Minneapolis has dominated national headlines for weeks as area residents protest the Department of Homeland Security’s heightened crackdown on Minnesota’s large immigrant population. Tensions have intensified as agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have killed two American citizens in shootings that have been recorded by observers.
Local businesses such as Insight Brewing have taken a stand against ICE’s occupation of the city. Insight marketing manager Joey Steinbach joins the Brewbound Podcast to discuss how the brewery has stepped up as a community hub by collecting food and other donations to distribute to mutual aid groups, supporting neighbors who participated in last week’s general strike and emphasizing its role as a friendly third space.
“That day was so truly inspiring,” Steinbach said of the strike. “We did shut down for regular business. We weren’t serving or selling anything. Any staff that we had there was volunteering their time just to gather donations from the community.
“We had so many people come through before and during the protests that day,” he continued. “We had just hundreds of pounds of food come through – diapers, winterwear, people donating hand warmers, donating more coffee.”
The impact of ICE’s presence in the Twin Cities hit close to home for Insight at the beginning of the surge, when an employee of one of the brewery’s resident food trucks was detained. That coupled with the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti made speaking out imperative, Steinbach said.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said. “We do have a platform, and we do have a voice. We’re not one of the biggest names in the game by any means, but we’ve got a decent social media reach and, watching everything happening in our direct community – Insight brewing is a northeast Minneapolis brewery – and it’s just so hard.”
Insight has walked a tightrope between using its social media accounts to call for an end to the ICE occupation and request donations for its community pantry (in exchange for a complimentary beer), while still promoting its ongoing taproom programming.
“It just felt wrong to stay silent about it, despite people thinking that politics and beer don’t really align,” Steinbach said. “If you go back to the origins of taprooms – pubs – it’s a public house, it’s a community space. It’s not just about pushing a product. It’s not just about the bottom dollar. It’s definitely a community space for everyone, especially including our immigrant neighbors.”
Before the interview, Zoe and Jess discuss recent news, including takeaways from the Beer, Wine & Spirits Summit and a sneak peek at Budweiser’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial.
Listen to the episode here or on your preferred podcast platform: