With Twin Cities Under Siege by ICE, Minnesota Moves Toward a General Strike |
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There is a general strike on the horizon in Minneapolis. More than 50 Minnesota labor unions, nonprofits, and other community organizations have signed onto a January 23 Day of Action, which calls for a complete “economic blackout” in the state. “No work. No school. No shopping,” its posters declare.
Some of Minnesota’s largest labor unions are leading the way, including the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, SEIU 26, and UNITE HERE Local 17. This has led some to label the upcoming Day of Action a general strike, with others referring to it as an economic blackout. This would be the first general strike in Minnesota since 1934, when the Teamsters set off a months-long work stoppage in the state.
Simon Elliott, an organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), one of the organizations that has signed on to the call, said, “This is the clearest and most powerful way that we can send a message, both to the Trump administration and to immigrant members of our community.” A list of businesses that have pledged to close down for the day is circulating online, with more joining by the hour.
There are currently roughly 3,000 federal immigration agents reportedly in Minnesota. Renee Nicole Good’s killing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross on January 7 set off a wave of protests, not only in the state but across the country, as Americans grow increasingly frustrated by ICE operations in their cities. Just a week after Good’s killing, ICE officers shot a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, who they claimed attempted to assault an officer with a shovel. Recent polling from YouGov suggests that 46 percent of Americans support the abolition of ICE, the highest ever recorded
On January 19, ICE officers entered the home of a Hmong-American man in St. Paul with guns drawn and forced him out onto the street wearing only a bathrobe and underwear. Images of the arrest circulated online, eliciting condemnation from St. Paul’s mayor, who called him a family friend, and other officials. Residents have stepped up to counter ICE’s tactics with their own community organizing and mutual aid. Driving through the streets of Minneapolis, residents stand on many intersections with whistles around their necks, waiting to........