DENVER — Several Colorado businesses are participating in a nationwide shutdown Friday in protest of ICE operations in Minnesota.
The national strike comes after the deadly shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Denver7 spent the morning outside of one store in Boulder, Trident Booksellers and Cafe. The front door is covered in signs saying the store is closed Friday as they stand in solidarity with Minnesota.
While the shop will be closed, business owners will begin handing out free coffee and having conversations with the community throughout the day.
This is just one of many coffee shops closed Friday as they participate in the shutdown. Our partners at the Denver Post reported nearly 20 restaurants and coffee shops across the Denver area will close for the day.
Denver7 spoke with a clothing shop located on Colfax, Scavenged Goods, also shutting down Friday.
“We can't operate business as usual when all this is going on, so we have to kind of change that dynamic a little bit by shutting down,” Scavenged Goods Owner Chip Litherland told Denver7.
Litherland said participating in this protest is for the “greater good,” adding it’s important to show up for their neighbors, especially those who can’t right now.
“We care about the people that are being taken from their homes, and we care about not only that, but the protesters that are out on the street fighting all of this going on. So I hope when people come to the door and it's locked, that they understand why,” Litherland said.
Litherland also noted that the revenue his business may lose Friday is irrelevant, adding he will do this again if he has to.
“There was a little bit of me I was scared to close and like, okay, are people going to freak out, or is it going to be, you know, tough on my business, because it is one of our biggest days of the week, normally. But this is super important, and I hope they just realize that I'm out here trying to just do the one small thing that we can as a business.”
Several Colorado schools are also closing Friday amid a growing number of student and staff absences in support of the protests.
