A coalition of activist groups has called for a nationwide “National Shutdown” on Friday, February 2, 2026.
Connecticut residents are also planning local actions as part of a work, school and shopping boycott to protest recent killings by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protest is backed by organizations such as National Shutdown and General Strike US, who are demanding justice for Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis last Saturday, January 24.
Another incident that fueled the protest was the killing of Renee Good, a US citizen killed by an ICE officer in Minnesota earlier this month.
Protesters portray the strike as a mass mobilization for systemic change. In Connecticut, the rallying cry has mobilized communities and religious organizations.
Activities begin this week with vigils in Avon on Wednesday and Bloomfield on Thursday, where citizens will honor the victims and “name what’s wrong.”
On Friday, large protests will be organized in New Haven and New London in solidarity with the victims.
The movement has also gained publicity through celebrity endorsements.
Actors such as Pedro Pascal, Hannah Einbinder and Jamie Lee Curtis have used social media platforms to call for public involvement in the movement.
State and local law enforcement oversee plans, though organizers stress the vigils are spaces for “grief, truth-telling and quiet determination.”
