businesses join national "ICE Out" strike day opposing Trump immigration crackdown

Small businesses in Chicago and around the nation are taking a stand and a financial hit to bring attention to the way immigration enforcement is being handled around the country.

Many small businesses are opting to close for the day on Friday to protest against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, in particular the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. 

Scratch Goods is a business specializing in handmade skin care in the West Loop, but on Friday the two owners were carrying out business of a different kind. Instead of sales, their mission was to contact every member of Congress from Illinois.

"I'm calling to urge Senator Duckworth to push defund ICE," Scratch Goods co-owner Maureen McClure said.

McClure and Scratch Goods co-owner Elizabeth Leipold said the phone calls are needed in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minneapolis.

"I'm calling to express my outrage about the politization of the Justice Department," Leipold said.

Scratch Goods is part of a nationwide effort, titled "ICE Out," pushing for change in the way immigration enforcement has been handled by federal officers. Many small businesses around the United States are forgoing sales on Friday as part of a "general strike" to bring attention to what they say is the need for reform.

The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration's tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

"We can't be quiet about it right now," McClure said. "Even though we're small, we wanted to participate in any way we could; and instead of just shutting, it felt nice to open our doors and still have some community."

They even asked customers to join them in the effort to contact lawmakers.

Shannon Abrams is a Scratch Goods customer and also McClure's cousin.

"It's important to do what we can, and taking some time to make some phone calls is the very least we can do," she said.

In Chicago, some small businesses announced they were closing on Friday for the "ICE Out" boycott, and more chose to stay open as sanctuary spaces for the community or to support their staff and instead are opting to donate a portion or all of the day's sales to groups fighting for immigration rights, helping people who are being deported or otherwise provide support to immigrant communities.

Scratch Goods has no in-store sales and no online ordering online on Friday. They said it's difficult for a small business to do this, but at the same time, they believe it's necessary.

"The root goal of this all is to come together and love one another and take care of our neighbors," Leipold said.

By standing in solidarity with other small businesses, Leipold said they're showing their love for the immigrant community in Chicago. Scratch Goods said they plan another strike day next week.

The Understudy Coffee and Books in Andersonville announced on their Facebook page they are closed for the day in support of the strikes, as did Stockyard Coffee.

Lemon, a bar in Chicago's West Town neighborhood, will be open Friday but are donating 100% of the sales of their "Industry Standard" Handshake (a combo cheap beer and shot of whiskey) will be donated to the North Minneapolis Mutual Aid Fund, they said on their social media.

The Latina Sweat Project, a nonprofit yoga studio in Pilsen, said their staff voted to open their doors "as a sanctuary for or community" and all their classes Friday are free.

Among other businesses staying open but donating are mfk. restaurant, who are donating 100% of their profits Friday to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR); Lost Larson, which has donation jars to collect money for ICIRR; Losst Girls Vintage, who are donating 20% of their proceeds Friday to ICIRR; Soul Good Coffee, who are donating 20% of their sales to ICIRR and adding a "round up" option for further donations through Sunday; Enjoy, an Urban General Store, which is donating 20% of sales to the Midwest Immigration Board Fund; and Akahoshi Ramen, which is donating all revenue from the preview special on sale Friday to ICIRR.

Meantime, hundreds of protesters gathered at Daley Plaza around 4 p.m. to protest ICE, before later beginning a march through downtown around 5:45 p.m.