"Would the downpour deter other Chicagoans from showing up? After asking struggling businesses to open on their day off, Zaragoza hoped his undertaking wouldn't be in vain. Then he turned the corner. "The restaurants were completely packed," he says. "People said they'd come from Lincoln Park, and it took 45 minutes in the rain." Zaragoza added it felt like "we had allies supporting us.""
"In early September, the Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz" in Illinois and Chicago, an immigration crackdown by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that has had a chilling effect on daily life. Chicago is a microcosm of the federal government's divisive and potentially illegal tactics against immigrants and protestors alike, now continuing in places like Portland, Oregon; Charlotte, North Carolina and Memphis, Tennessee."
"Though US Border Patrol boss Gregory Bovino and Department of Homeland Security agents have left the city ( for now), the emotional, mental, and financial turmoil lingers. ICE specifically targeted Latino- and Black-communities like South Shore, Little Village, and Belmont Cragin, actions which have had an outsized impact on local businesses and restaurants."
On a rainy October night, a restaurant crawl in Belmont Cragin drew unexpectedly large crowds after organizers invited struggling businesses to open on their day off. The turnout created a sense of allyship for local restaurateurs. In early September, the Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz," an ICE immigration crackdown that chilled daily life and mirrored enforcement in other U.S. cities. Though some federal agents have left for now, emotional, mental, and financial turmoil persists. Targeting of Latino- and Black-communities has reduced traffic and sales at Latino-owned restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores, prompting community mobilization through whistle-kit events, direct actions, and fundraisers.
Read at Bon Appetit
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