National General Strike: Minnesota, a small business called Catzen Coffee didn’t serve customers like usual — instead, it opened its doors as a place for people to gather, support each other, and protest recent federal immigration actions. The coffee shop’s closure for purchases was part of an economic blackout organized across the state to push back against intensified actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Now activists are aiming even higher. This Friday, they want to turn that local protest into a national general strike. The idea is to ask people all across the United States to refuse to go to work, skip school, and avoid shopping — all to put economic pressure on the government and ICE after several fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minnesota.
Support for the strike has come from many different groups. Labor unions, activist organizations, and even some celebrities have shared messages urging people to join. On Instagram, actor Hannah Einbinder encouraged followers to withhold their labor and spending as “our most effective leverage,” and asked people to spread the word about the national strike. Actor Pedro Pascal also shared supportive posts about the event, using artwork featuring the names of the two Minnesotans killed by federal agents.
A website promoting the “National Shutdown” lists hundreds of organizations supporting the effort, though it’s still too early to know how many people and businesses nationwide will take part this Friday.
Local groups in Minnesota are pushing for the event to be even larger than the last one. The University of Minnesota Graduate Labor Union posted on Instagram that last weekend’s march drew tens of thousands of people, and they want this Friday’s actions to be even bigger
Conclusion
As calls for accountability and reform continue, the planned national general strike represents a growing effort to use economic pressure as a form of protest. Whether the shutdown reaches its ambitious goals remains to be seen, but organizers believe collective action could force broader conversations around immigration enforcement and federal accountability.
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