How Denver’s Hospitality Industry Is Supporting Anti-ICE Movement

“It’s been insane. There’s been a line out the door, even in the most brutal cold weather,” says Melody Allen, who opened coffee shop/vintage store Good Bones at 1201 East Colfax Avenue with her husband, Carson, in November.

Last week, following the killing of Colorado native Renee Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis, the couple decided to create a “Fuck ICE” latte art stencil and posted a video to TikTok of Good Bones’ new drink option. “Come in and ask for the ‘‘ upgrade,” it wrote to its followers, who did, indeed, show up in droves, especially after some local influencers posted videos of their own, which helped spread the word even further.

The business is donating $1 from every Fuck ICE latte sold to Casa de Paz, a local nonprofit that “welcomes recently released newcomers, Asylum seekers, and immigrants; we facilitate their next steps towards reunifications with loved ones in a dignifying way,” according to its website.

Casa de Paz “does everything from immigrant legal aid to helping them in the rare scenario that they are released — lot of people who have been detained lose their jobs and their housing,” notes Carson. “We didn’t want this to be about us.”

The shop typically sells around 75 cups of coffee a day, but over the last week, that’s spiked to about 350 a day. On January 26, it sold out of coffee by noon.

Saturday, January 24, was particularly tough, Carson shares. “It was such mixed emotions. We started the day with a line out the door, and we were so energized, then we go online and see this guy murdered by ICE,” he says, referring to Alex Pretti, the second protester killed in Minneapolis, whose parents live in Arvada. “It was a weird, emotional day.”

The Allens still need to tally up the shop’s total donation so far, but they plan to continue this special as long as people keep ordering it — and “until ICE gets the hint,” Carson says.

“Melody and I both come from the punk rock world, and we haven’t really had an outlet to fight the power in the past,” Carson notes, so he’s happy to see that the shop is having a real impact. “We’ve just got this little janky plastic template that’s doing so much for the community.”

The Crypt
1618 East 17th Avenue
Now we have another reason to love this Uptown spot, which is on our list of the Top 50 Bars in Denver right now. “FUCK ICE! If you support ICE, go find a space in another community because it doesn’t belong in ours,” it shared on an Instagram post over the weekend. The bar continually raises money for nonprofits; through the end of January, round-up sales and money from its give-back cocktail are going to Cobalt Advocates, which works to protect reproductive rights. For the month of February, donations will go to Casa de Paz.

Hi-dive
7 South Broadway
Graphic designer Tyler Clowe and musician Billie Christ collaborated to create a “Keep I.C.E. in the well” T-shirt design that was printed by Blackout Screen Printing and sold at the hi-dive over the weekend, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Colorado Rapid Response Network. The first run sold out quickly, resulting in an $800 donation, but a second batch is on the way. Follow @hidive_denver for updates.

Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe
9935 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Banh & Butter owner Thoa Nguyen shared the following statement via Instagram, offering valuable insight about the impact the political climate has on small businesses:

I want to acknowledge what is happening right now.
I have been told many times to “stick with baking” and to “stay out of politics.”
But the truth is — politics are not separate from business.
The decisions made by people in power directly affect our communities, our employees, our customers, and every small business trying to survive.
Politics affect:

• The cost of ingredients
• The farms that grow our food
• The transportation that delivers it
• The labor laws that protect our staff
• The immigration policies that impact our workforce
• The safety and stability of the neighborhoods we serve

There is not a single croissant, loaf of bread, or cup of coffee that exists outside of these systems.
We carry the weight of our team’s emotions every day. We show up trying to remain “professional,” but there comes a point when professionalism is no longer enough — especially when morality, humanity and people’s lives are involved.
We are not machines.
We are not silent producers.
And we are not servants meant to smile, stay quiet, and bake while harm happens around us.

While someone may casually enjoy a croissant, please understand there are real people behind it — people sourcing the ingredients, harvesting the crops, transporting the food, opening the doors before sunrise, and worrying every day about how policies and decisions made far away ripple directly into our kitchens and our lives.

Small businesses do not exist in a vacuum.
We are part of this community — and being part of a community means caring when it is hurting.
Choosing to speak does not make us ungrateful.
It does not make us unprofessional.
And it does not make us political for attention.
It makes us human.

Banh & Butter was built on love for food, culture and people — and that includes standing firm when our values are challenged.
We will continue to bake.
We will continue to serve.
And we will continue to speak when silence feels like compliance.
Thank you to those who understand that compassion and community will always matter more than comfort.