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On Monday, the Minneapolis hippie diner Modern Times made an announcement: All their menu items are now free, unless you’re a federal agent. 

The hours will remain the same, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, but the menu will be a bit smaller. The restaurant will run on donations. Servers will volunteer but still be paid.

Owner Dylan Alverson says the idea is simple: The restaurant is refusing to contribute to what they are calling “the occupation of Minneapolis” and the state. By not charging guests and existing off of donations until federal agents leave the city, they aren’t creating sales tax that goes to the government. 

The restaurant is six blocks from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020, four blocks from where Renee Macklin Good was killed by an ICE agent and a neighborhood over from where Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents last week. 

“We just don't want to contribute to the armed occupation in our neighborhood,” Alverson said.

“I’ve been in front of the Border Patrol and ICE after both killings, and it's there. It's a vicious feeling coming from them. It's a very violent and unsafe threat. You know, I hate bullies. It's like the world rounded up every bully they could find and dropped them into our city and are terrorizing our neighbors.”

— Sam Stroozas, Alex V. Cipolle, MPR News

The latest on ICE in Minnesota

The diner, now known as “Post Modern Times” will run on donations instead of charging patrons, therefore removing the element of sales tax that would go to the government.

Modern Times diner moves to donation-based model while ICE is in Minnesota

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