Some Pico Union and Koreatown restaurants unlocked their doors while others stayed dark Friday to join a nationwide “ICE Out” protest in solidarity with activists in Minneapolis and immigrants across the country.
The nationwide strike arrives after a tumultuous month, during which masked immigration agents killed two people in Minnesota and carried out an onslaught of raids across Los Angeles. While many businesses closed on Friday, some chose to remain open — saying the decision was about compensating staff and keeping space for the community.
At Stagger Coffee on 8th Street, co-owner Jae Son said the decision to open was rooted in making sure employees didn’t miss out on a day’s wages while still supporting the broader movement. On social media, the cafe announced it would remain open but donate 100% of its beverage profits for the day to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).
“We wanted to support this movement, but at the same time, we didn’t want our team members to not get paid,” said Son, 34. “We wanted them to get compensated as well. We were thinking what would be the best way to support and concluded that this would be the best way to support both.”
Stagger, which has been open for about a year, is an immigrant-owned business. The three partners are all immigrants from South Korea.
Last week, video captured an individual being detained at 8th Street and Berendo Avenue, just steps from the small strip mall where Stagger is located.
“It’s an immigrant-owned business, and we just had to be a part of the movement,” Son said. “We don’t want the ICE movement here and for it to be so visible around here. We saw a couple of raids here, and it didn’t look right. I don’t know how to describe it, but we think they shouldn’t be doing that, especially without considering the rights of people.”
At sandwich and coffee shop Open Market, staff chose to keep their doors open, citing their role as a neighborhood gathering place.
Aly Zulueta, a sous chef at the restaurant, said management took into consideration both their customer base and their staff.
“We chose to stay open for a multitude of reasons,” Zulueta said. “One is we are a small business and we’re local. We also serve the community. I would say 70% of our customer base are regular customers, and we normally get our customers from Koreatown always.”
Zulueta said the restaurant wanted to remain a safe, welcoming space.
“We wanted to provide a safe space and an open space for people to come in whenever they want,” she said. “And also, all our staff are very supportive. They all wanted to work today.”
Like Stagger, Open Market is immigrant-owned, and many staff members are immigrants.
“We feel like together we’ve kind of bonded on the same idea that everything that is going on is so sad, and that’s why we need to support each other even more and give each other that compassion and that space to talk about these kinds of things,” Zulueta said.
Another Koreatown restaurant, Love Hour, also chose to remain open during the strike.
“After some thought, we’ve decided to stay open today,” the restaurant wrote on Instagram. “LOVE HOUR was built by immigrants, and we believe in showing up for our community, our neighbors, and our staff — in the ways we know how.”
In the post, Love Hour said staying open allows the restaurant to support its employees while also giving back to the neighborhood. A portion of the day’s proceeds will be donated to Ktown for All, a volunteer-powered homeless outreach and advocacy organization that also supports street vendors in the neighborhood.
The sentiment was the same for Elizabeth Mateo-Richmond, co-owner of Mateo’s, a Oaxacan-style paletería in Pico Union with other locations throughout LA. She said the business chose to remain open to encourage customers to shop locally and support minority-owned businesses, while still standing in solidarity with immigrant communities.
“It’s a family-owned business started by my immigrant parents, so what’s happening with ICE affects us directly. I have relatives and friends who have been affected,” Mateo-Richmond said. “We want our customers to know we acknowledge and see the movement that’s going on, but also to shop locally.”
Mateo’s Ice Cream & Fruit Bars was founded in 2000 by the late Priciliano Mateo, who moved to Los Angeles from Oaxaca in 1982. The family-owned business is known for its paletas and ice creams, including flavors like leche quemada, a smoked milk ice cream made with caramelized sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla.
Mateo-Richmond said the business will donate a percentage of its sales today — and possibly through the weekend — to an immigrant advocacy organization. She said staying open was also a practical decision, as a small business must continue paying workers, rent and utilities.
“It’s really sad to see families being ripped apart,” she said. “I even took my 9-year-old son to a peaceful protest today to explain what’s happening. It’s hard for kids to understand, but they need to know.”
Mateo-Richmond added that she’s also making shirts with slogans like “F ICE, buy a paleta” and that the proceeds from the merchandise will also be donated to support immigrant advocacy organizations.
