Dear Seward Co-op Community,

Many of you are closely following the news about an ICE-involved shooting very close to the Friendship store. We know that many community members–including staff and shoppers–have already been dealing with the additional stress brought on by ICE deployments in our neighborhoods. Yesterday’s shooting death of Renee Nicole Good exacerbates an already fragile sense of safety for those in our immigrant communities, and the allies speaking up in support.

We’d like to provide a brief update about the procedures we have in place and share more recent activities that have taken place regarding ICE activity. Our ICE response plan continues to focus on prioritizing staff and customer safety.

In mid-December, we posted signs in our parking lots saying they are for customers only. To avoid making staff and customers a target, we did not specifically name ICE. The community responded this week expressing a desire for a more direct statement. We updated the signs stating that we stand with our community and that immigration agencies are not authorized to use our community-owned property for staging, processing, operations, or similar uses for civil immigration enforcement. Temporary signs were posted immediately. Permanent signs will go up when they arrive. Both have the same messaging.

This is in addition to an internal ICE response plan we created and shared with staff in January of last year, then updated in June and December, and again this week as enforcement actions evolved.

The plan includes steps that attempt to keep ICE out of staff-only areas and ways for staff to report and move through a situation in a way that keeps everyone involved safe. We updated our response plan again earlier this week, given the escalation of activity. We continue to work with several neighborhood groups and have been prioritizing organizations that interact directly with affected communities to inform how we can best support our neighbors. We have been distributing that information to staff as well.

We want to remind our community that when you shop at Seward Co-op in January, you can round up at the registers (or donate any additional amount you would like) to support our current SEED recipient, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. SEED funds will support free legal services and community outreach for immigrants and refugees in Minnesota, including deportation defense, legal help with work permits, green cards, and citizenship.

While fear is a valid response to the very real threat of violence from ICE in our communities, please know that our co-op continues to be rooted in a long history of community care and collective action. We maintain our commitment to the safety and well-being of staff, owners, producers, and our broader community. Please be gentle with yourselves, each other, and community members. The grace, kindness, and care we extend to one another now can help sustain us long-term as we continue to weather these ongoing uncertain times.

In solidarity,

Seward Co-op Leadership