The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will close Friday, January 23, during the Day of Truth and Freedom protest, a state-wide action organized in response to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Minnesota communities.
Organizers of the action, led by local labor unions and community organizations, have asked Minnesotans to mount a general strike by not working, spending money, or going to school on the day of the protest.
The Walker is the largest organization so far to announce participation in the strike, joining over 300 small businesses, cultural institutions, and nonprofits that will shutter for the day. “This reflects our institutional values to center our community, support our staff, and to approach our work with care and safety in mind,” a representative for the Walker told Minnesota news organization Bring Me the News, which has been reporting on the upcoming strike. The museum will reopen on Saturday, January 24.
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The Day of Truth and Freedom action comes in the wake of ICE’s Operation Metro Surge, which flooded Minneapolis-Saint Paul with agents in January with the ostensible aim of apprehending illegal immigrants. ICE’s increasingly aggressive tactics in the Twin Cities and across Minnesota culminated in the January 7 killing in Minneapolis of Renée Good, a US citizen, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Protests have since sprung up around the country and a series of lawsuits have been launched against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and top federal officials.
