SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – As those are taking to the streets today, businesses are standing in solidarity with those protesting and striking against the immigration policies and enforcement actions happening in Minnesota.
“We've been in this roastery for 20.5 years,” Torrey Lee, the owner of Café Moto, said.
Lee and his wife own Café Moto in Barrio Logan.
“So we weighed the odds, and we decided that, you know, trying to bring some awareness to what we believe is a pretty severe problem with civil rights and violations was worth it,” Lee said.
The coffee company took a stand on Friday by closing early in solidarity with Minnesota and, in part, giving those at Café Moto who want to protest time to do that.
“We had to make some comment that you know something has gone too far, and we believe that we need to pull back and evaluate some of the consequences of this current, you know, state of affairs,” Lee said. “People do care, and there is a reason we can act locally and think globally, and that's basically what we're trying to do.”
Other businesses in San Diego, like Native Poppy and Fernside Bar, also decided to close their doors in support of Minnesota.
One of the co-owners of Native Poppy sent ABC 10News the following statement:
Today, we made the difficult decision to temporarily close our storefronts in solidarity with the general strike. As a small business built by our community and sustained by the hard work of our team, we believe deeply in dignity, humanity, and care for people. At this time, we feel compelled to take a stand in alignment with those values. We cannot remain silent in the face of policies and practices that separate families, detain children, or force people, regardless of immigration status, to live in conditions that are unsafe, unsanitary, or dehumanizing. We believe that every person deserves to be treated with basic human dignity. This decision is not made lightly. It comes with real cost to our business and our team. But we believe that businesses are part of the fabric of civic life, and when something conflicts with our core values, we have a responsibility to respond. We stand in solidarity with our community and with families who are affected. We hope this action encourages thoughtful conversation and renewed commitment to humane policies that reflect compassion and respect. We look forward to reopening and continuing to serve our community with the same care and intention that has always guided our work.
While some businesses, such as Café Moto, are closing in solidarity with the strike, others, such as Rich’s San Diego and Park & Rec, are keeping their doors open tonight but making their voices heard with their dollars.
“That we want to have a safe space for our community, have a place where people can meet, come together,” Leonela Martin, Partner & General Manager Rich’s San Diego, said. “We also want to be able to contribute to a solution, which is why we chose to donate 100% of our proceeds tonight to the ACLU to hopefully have some funding and some more support for the causes that we support.”
Park & Rec posted on their business’s social media that they’d donate 10 percent of all sales to the ACLU.
Andy Zlotnik of Park & Rec sent ABC 10News the following statement:
We support individuals rights to protest the unlawful actions taken by ICE and the real implications it is having on the lives of good people. While the government should lawfully and morally enforce the immigration laws, that is not what's happening. On the flip side, our staff relies on weekend nights and closing negativity impacts their livelihoods. As a former board member of the ACLU I know the good work they do on behalf of all Americans. Rather than harm our team, we believe it is better to use our resources to help.
For some, participating in the national shutdown is too difficult financially at this time, but they still stand in solidarity with Minnesota and others.
Karen Valenzula, the corporate General Manager of Cocina De Barrio, sent ABC 10News the following statement which it also shared on it’s social media pages:
We want to take a moment to speak from the heart to our community. As a Mexican-owned business, we recognize the significance of tomorrow's national shutdown. Our roots are in this community, and we deeply understand the importance of standing with and supporting our people. Many of our customers, families, and team members are directly impacted by the issues being raised, and we do not take that lightly. At the same time, we want to be transparent - we will need to keep our doors open. With the current state of the economy, closing is something we're unfortunately not in a position to do. Our staff is also a top priority to us, and staying open means we're able to continue providing stable work so they can care for their families. Please know this: staying open does not mean staying silent. We stand in unity with our community, we stand for dignity and respect, and we will always try to do what is right. Thank you for your understanding and for continuing to support us and one another.
Friday was a day for businesses to support in any way they could.
“To support one another and to really just stand on what we believe, and you know, just do the best we can by being here for one another,” Martin said.
