Your favorite Mexican restaurant may not be open Monday.
Scores of immigrant-owned Pittsburgh-area business are closed as part of a national “Day Without Immigrants.”
The grassroots action is being organized to spotlight the importance of immigrants to American communities and the economy. Not only are businesses encouraged to close as a show of power and solidarity, but immigrants also are encouraged to not make purchases for the day.
Panaderia Jazmin bakery and restaurant on Beverly Road in Mt. Lebanon and El Colibri at the Mill Food Co. food hall on Melwood Avenue in Oakland are among the businesses posting notice on their businesses and/or on social media accounts.
Panaderia Jazmin’s post says it’s closing “in light of recent events affecting our Latino community,” a reference to the new presidential administration’s rhetoric and actions to ramp up deportation of immigrants and more. “We stand in solidarity with them at this time. Estamos unidos.”
Positive comments of support were piling up on Facebook Monday morning.
A half dozen Mexican eateries along Broadway Avenue in Beechview appeared to be closed at lunchtime, some with would-be customers peering inside, wondering what was going on because there were no posted notices.
That’s because many immigrant business owners and workers are afraid, said Monica Ruiz, the executive director of Casa San Jose, a community resource center that advocates for and empowers Latinos by promoting integration and self-sufficiency.
She was joined at the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corp. on Broadway by its executive director, Guillermo Velazquez, for an 11 a.m. news conference about the action.
Velazquez said that not only eateries were closing but also immigrant-owned construction companies. And he said some other businesses not owned by immigrants were joining them in solidarity.
He and Ruiz did not name any business, nor were they joined by any entrepreneurs that their organizations work with. “What’s happening now,” Ruiz told a room of nearly 20 journalists, “is scaring people.”
She was referring to roundups of immigrants, pushed by new President Donald Trump and his administration, by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said she’d heard of three that happened that morning — one in the city and two in neighboring counties. She’s also heard a lot of concern from even immigrants who are U.S. citizens, and she’s heard a lot of misinformation that is fueling people’s fears that they might be detained — perhaps only because of the color of their skin — and possibly deported.
“They are standing to say they don’t want this,” she said of Monday’s action, which participating businesses wanted their organizations to speak about on their behalf.
While the day was to include rallies and processions in other cities, she said she did not know of anything like that planned here. She said that locally, immigrants who work in Pittsburgh’s universities and medical institutions were not being asked to call off work, but they could be part of the action by not spending money for the day.
“I’m still getting calls today,” Ruiz said, alerting her of additional business closures.
She and Velazquez touted the considerable economic benefits to the city and region generated by immigrant businesses, and Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak joined them to show the support of Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration. He stressed how Pittsburgh is historically a city of immigrants and immigrant business owners, such as his Polish forebears who ran a Lawrenceville hardware store and a Polish Hill butcher shop. While immigration is not new here, Pawlak said, “What is new is the threats the communities are facing.”
Ruiz said other people can show their support by patronizing these businesses when they reopen. In the meantime, she encouraged members of the media and others to be careful about spreading rumors, which she noted can make neighborhoods less safe it they make some residents too fearful to call the police or medics when needed. “American citizens can be more aware of their immigrant neighbors.”
Bob, a feature writer and editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is currently on strike and serving as interim editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Contact him at bbatz@unionprogress.com.
