Many Richmond businesses close as part of nationwide general strike against recent ICE actions

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After many businesses throughout Central Virginia were forced to shutter their doors or alter their hours due to impacts from the winter storm, many have decided to close again on Friday, but for a different reason -- as part of the nationwide general strike.

The winter storm that hit Central Virginia over the weekend and subsequent low temperatures have had a multi-day impact on the area, with many school systems, government buildings and businesses closing or reducing their hours due to hazardous icy streets and sidewalks.

On Friday, Jan. 30, patrons throughout Central Virginia may have noticed businesses closed for another day, but this time, as part of the nationwide general strike rather than due to weather impacts.

The strike entails what organizers call a day of "no school, no work and no shopping" following the recent killings of Renee Macklin Good, Alex Pretti at the hands of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers.

Across social media, Richmond area businesses like Shelf Life Books, CobbleStore Vintage, Deep Groove, Vinyl Conflict, Plan 9 and Richmond Tattoo Club, shared that they would close on Friday as part of the strike.

A multitude of other local businesses announced on social media that decreased revenue during and after the winter storm has prevented them from participating in the strike, though they shared a message of solidarity.

8News spoke to Chris McDaniel, co-owner of Shelf Life Books -- a book shop in Richmond's Carytown area -- on Friday to learn more about the business's decision to close as part of the strike.

McDaniel shared that Shelf Life was forced to close for two days due to winter weather, in addition to being closed for a week in early January for employees' winter break and for changes to the store, making the decision more difficult to close, yet again, for Friday's strike.

"When we weighed the importance of the solidarity, and how strongly this particular action aligns with our business's values, we still felt that we needed to do it," McDaniel said.

She further said that businesses closing on Friday are calling for an end to what she called "overreaching" actions by ICE.

"What we're trying to say, loudly and clearly, is that we believe that the actions of ICE and of CBP are overreaching, they're taking organizations that were meant to protect Americans from terrorism, and terrorizing America with them," McDaniel said. "We believe that's wrong. That's not the America we believe in."

McDaniel said she hopes to share a message of togetherness with the community by participating in this strike.

"We want people to know where they can feel safe," McDaniel said. "We want people to feel like they're not alone, whether they're immigrants who are directly facing action by ICE, or whether they're people who are opposed to what's happening, we want them to know they're not alone."

McDaniel added that she's seen immense support from fellow small businesses in taking this action

"It's actually been a really beautiful coming together of people who are similarly trying to live out their values in a personal way with a small business," McDaniel said. "The small businesses are what make the fabric of Richmond different from the fabric of any other city."

McDaniel also shared that she has never seen such a massive swath of businesses deciding to close for an ethical and political reason.

"I think that an increasingly large number of individuals and businesses are tired of feeling like our voices aren't heard," McDaniel said. "We're tired of feeling like our representative government doesn't represent us. We're tired of having our tax dollars being spent in ways that don't align to our values and we're tired of having elected officials, that we vote for, ignore us."

In addition to Shelf Life's participation in Friday's general strike, McDaniel shared that the bookstore will also operate as a location where items can be dropped off to go to families in the community affected by ICE.

Further, McDaniel shared another action the shop is taking is the donation of 20% of its sales over the weekend to the Richmond Community Legal Fund, in addition to other supportive measures.

8News also spoke to Clem Martin, owner of CobbleStore Vintage -- a vintage store in Richmond's Oregon Hill area -- on Friday about their closure as part of the strike.

Martin shared that he decided to close on Friday after much online momentum about the strike, and hearing of other businesses taking actions like closures, shortened hours, or donating portions of sales to support those affected by ICE.

Much like Shelf Life, Martin shared that CobbleStore was also forced to close due to winter weather over three days, in addition to its typical two-day weekly closure.

Alongside closures due to weather, Martin noted that many businesses enter a slower time of year in January, which was already affecting CobbleStore as a business.

Despite these factors, he said the closure as part of the strike felt like a difficult, yet necessary step.

"It was difficult in the back of my mind, knowing that I've been closed for three days this week, already, but it was not difficult in the fact that this is a very, very small initiative that we can take as a business to show our solidarity with other businesses and show that we're serious about trying to make a change right now to get ICE out of the country," Martin said.

He shared that in taking this action, he hopes that the community knows that the store is a safe space and that neighbors feel supported.

"CobbleStore is and always will be a safe space," Martin said. "We want to do whatever we can to help our community and our immigrant neighbors feel safe."

Another recent action Martin said the business took was handing out whistles to notify neighbors in the event of a nearby ICE presence.

Even if other businesses weren't able to close, but shared a message of solidarity, Martin said he was glad to see business's recognizing recent events, sharing resources and information online, and taking supportive actions like donations.

Moving forward, following the strike, Martin said he wants to see the community informed, taking small actions and working together.

"I really want to see more unity," Martin said. "I want people to see what's happening first-hand, pay attention to what's happening, and try to do little things they can to make a change so we can all have a safer community and not have to look over our shoulders."