Northeast Minneapolis coffee shop offering warm space for general strike participants on Friday

Businesses in the Twin Cities are planning to close on Friday to protest ICE's ongoing presence in the state.

Activists are calling for no work, no school and no shopping, calling it a "Day of Truth and Freedom."

Many businesses will close their doors to take part in this civil action, but one business is doing much more than just shutting down to protest ICE.

"We are a coffee shop, a music venue, and it started out as a skate shop, " Valentine Lowry-Ortega, with Pillar Forum Cafe and Commodities, said.

Sitting in the heart of northeast Minneapolis's business district, the coffee shop has become a hub for people opposing ICE.

"From the beginning of when this issue began in Minneapolis, all of us here know how we feel about the matter and have been very vocal that we are against ICE. And we are against them being in our spaces and we are against sanctioned violence," said Lowry-Ortega.

Many on ICE patrol in this neighborhood stop here. Lowry-Ortega says it's a place to get warm before heading out to protect their neighbors.

"A safe space to go, yes, absolutely, that's the plan for tomorrow," Lowry-Ortega said.

On Friday, Pillar Forum will join hundreds of others taking part in a "ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom," with its own take.

"We are going to have the doors open, but we are participating in the strike. We're not going to have our business as usual; we won't be serving our regular menu, but we will have the space open and be serving free drip coffee all day, "said Lowry-Ortega.

Lowry-Ortega says this is a space for community and they want it open so people can continue to be a support to their neighbors. 

"A regular talks to their friend and they talk to their friend, and then people started bringing donations in, they started bringing in protective gear for anybody who is out on the streets: whistles, food, water," said Lowry-Ortega.

A march is planned for 2 p.m. Friday in downtown Minneapolis, followed by a rally at 3 p.m.