YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — Some metro Detroit businesses chose to remain open during Friday's anti-ICE protests, offering what they described as safe spaces for their communities while others closed their doors in solidarity with the demonstrations.
Organizers of the protests called for people to skip work and school, and for businesses to shut down for the day.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below:
Mark Maynard, co-owner of Bellflower restaurant in Ypsilanti, decided to keep his doors open.
"We struggled with it. Our first impulse was to close because a lot of other people we respected were closing and then we thought about it and thought what we do is cook and we take care of people," Maynard said.
The Pearl Street restaurant offered a "pay what you can" model for the day to encourage community participation.
"We thought people might need a place to come, so we though let's do it differently. We have pay what you can today, so we try to get as many people from the community to come in," Maynard said.
In Ann Arbor, the Michigan Theater remained open, screening "Resurgo," a documentary about Detroit's resilience that touches on the 1960s riots in the city.
Stephen McGee, the documentary's filmmaker, explained his decision to continue the screening.
"We were aware that the businesses were going to shut down and we wanted to respect that. At the same time, my film is what I think America needs right now. What I've seen in the past 20 years in Detroit makes me still believe in our country," McGee said.
Molly Rowan, the CEO of the Michigan and State Theaters, emphasized the venue's role as a community gathering place.
"I think the arts provided a safe space for multiple factions of the community and this is a beautiful 100-year-old building — it's a cultural landmark, people know it and we're more than just a movie theater, we are a place of connection," Rowan said.
Michigan Republican Party Co-chair Sunny Reddy weighed in on the protests, expressing support for peaceful demonstration while defending ICE operations.
"So I strongly support peaceful protest. There's no question about it. But at the same time, let the ICE do their job. They're not targeting. I don't see they're targeting any individual or any individual race," Reddy said.
Meanwhile, Mark Maynard emphasized his restaurant's mission to bring the community together during challenging times.
"It's good to have a place in the community where people can meet and talk," Maynard said.
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