GARFIELD RIDGE -- Archer Avenue was bustling with foot traffic Saturday as residents from across the city flocked to A Cup of Joe Coffeehouse to support the Mexican-American owned business facing backlash for its criticism of immigration enforcement.
A line of customers formed down the block Saturday as they waited to patronize A Cup of Joe, 6806 W. Archer Ave., which has been the subject of harassment and threats after an employee posted a message critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the business' social media.
Instead of give in to the threats, A Cup of Joe supported its employee and doubled down on its criticism of ICE. It held a rally Saturday and donated half of its proceeds to the Street Vendors Association of Chicago, which supports immigrant vendors who may not be working to avoid immigration agents.
The rally appeared successful, as hundreds of customers stopped by the shop, with so many turning out that some were turned away at the cafe's closing time.
"We refuse to be bullied. We will stand up in the face of injustice," A Cup of Joe's management wrote on social media.
The dispute with neighbors began after A Cup of Joe employee posted on its social media page a message critical of ICE. Those messages were shared in Garfield Ridge Facebook groups, which led to neighbors demanding an apology and the firing of the employee, the business wrote on social media.
The business refused the demands, which led to it being "targeted and harassed" with negative Google reviews, threats to call city inspectors and a call for a boycott.
"All this for simply taking a firm stance against the illegal actions by a rogue government agency (ICE)," A Cup of Joe management said in a statement posted to social media. "Make no mistake, this is not about just our employee. This is about censorship from the side that calls for freedom. They are hypocrites. Just because our views don't align that doesn't make you right and us wrong."
On Friday, A Cup of Joe said they would hold the Saturday fundraiser for the street vendor association and as a show of strength against the harassment campaign.
Droves of Chicagoans turned out and stood in line outside the cafe on a sunny but cold Saturday. Some brought signs and others cheered at supportive honks by drivers passing by.
Those who turned out included Chicago Public Schools teacher Sheri Winkler, who, though familiar with the neighborhood on account of teaching at the nearby William F. Finkl Academy, had never visited A Cup of Joe before Saturday. Winkler waited over an hour in line to place her order after seeing on Instagram that there could be a protest of the business by supporters of ICE and the Trump administration. Though Winkler doesn't go to coffee shops often, she felt supporting A Cup of Joe was the right thing to do.
"It makes me really happy. It makes me feel really hopeful," Winkler said about seeing so many people show up in solidarity. "It's positive, but the fact that we need to do this is really terrifying at this point where we are politically and [after] everything that's come to light" about ICE's activity in Chicago.
Members of Gage Park Cyclists also came out to support A Cup of Joe. Gil Campos and Alfredo Valladares cycled nearly 45 minutes to the cafe, arriving just after 9 a.m. Saturday. They chatted with neighbor Gasper Flores while waiting for their orders inside, which they received around 1:30 p.m. The wait times, they said, were worth it.
"I lived here my whole life, and I just wanted to come out and show support and be positive," Campos said.
Michelle Seacor, a resident of Garfield Ridge and a regular of A Cup of Joe, said Hispanic and Latino families like her own have faced hateful rhetoric in Garfield Ridge before, making it imperative that the community rally to support the business.
"We live here too. We pay taxes, and for the most part, we love our neighbors," Seacor said. "It's just blatant racism what is happening, and we're not going to stand down."
A Cup of Joe was filled to the brim much of Saturday, with security letting in customers a few at a time. Security had to stop allowing in new customers ahead of its 3 p.m. closing to accommodate those who were already inside.
The Southwest Side was targeted regularly during Operation Midway Blitz, the federal government's immigration enforcement campaign that saw agents regularly in Latino and Hispanic neighborhoods. For state Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, showing up for small, immigrant-owned businesses is key in addressing racism and discrimination amidst ICE's ongoing presence in the area.
"We understand everybody has political opinions and they're different," Guerrero-Cuellar said, "but there's no need to be expressive about your racism or discrimination or show hate towards anybody, right? Don't do this to our businesses because guess what? They pay taxes and they pay rent. They support our local community. A lot of their employees live in our neighborhood."
A Cup of Joe opened in Garfield Ridge in 2019 and is run by mother-and-son Gaby Franco and Jose Franco Jr. The family opened an outpost on 18th Street Pilsen, where they are from, in 2023.
Ownership could not be reached for comment Saturday, but the family said on social media that their goal is to be bring a "thriving small business" to Garfield Ridge and help give back to the community.
"Canceling our small business or anyone for that matter for simply expressing their right to freedom of speech is un-American," the owners said on social media.