Activists urge boycott over ICE shootings
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photos: Getty Images
Activists nationwide, including in Portland, are urging people to refrain from work, school and shopping on Friday as part of a weekend of demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics.
The big picture: Organizers frame the national shutdown as part of a broader movement against ICE after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and the wounding of two people in Portland this month.
Zoom in: Demonstrations will take place around Portland throughout the weekend.
- A family-friendly "Abolish ICE" rally and march will kick off at Laurelhurst Park on Friday at 2:45pm.
- Cyclists will hold a riding vigil for Pretti starting at Irving Park on Saturday at 2pm.
- Labor groups will gather in Elizabeth Caruthers Park — not far from the ICE facility in South Portland — on Saturday at 3pm.
Zoom out: Friday's planned action is not the same as The General Strike, which is led by a coalition seeking to get 11 million people to sign a "Strike Card" pledging not to work until a long list of demands are met around immigration enforcement, environmental justice, racial equality and other social justice issues.
- The number represents about 3.5% of the U.S. population, which General Strike members say is the threshold to create change through protest.
State of play: Local groups — including the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, No Kings Portland, and the Portland chapter of Indivisible — are among the hundreds of organizations that have endorsed Friday's economic boycott.
- Some local businesses have also indicated they will shut down for the day.
Yes, but: The effort has not gained the same traction as a similar boycott and protest that attracted tens of thousands of people in Minneapolis last week.
The intrigue: Friday's action comes as the White House and Senate Democrats worked to reach a deal to separate the fight over ICE funding from the threat of a broader government shutdown that could begin Friday at midnight, sources told Axios.
- Senate Democrats — and some Republicans — have said they would reject any spending bill that includes Department of Homeland Security funding.