Chicago protesters, businesses participate in nationwide strike against immigration crackdown

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A number of small businesses in the Chicago area are participating in a nationwide movement on Friday.

They have posted signs and have shut their doors as they protest the immigration crackdown across the country.

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Demonstrators across the country are calling for a national shutdown that includes "no shopping, no school, and no work" on Friday.

This comes after outrage from immigration enforcement nationwide and shootings involving federal agents, including the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Last September, federal agents also shot and killed 38-year-old Silverio Villegas Gonzales in Franklin Park.

"I think what's happening across the country and Minneapolis is sad. It's upsetting for folks in Chicago too," said demonstrator Max Ciarlone. "It's accountability. We have a system of checks and balances of different branches of legislature that hold each other accountable for what's happening. And I think this current administration is not following those rules."

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On Friday morning, demonstrators gathered in Roscoe Village and took part in this nationwide protest. They held signs while drivers honked their horns.

Over in Avondale, The Brewed, a coffee shop, and Bric-a-Brac Records, a record store, closed on Friday and joined the nationwide strike. They posted signage on their doors alerting customers of why they chose to close down for the day.

Some local small businesses in the area say they are standing in solidarity with those who are striking, but they cannot afford to close on Friday, because their employees need to get paid.

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So, instead of closing, they are donating to organizations that support immigrant communities.