Prairie Liberation Center

Minnesota called and Champaign-Urbana answered!

University of Illinois students led a massive walkout on Friday, January 30 in response to the call to expand the general strike that was started in Minneapolis on January 23. Over a thousand people marched through campus in freezing temperatures to demand ICE out!

Later that day, hundreds of community members marched through downtown Urbana in protest of ICE terror and to stand in solidarity with the people of the Twin Cities. This was followed up by a mass organizing meeting in which representatives from CU Muslim Action Committee, PSL Central IL, CU Reparations Coalition, and other orgs spoke with over 150 people about the need to stay organized and keep the pressure up.

Local business also heeded the call for the shutdown. Some business shutdown for the whole day, while others donated proceeds, reduced hours, and supported their workers in walking out in solidarity. Such business include the following:

• Art Coop
• Plant Mode
• Hopscotch Bakery + Market
• The Literary
• Common Ground
• Exile on Main Street
• Lazy Daisy Diner and Cafe
• Good Judys Espresso and Bagel Bar
• The Space
• Fire Doll
• Gallery Art Bar
• Y-Thai Eatery
• Defy Gravity
• Urbana Dance Company

The people of CU made it clear that they will not accept the racist terror that Trump is unleashing across the country via ICE and CBP.

“They are invading our communities, kidnapping our neighbors, and killing people who exercise their First Amendment right to protest,” said Derek Briles, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. “Only an expression of people’s power on a historic scale can push back a ruling class offensive of this magnitude.”

And we are seeing that push back, both locally and nationally. The Jan 30 nationwide shutdown was a historic success. Let’s use it as a launchpad for our movement to expand the general strike!