Judy Longbottom is a small business owner in Uptown.
As Minneapolis debates how best to respond to federal immigration enforcement, many small business owners in Uptown are feeling squeezed from all sides.
We are 100% supportive of getting ICE out of Minneapolis. But we are also asking neighbors and city leaders to remember the workers and small business owners who are trying to survive in an already fragile corridor.
For nearly 30 years, my husband and I have worked to build our version of the American dream in Uptown. Over the past five years, we and hundreds of others have endured what feels like wave after wave of crisis: two years of construction, COVID-19, the unrest following the murder of George Floyd and now heightened tensions tied to ICE activity.
More than 400 businesses have closed in the area. Just last week, a longtime Lake Street medical practice that had served the community for more than 20 years shut its doors after exhausting its life savings trying to stay afloat. It did not qualify for city or state relief funds.
Our employees remain our top priority.
We kept all of our staff employed through the last five years, even when it meant sacrificing significant portions of our retirement savings. Our employees are like family. That has been our priority.
But weekly strike calls aimed at demonstrating solidarity against ICE are creating a new dilemma for small operators. It is terrifying not to participate. It is also terrifying to participate. Closing for even one day can mean the difference between making payroll and falling short.
One employee recently told us they would not be working on a designated strike day. This person has worked with us for eight years, lives in the neighborhood and walks to work. Anyone who believes a small business in Uptown can easily absorb another lost day of revenue may not understand the razor-thin margins we operate under.
We will remain open, not as a sign of support for ICE, but because our community relies on us daily and our staff relies on their paychecks.
At the same time, public safety concerns are escalating.
New restaurant owners preparing to open in Seven Points this spring recently called to share their worries about open drug use and disorder outside their space. Another restaurateur has security footage of two individuals smoking what appears to be fentanyl in a vestibule before starting a small fire to keep warm, causing exterior damage and nearly igniting the building.
A property manager in the district reports daily incidents of people entering commercial spaces to defecate. Retailers describe repeated harassment and trespassing. Business owners say individuals often become combative when asked to leave, aware that police response times are slow and that they are likely to be released back onto the street.
Two weeks ago, our own back door was damaged, costing $500 in repairs.
The toll is financial and emotional. Many of us are stretched to the limit. I recently experienced a panic attack, something that has never happened to me before. Conversations with fellow business owners reveal similar strain.
On Feb. 10, Uptown business members gathered at a local venue for a safety meeting. Police officers and a city attorney attended to discuss tools such as “No Trespassing” signage that allows law enforcement to intervene on private property when proper documentation is filed.
A new police substation has quietly opened nearby with donated furnishings and equipment, intended to increase presence and responsiveness.
Officers at the meeting acknowledged the challenges they face when confronting large groups with limited staffing.
Uptown has weathered what feels like four tsunamis: COVID-19, civil unrest, ICE-related tensions and a visible drug crisis that is claiming lives and eroding the sense of safety that once defined the corridor.
Many residents and business owners support strong, principled opposition to policies they believe harm immigrant neighbors. But they also question tactics such as broad boycotts of national companies that operate local franchises or employ neighborhood residents.
Targeting the local small businesses causes harm to our local employees.
A recent community email encouraged boycotts of corporations alleged to have contracts with ICE. Soon after, our locally owned store received a one-star review referencing a shipping carrier’s federal contracts. Our employees live in the neighborhood. They pay rent here. They buy groceries here. When revenue drops, it is our neighbors who feel it first.
Do boycotts aimed at multinational corporations truly affect corporate leadership, or do they reduce hours and wages for local workers?
These are not abstract questions for us. Every week, someone walks in or emails asking for a job. As more storefronts go dark, opportunities shrink.
“We want ICE out of Minneapolis. We also want a city left standing when that happens — with jobs intact, storefronts open and residents who still believe Uptown is worth fighting for.”
City leadership faces an enormous burden. No one envies the weight of those decisions. But small business owners are asking that economic survival and public safety remain central to the conversation.
We want ICE out of Minneapolis. We also want a city left standing when that happens — with jobs intact, storefronts open and residents who still believe Uptown is worth fighting for.
