Support Local Businesses
Immigrant-owned businesses are the backbone of our communities. When they're targeted for harassment, we stand with them. When they thrive, we all thrive.
Why Business Support Matters
- Economic solidarity: Your dollars directly support families in our community
- Visible presence: A busy business is a protected business
- Community strength: Thriving businesses create thriving neighborhoods
- Resistance: Choosing where to spend is a form of mutual aid
Ways to Support
🛒 Shop & Patronize
The simplest and most powerful action: spend money at immigrant-owned businesses.
- Make them your regular stops for groceries, restaurants, services
- Bring friends and family
- Leave positive reviews online
👥 Presence & Witness
If a business is being harassed:
- Show up: A crowd of supporters deters harassment
- Witness: Document incidents (with consent)
- De-escalate: Stay calm, don't engage with harassers
- Report: Let the Business Allies segment know
📣 Amplify
- Share their business on social media
- Recommend them to friends
- Write positive reviews on Google, Yelp
- Feature them in community newsletters
🤝 Organize Buy-In Days
Coordinate community-wide days to support specific businesses:
- Pick a day and a business
- Spread the word through community networks
- Show up together
Collecting Business Information
If your cell wants to maintain a list of businesses that need support, create your own secure intake form rather than using a public or permanent system.
Recommended: Create a Form with CryptPad
CryptPad is a zero-knowledge encrypted collaboration platform that's ideal for collecting sensitive information like business details.
Why CryptPad:
- ✓ Zero-knowledge encryption (even CryptPad can't read your data)
- ✓ No account required to create forms
- ✓ Can set forms to self-destruct after a time period
- ✓ Responses are encrypted and only accessible to form creator
- ✓ Can be shared via link with your community
How to create a business intake form:
- Go to CryptPad.fr (or your preferred CryptPad instance)
- Click "Form" to create a new form
- Add fields to collect the information you need (see suggested fields below)
- Enable "Self-destructing pad" if you want the form to auto-delete after a set time
- Share the form link only through trusted channels (Signal groups, in-person)
- Review responses regularly and transfer to your local records
- Delete the form when no longer needed
Suggested fields for your form:
- Business name
- Type of business (restaurant, grocery, retail, service, etc.)
- Neighborhood/area
- Current situation (general support, experiencing harassment, struggling economically, new business)
- Contact name
- Preferred contact method (Signal, phone, in-person)
- Contact information
- Additional notes
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
- Don't leave forms open indefinitely - Set a time limit or close after collecting responses
- Don't link forms to personal accounts - Use CryptPad anonymously
- Share links carefully - Only through encrypted channels like Signal
- Transfer and delete - Move information to your local records and delete the form
- Consider sensitivity - Business information could put owners at risk if exposed
Alternative: Direct Outreach
Instead of a form, Business Allies can:
- Visit businesses in person to introduce the cell
- Collect information through Signal conversations
- Build relationships through regular patronage
- Let business owners reach out when they need support
This approach:
- Creates no permanent digital record
- Builds trust through personal connection
- Allows business owners to control what information they share
- Reduces risk of information exposure
LEARN MORE
See the Tools & Resources page for more details on using CryptPad securely.
For Business Allies
If you're part of a Business Allies segment, here's how to engage:
Regular Activities
- Maintain a list of supported businesses (locally, not published)
- Coordinate regular patronage rotations
- Check in with business owners periodically
Response to Incidents
- Mobilize presence quickly when harassment occurs
- Document with consent
- Connect owners with legal observers if rights are violated
- Provide emotional support — harassment is traumatic
De-escalation Guidelines
- Stay calm and non-confrontational
- Don't engage directly with harassers
- Focus on supporting the business owner and staff
- Call for additional support if situation escalates
- Know when to involve authorities (owner's decision)
Join the Business Allies Segment
Want to be part of supporting local businesses? Learn how to join a local cell and get involved with the Business Allies segment.