Joseph Orlando had never closed his restaurant, Mojo Market, as part of a strike before Friday. He donates to charities “and stuff like that, but nothing on this level.”
But Orlando, and his business partners Kyle Orlando and Kelly Gilbert, have been feeling “helpless.” They’ve seen America’s immigration battle reach a breaking point this month. Watching the Trump administration’s intensified Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and its response to protests, such as in Minneapolis where ICE agents shot and killed two protesters, has been “really scary.”
Mojo Market closed its doors on Friday in protest. It was one of around a dozen local restaurants, cafes and shops to close as part of a national strike against ICE that called for a day of “no work,” “no school” and “no shopping.”
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“We just really don’t feel comfortable with the way things are going, and neither does our staff,” Orlando said. “It’s just something that we can do to express that and join sort of a movement to speak out against it.”
Extra Extra Pizza on Utica Street was closed Friday as some Buffalo companies joined the nationwide general strike against ICE efforts.
West Side restaurant Extra Extra Pizza, Kenmore's Mojo Market and cafés, such as Barrel + Brine, Public Espresso and Sevens, closed Friday as part of the protest. Retail shops, including Black Rock Books, Blue Table Chocolates, Daddy's Plants, Fitz Books & Waffles, Little Salmon and Revolver Records, also closed for the strike.
"When we founded Public, we chose our name based on the concept of a public house, spaces where community gathered. In moments like these, it’s important to recognize the power that gathering spaces have, and to reflect on what it would be like to not have these spaces," Public Espresso wrote on Instagram. "In solidarity with the nationwide shutdown and general strike, and in standing with the people of Minnesota who are under attack by our federal government, all Public cafés will be closed."
All three of Public Espresso’s locations, including this one on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, were closed Friday for a nationwide general strike against ICE.
Extra Extra Pizza’s staff voted to close for the strike. They weighed the risks – potential backlash, plus financial loss, since the restaurant is still paying its workers for the missed day of service – before deciding they wanted to use their platform as a small business in the West Side’s “melting pot” to condemn ICE’s actions in Minneapolis and across the country.
“I know some people believe that restaurants shouldn’t talk about politics and we can all just argue about pizza toppings,” said Bridget Murphy, worker/owner at Extra Extra Pizza. “But we believe that food and restaurants are so inherently political that it’s important to take a stand.”
At least two dozen other Western New York businesses expressed solidarity with the strike, but chose to stay open. At the end of a cold and snowy January that has already hurt sales, some businesses said on social media that they could not afford to close. Many pledged to donate a portion of their sales to nonprofits that advocate for immigrants' rights.
"Local, independent businesses are the lifeblood of any community, not giant corporations, and certainly not those who support ICE. While making your voice heard on Friday, Jan. 30 by boycotting these corporate entities, please help us support our friends, family and neighbors in Minnesota," Talking Leaves wrote on social media.
Some places, such as the Buffalo AKG and Lexington Co-op, said they would hand out free coffee to guests. The Co-op called the gesture a “small way to provide warmth, connection and community, and to show our care during an intense and heavy time."
Twenty-Six, an Allentown nightclub, remained open, but told its customers on social media that "there is no pressure to spend."
Little Salmon, a zero waste shop on Elmwood Avenue, is one of many retailers across the country that closed in protest.
"We stand in solidarity with immigrant communities and oppose ICE raids, detention and deportation," wrote Twenty-Six on Instagram. "We will remain open intentionally to provide a safe, affirming space for the queer community, especially those who may not feel safe elsewhere."
- Elmwood Village natural wine shop Funk and Fermentation, lunch spot Kitchen Little and vegan restaurant Strong Hearts planned to donate 10% of Friday’s sales to Justice for Migrant Families.
- Ballyhoo is donating all macaroni and cheese sales Friday to Buffalo Immigrant and Refugee Defense.
- Breezy Burrito Bar is donating a portion of its margarita sales on Friday to Justice for Migrant Families.
- BreadHive is donating all coffee sales and 5% of product sales on Friday to funds for people affected by ICE, according to its social media page.
- Ditondo is donating a portion of Friday's profits to The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
- Ernie's Pop Shop has been donating all of the proceeds from January's popsicle sales to the New York Immigration Coalition.
- Eugene V. Debs Hall is donating all of Friday’s tips to Justice for Migrant Families.
- Free Street Tavern is making and selling T-shirts and donating the proceeds to Buffalo Immigrant and Refugee Defense.
- Mister Goodbar is donating a portion of proceeds from Smoldered Society draft beers sold Friday to National Immigrant Justice Center. Thin Ice is donating a portion of Friday’s sales to the same organization. Parivaar Pub is donating 10% of Friday’s profits to the same group.
- Nietzsche's will donate a portion of Friday’s sales to Justice for Migrant Families and Journey's End.
- Put a Plant On It is donating 20% of Friday’s sales to Justice for Migrant Families.
- Quenelle is donating 10% of Friday’s proceeds to Our City Action Buffalo.
- Second Chic will donate 10% of all proceeds to Our City Action Buffalo from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1.
- Snyder General Store is donating 15% of Friday’s proceeds to Stitch Buffalo.
- Talking Leaves bookstore is donating 20% of Friday’s sales to Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
- Toasted is donating a portion of Friday’s sales to International Institute of Buffalo.
At Mojo Market, Orlando hopes the protest will change ICE’s immigration enforcement tactics. It is “nerve-wracking” to close his business and take the financial hit, but he worries for his neighbors and employees, especially one immigrant worker who received American citizenship, but has an accent.
“I don’t want him to be afraid to just come to work because he has an accent or looks different, then he’s going to be stopped or detained, possibly,” Orlando said. “There’s thousands and thousands of people like him out there that are here and contributing and paying taxes and are great people and they deserve to live a peaceful life, where they’re not living in fear. I hope things can change.”
