‘No work, no school, no shopping’: American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi supports planned ‘National Shutdown’

American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi offices are closed today in support of a planned “National Shutdown” to demand a stop to federal government-sponsored violence inflicted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE — agents.

Organizers of the national “strike” call on people, organizations and communities to engage in “no work, no school, no shopping” in protest of the violence against peaceful, law-abiding protestors in Minneapolis, Minn., and other U.S. cities.

Political social media presence Vote In Or Out said in a Jan. 29 Facebook post that the idea is simple: “If the economy stops, leaders are forced to listen.”

“This collective pause is a powerful reminder that our society runs on the labor, care and participation of everyday people,” a statement from American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi. “When communities withdraw that participation together, they make visible both the injustices they are experiencing and the shared demand for dignity, safety and accountability.”

The people of the Twin Cities in Minnesota provided an example with a “general strike” that brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets, not working, not going to school and not shopping for a day following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

“To stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to shut it down,” says the National Shutdown website.

Vote In Or Out reported in its post that the “strike” is supported by labor groups, student organizations, immigrant rights advocates and small businesses in multiple states. Some workplaces and shops already announced closures in solidarity.

“General strikes have historically been one of the most effective nonviolent tools for change because they hit power where it hurts most: money, productivity and public legitimacy,” the Vote In Or Out post said. “The demand is clear. End mass detention, stop violent raids and hold federal agencies accountable.”

The entire country is shocked and outraged by the killings of Pretti, Good, Silverio Villegas González and Keith Porter Jr. by federal agents.

“While [President Donald] Trump and other right wing politicians slander them as ‘terrorists,’ video evidence makes it clear: they were gunned down in broad daylight simply for exercising their First Amendment right to protest mass deportation,” says the National Shutdown website. “It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!” the site says.

This national “strike” is not separate from the work of American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi — it is part of it.

“Collective action, mutual aid and community-led resistance are essential strategies in movements for justice, and they align with [American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi’s] commitment to defending constitutional rights while building people power,” said American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. “Standing in solidarity affirms that real change is driven not only through courts and policy, but through organized communities willing to act together.

American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi stands in solidarity with all those throughout the nation — in at least 321 communities as of early this morning — standing up and hosting events today to demand ICE out.

“Choosing solidarity is choosing to invest in a future grounded in justice, care and collective liberation,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi said in its Facebook post. “Standing in solidarity affirms that real change is driven not only through courts and policy, but through organized communities willing to act together.”

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.