Nationwide general strike: San Diegans to stay home from work, plan rallies and close businesses Friday
While local activists are leading a rally in Teralta Park Friday afternoon, some businesses are closing their doors or donating to immigrant-focused nonprofits.
Written by Lauren J. Mapp, Edited by Kate Morrissey
Many San Diegans are staying home from work and school, closing businesses or donating a portion of sales as part of a nationwide general strike Friday to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A coalition of local activist organizations are leading an event in Teralta Park, starting with music and a picnic at noon, followed by a rally at 2 p.m.
David Petr — a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation — said the effort to create a local action in San Diego stemmed from a call for support from organizers in Minneapolis, including the Somali Student Association at University of Minnesota. Petr said that early this week, San Diego organizers started developing an action plan to create the event in Teralta Park, and get the word out about it.
“We all have a really big part to play in spreading the word, getting people on board,” they said. “I think that the incredible way that this has entered the public consciousness really speaks to how excited people are for this, how ready they are for this next step.”
The rally in Teralta Park will include speakers from a variety of community organizations sharing about the current political moment and how to strive for progress moving forward.
“There's all of these crazy things happening, and I think a lot of times the mainstream media isn't really able to explain the world that we're in or what we should do,” Petr said. “But I think if people come, they'll really hear a lot of perspectives that are really needed in this moment.”
People advocating for Friday’s strike on social media are also calling on the community to pause non-essential spending and support immigrant-led causes. Many are also encouraging people to only support small businesses if they plan to shop or eat out and pushing to use cash instead of credit cards.
“The overall slogan behind it was ‘no business as usual,’” Petr said.
Other suggestions on ways to support the movement from @brightblackcandle on Instagram include:
- Canceling a subscription
- Moving funds from a large bank to a credit union or community bank
- Donating to strike funds
- Reading a book on current events
- Sharing educational resources
- Posting about the strike on social media
- Supporting people participating in the strike such as with snacks
- Volunteering for local organizations helping immigrant communities
- Calling senators to ask them to remove Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from office and oppose granting additional funding to ICE. You can find your local senator at senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm.
Some small businesses in San Diego posted that they are not in the financial position to close their doors Friday or commit to donating a portion of sales to causes they care about. Instead, many are using their platforms to raise awareness.
Honest Thrift Studio & Plants co-owner Hannah Thompson said that while her shop will be open Friday, she has mixed feelings about it because she wanted to participate in the strike, but financial burdens made it impossible to do so. “We have to live, and this is how we pay for our groceries and our bills, and we cannot afford to be closed on a day that we would otherwise be open right now,” she said in her video.
In her post, Thompson talked about the harm ICE has been causing to communities across the country. She said that consumers have power in where they choose to spend their money, and she encouraged people to spend it with small businesses in lieu of large corporations.
“Withholding those funds from corporations that are fueling and funding the agencies that are hurting our communities is one of the most valuable things that we can do right now,” Thompson said in an Instagram reel.
Below is a list of San Diego businesses, museums and organizations participating in today’s general strike. Know one we missed? Send an email to lauren@daylightsandiego.org.
- Mingei Museum is open with free admission on Friday during Friday’s general strike. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
- Rich’s San Diego will be open, and all proceeds from Friday will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union. Open 9 p.m. - 2 a.m., 1051 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103
- Bincho Taco will sell tacos at The Whistle Stop Bar in South Park and plans to donate a portion of sales, but did not specify an amount of sales or what nonprofit it will donate to. 5 - 8 p.m., 2236 Fern St., San Diego, CA 92104
- The Coffee Drop will donate 40% of its profits from Friday’s sales to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., 2991 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102
- Mujeres Brew House is closed Friday “in solidarity with our immigrant community,” according to its Instagram post. 1983 Julian Ave., San Diego, CA 92113
- Mielimón Bakery is open and will donate 100% of cookie sales from Friday and Saturday to Border Angels. 12265 World Trade Drive, Suite D, San Diego, CA 92128
- Enigma Professional Piercing in Pacific Beach and on Adams Avenue is closed Friday in honor of the strike, adding on its Instagram post that “We believe immigrant communities deserve safety, dignity and freedom from harm caused by ICE.”
- Verbatim Books in North Park will donate all proceeds from Friday’s sales to Border Angels, and is also offering its public restroom to anyone without the obligation to purchase anything. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., 3793 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104
- Park & Rec in University Heights will donate 10% of its sales from Friday night to the American Civil Liberties Union. 4 p.m. - 2 a.m., 4612 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92116
- Good Omen Coffee Co. in University Heights will donate 30% of all sales to the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium. 6:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., 4590 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92116
- TransFamily Support Services is closed Friday “in protest of the hate and terror ICE brings into our communities.”
- Cafe Moto is closing at 12:30 p.m. Friday and a portion of proceeds from cafe sales will be donated to the ACLU. 6 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., 2619 National Ave., San Diego, CA 92113
- Ocean Beach Coffee and Plants is donating 30% of Friday’s sales to the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium. 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., 4827 Voltaire St., San Diego, CA. 92107
- Fernside in South Park is open Friday and donating 100% of sales from its FUH KICE Slushee to the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund. 3 - 11 p.m. 1946 Fern St., San Diego, CA 92102
- JOEHNS Coffee in Webster is donating 10% of all sales Friday to the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium. 7 a.m. - 2 p.m., 1515 47th St., San Diego, CA 92102
- Joon Shoppe in North Park, which posted that the owners are “daughters of immigrants,” is closed Friday. 3992 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104
- Fuzz Coffee & Records posted on Instagram that it “unequivocally denounces the actions of ICE” and is donating half of all sales Friday to Border Kindness. 7 a.m. - 4 p.m., 4646 30th St., San Diego, California 92116
- JoyBabe Studio in La Mesa is donating all net sales to Mutual Aid for Moms. 5208 Jackson Drive, Suite 115, La Mesa, CA 91941
- Pretzels & Pints in North Park is collaborating with eighth grade students at Roosevelt Middle School and donating 10% of sales to the ACLU. Noon - 10 p.m., 3812 Ray St., San Diego, California 92104
- Mesa Rim Climbing Centers is donating all proceeds from all of its rock climbing gym locations on Friday to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
- Dark Horse Coffee is donating half of all Friday’s proceeds from all of its locations to the ACLU.
- Torque Coffee is distributing free “ICE Alarm Whistles” and Know Your Rights cards, and sales from the shop’s NO ICE shirts and hoodies will go to the ACLU Immigrants Rights fund. The shop also posted that most of its team has the day off to protest and strike. 7 a.m. - 4 p.m., 3459 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104
- Meet Cute Bookshop in La Mesa will donate profits from Friday’s sales to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s Immigrant Response Fund. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 8235 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa, California 91942
- Gioia's Room Boutique is donating 20% of all sales to the Detention Watch Network. Prior to announcing that it would remain open Friday, the shop owner hosted a poll on Instagram to see whether community members wanted them to close, remain open so people could support a local business or amend its hours for the day — and everyone who responded voted for the shop to stay open. Noon - 7 pm., 3870 5th Ave., San Diego, CA 92103
