SEOBLOGREEN - This is not a story about lattes. It is a story about a line drawn in the sand. The place is Minneapolis. The business is Modern Times Cafe. They sell coffee and breakfast. They also sell defiance. The owners made a public declaration. It was simple. It was firm. They vowed to be an ICE-free zone. The cafe will remain 'free' as long as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains in their city.
This radical decision came after a horrific period. Minneapolis has been under what local officials call an "occupation." Federal agents had flooded the streets. Fear gripped the neighborhoods. This fear was not unfounded. Two civilian observers were killed by federal agents nearby. Renee Macklin Good died. ICU nurse Alex Pretti died. They were simply exercising their rights.
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| Photo From Pixabay |
Modern Times Cafe owner Dylan Alverson saw the atrocities. He was tear-gassed alongside his neighbors. He witnessed the armed aggression. He decided he could not go on as before. Business as usual was a moral failure. He had to stop contributing.
The Cost of Conscience: Free Food for Freedom
Alverson has owned this diner for 15 years. It is a neighborhood cornerstone. It has already endured the George Floyd unrest in 2020. The community is familiar with crisis. But this new crisis demanded a new response.
The cafe shut down its traditional model. It became "Post Modern Times". The name is a tongue-in-cheek recognition of chaos. Alverson is now operating radically. The message is clear: All food is now free.
The Tax Protest Model
This is not charity alone. It is a calculated protest. By making everything free, the cafe runs on donations. They are not generating sales tax. The tax revenue would normally go to the state and federal government. Alverson refuses to fund the government he views as inflicting daily harm. He refuses to pay money for the "soldiers in our streets".
The staff agreed to volunteer. They are paid only through shared tips and donations. It is a gamble. It is a collective commitment. The community is responding. Customers are donating generously. Many are giving more than the normal meal price.
Excluding the Occupiers
There is one major exception to the free food: ICE and Border Patrol agents. They are welcome to enter. They are not welcome to eat for free. If an agent wants a meal, they must pay. This policy is the heart of the vow. It is a statement of moral exclusion.
Legally, this stance is provocative. Some might call it discrimination. But Alverson's focus is on moral economy. He is not targeting protected classes. He is targeting government entities he sees as actively occupying and harming his neighbors.
A Wider Call for Solidarity
The situation in Minneapolis is grim. The federal deployment has disrupted life. Residents are staying home. Fear has impacted school routines. Families have been separated. The presence of armed agents is constant and chilling.
Modern Times Cafe is fighting this chill with warmth. They are offering a safe harbor. They are providing nourishment without a financial barrier. The vow is a spiritual act of resistance. It is a blueprint for others.
Alverson is challenging other businesses. He asks them to adapt radically. He asks them to stop feeding the 'war time' economy. His cafe is now a symbol. It stands for the idea that profit must yield to principle. It is a demand that businesses become active participants in social justice.
The cafe will revert to its normal pricing when the occupation ends. Until then, it stands firm. Modern Times is proving that a small business can make a huge political statement. They are trading stability for solidarity. They are replacing sales tax with human dignity. That is the new recipe for resistance in Minneapolis. The whole country should watch.
Source: mprnews.org
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