Struggling Lake Street businesses prepare for statewide economic blackout

NINA MOINI: Thousands of Minnesotans across the state are gearing up for what union organizers and faith leaders are calling a day of truth and freedom tomorrow. It's meant to cause an economic blackout to protest the influx of ICE agents in the state. That means no going to work, school, or spending money tomorrow. And while the US has seen its share of labor-related general strikes, it's less common to see a widespread action about a social issue like this one. Some businesses have gotten on board with the protests, including many of the 2,000 businesses that call Minneapolis Lake Street home.

Teresa Sweeney is the director of operations at the Lake Street Council. And she's here to talk about what to expect tomorrow on that business corridor. Thanks for your time, Teresa.

TERESA SWEENEY: Yeah, thanks for having me.

NINA MOINI: I feel like I've seen a lot of different opinions online and in talking with different business owners. Some of these businesses are going through a lot. Some are, of course, low on staff, because people are in hiding. Customers might not be showing up.

What types of reactions are you seeing around this of this type of a strike? And then, where do different businesses stand on it? Because it's not a monolith, right?

TERESA SWEENEY: Right. And Lake Street has a wide variety of businesses, from small, single-proprietor shops to large corporations. And I think we are seeing a variety of opinions. But I think we're also seeing a lot of solidarity.

A lot of businesses who are able to be open right now, wanting to close tomorrow to stand in solidarity with immigrant-owned businesses that have been closed for over a month-- and hoping that small loss of revenue tomorrow might see a greater good in the future. Some businesses are just choosing to close in the afternoon. They might be open in the morning and then reopen after the march in the evening. So there is a wide variety. But I think we are seeing, generally, a desire to stand in solidarity with this strike.

NINA MOINI: How, from your perspective, did this strike come to be?

TERESA SWEENEY: Oh, [LAUGHING] I'm not too familiar with how the strike came to be in terms of the organizers. But I think that what we are seeing across Lake Street is so many businesses stepping up in different ways and supporting our community members and other businesses. A lot of businesses along the Lake Street corridor are donating their sales. They're doing buy one, get one programs.

I think that we have a very resilient community of businesses. And right now, everyone has a part to play in this. And everyone's choosing to play their part in different ways, whether that is striking and being closed tomorrow, whether that is staying open to support protesters. I think everyone's trying to find their niche in this moment.

NINA MOINI: And I want to make sure, for all our listeners, that they understand. Sometimes we assume people might know about Lake Street. Tell us a little bit about Lake Street and how the businesses there have been recovering, really, since the unrest of 2020.

TERESA SWEENEY: Yeah, so Lake Street is a 6-mile commercial corridor in South Minneapolis. It's home to Somali East African restaurants, Latino grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants. It is the cultural Mecca of Minneapolis and the Twin Cities, in my opinion. It's also, of course, the best street in the Twin Cities. I'll plug that.

But it has been a struggle since 2020. There's no lie about that. And I think that we have really tried to inch our way back over the years. And maybe there was some sense of optimism last year. We were able to do a lot of work last year around public art, murals, supporting businesses, and funding events.

I think that we were feeling maybe a little bit good about things. And then, when this federal operation happened, it feels like we've really just taken years backwards. And the way that everyone can support Lake Street and support businesses across the entirety of the Twin Cities metro area is to go there. The ones that are open, need your support.

And I think we are also working with a number of other business organizations across the corridor to advocate for state funding. Also, when the legislature opened-- in February, when it opens up-- and able to get some money back into these businesses, so many of which are not able to pay rent right now, because they're closed entirely, and their employees are home, and have so much fear about this operation.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. You're mentioning there, the legislative session starting next month and how this could contribute to ongoing struggles. With all of that in mind, what do you think, Teresa, that Lake Street is going to look like tomorrow?

TERESA SWEENEY: I think Lake Street is going to look like a lot of what it has been in the last month. I think you're going to see a majority of the businesses closed or temporarily closed. And I think you're going to see a lot of messages of support for the community, and a lot of messages about wanting this violence and this aggression to stop, and for ICE to leave Minnesota.

NINA MOINI: Teresa, thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective with us.

TERESA SWEENEY: Yeah, thank you.

NINA MOINI: That was Lake Street Council operations manager, Teresa Sweeney.