Quick Take
More Santa Cruz County businesses and community groups are closing or taking action Friday as part of a national shutdown protesting violent immigration enforcement and the killings of anti-ICE activists in Minneapolis. Restaurants, retailers and organizations from Felton to Watsonville announced closures, donations or solidarity actions, while students and health care workers also organized rallies and demonstrations.
More Santa Cruz County restaurants, businesses and groups are announcing closures and actions as part of a national shutdown against violent immigration enforcement actions and the killings of protesters who stood up against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents in Minneapolis.
The national shutdown calls for “no work, no school, no shopping” all day Friday to protest the killings and to demand that lawmakers not fund the federal immigration enforcement agency.
In posts on social media, clothing and retail stores and restaurants from Felton to Watsonville said they were closing in solidarity with the strike.
“We believe in dignity, safety, and humanity for all,” reads a post from The Grove, a café bakery in Felton. “Friday we will pause our business to stand with those whose lives and families are impacted.”
Protesters are demonstrating against the killings of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as against immigration enforcement agencies’ violent tactics and the deaths of people in their custody. ICE and Border Patrol agents shot and killed Good on Jan. 7 and Pretti on Saturday in Minneapolis. More than 20 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the agency’s deadliest year since the early 2000s, according to reporting by NPR. After videos of the killings of Good and Pretti spread widely, communities across the country organized vigils and protests, including in Santa Cruz County. On Thursday, a flurry of local businesses posted on social media announcing their participation.
A home goods store on Soquel Avenue in Midtown Santa Cruz, Home/Work, was one of several shops that said it’s not an easy decision for small businesses to close for a day or individuals to decide to pull their kids out of school.
“And as you navigate your day tomorrow, please give some grace to everyone around you. We are all processing what’s happened in Minnesota and across the nation in our own ways,” its post reads. “Not everyone has the financial stability to not go to work. Not all small businesses have the ability to shut down and continue paying their employees. Not everyone can pull their kids out of school.”
Home/Work added that “instead of judging” what others do on Friday, “concentrate on what you can do. Call your representatives, boycott corporations that directly profit from ICE operations, if you need to buy something tomorrow do it at a small business whose values align with yours and pay cash.”
Cognito Clothing, a clothing store in downtown Santa Cruz, similarly said it’s a challenging decision for a small business to make.
“It sucks to say that every dollar and day count for us,” owners wrote. “But we know what’s right and we stand with and want to support our community.”
Some groups or businesses are participating in the strike through alternative actions. The downtown Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History announced that it’s offering free admission in solidarity with the shutdown: “ICE OUT. The MAH will be FREE and open on Friday 1/30 to support the nationwide General Strike.”
La Marea Cafe in Capitola announced that it will be open Friday, but it will donate some of its sales to Your Allied Rapid Response (YARR), a group that monitors immigration enforcement activity in Santa Cruz County. The organization also connects residents with legal support.
“We respect all businesses that have decided to close and hope this shutdown makes a big impact,” the café’s Instagram post reads.
Several student groups have organized events in the coming days. On Friday morning, students will rally in front of Aptos High School at 7:45 a.m. to protest ICE, according to Aptos High student body president Natalia Vowles and communications director Gia Arista.
On Saturday, a group of students will meet at the Santa Cruz town clock from noon to 3 p.m. to demonstrate against ICE.
Nurses at Dominican Hospital and Palo Alto Medical Foundation also have actions planned for Friday.
Businesses involved
- Cognito Clothing, Santa Cruz
- 11th Hour Coffee (all locations)
- Chubbs Chicken Sandwiches, Santa Cruz
- Full Steam Dumpling, Santa Cruz
- Home/Work, Santa Cruz
- Harbor Cafe, Live Oak
- The Grove, Felton
- Melo Bread, Watsonville
- Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz
- Shop Another Banger, Aptos
- La Marea Cafe, Capitola
- Verve Coffee Roasters, (all locations)
- Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Editor’s note: This list and story will be updated. Contact hillary@lookoutlocal.comif you’re a participating business or group and want to talk for a story.