"After a tumultuous month of continued national immigration raids and the ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, nationwide protests are set to occur today amid calls for a general strike. Small businesses across the L.A. area announced Friday closures in observation of the strike, while others who voiced support said the decision to close is impossible - especially for independent restaurants, which suffered an outsized string of hardships through 2025, causing a growing number of permanent closures."
"Many operators who say they are unable to close are donating a portion or all profits from Friday's business to immigrant rights causes. Some say they've left the decision up to their staff, who rely on the day's wages. One restaurateur, who requested anonymity for fear of ICE retaliation, said their employees' earnings regularly pay for undocumented staff's private transportation to and from work, and they cannot afford to close for even a single night."
"Guelaguetza's co-owner and Independent Hospitality Coalition member Bricia Lopez took to social media Thursday afternoon to provide tips for fellow restaurateurs who can't afford to close their businesses today. They included donating to immigrant rights organizations or spotlighting specific fundraising dishes, as many across the county now are. Some local restaurants are opting to remain open but are donating the day or the weekend's proceeds to nonprofits and legal funds, or they're temporarily flipping their dining rooms to centers for community action."
Nationwide protests and calls for a general strike followed national immigration raids and ICE shootings in Minneapolis, prompting action across Los Angeles. Small businesses announced closures in solidarity, while many independent restaurants said closing was impossible due to financial strain and recent hardships through 2025 that drove permanent closures. Operators unable to close are donating part or all of Friday's profits to immigrant-rights causes or leaving closure decisions to staff who rely on wages. Some restaurants are open but converting spaces into fundraising or community-action centers, offering free drinks to protesters with donation proof and hosting pop-ups and fundraisers for affected vendors.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]