Despite Harassment, Phoenix’s Gayborhood Plans To Stand Against ICE on Friday

Audrey Corley pulled out her phone and clicked on the contact that had sent her a harassing message.

“This is just one of them,” she said, joking that she had saved the number as “Trumper #1.”

Corley said she has not let the harassment — which has been constant since she announced her support for a boycott against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — affect her personally. Still, the volume of calls and messages her businesses have received since announcing their participation in the Jan. 30 economic protest against immigration enforcement has been striking.

Since media coverage highlighted Corley’s three businesses — the lesbian bar Boycott, the women’s sports bar Title 9 and the tapas restaurant Dahlia — she said she and her staff have received 10 harassing messages.

“That’s a lot, Audrey,” a reporter said.

She shrugged.

“I don’t operate like that,” Corley said, adding that her focus has been on her team’s safety. While her staff remains steadfast in their decision to participate, she said safety has become a more immediate concern.

The harassment Corley has faced stems from her decision to take action against ICE and its continued enforcement actions nationwide — and recently in Arizona — in the way she knows best: through an economic strike.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Phoenix helped organize the boycott, which includes far more than Corley’s businesses. A majority of businesses in the Melrose District — Phoenix’s LGBTQ neighborhood — have chosen to limit hours, donate profits from the day to local migrant-serving nonprofits, or close entirely.

“When we heard about the call for a national shutdown, especially what happened in Minnesota, there was so much energy behind it,” said Michel Ramos, a member of PSL Phoenix, who was gathered outside Title 9 for a press conference announcing widespread business shutdowns across the city.

“Over the past month especially, people are starting to connect the dots as things keep happening one after another,” Ramos said. “People are more willing to talk about organizing, about self-defense, about protecting ourselves because it’s clear no one else is going to do that for us.”

Dania Duran, also a member of PSL Phoenix, said the scale of participation — particularly among small businesses — signals widespread frustration with the system.

“They’re ready to put it all on the line and fight for something,” Duran said, adding that she has spoken with businesses across the Valley, from east to west, including in Melrose.

While many people have viewed the past week of ICE activity in Arizona — including federal agent raids at Zipps Sports Grills earlier this week — with fear and anger, Duran said she has found reason for hope.

“I’m beyond excited that people are looking past their fear,” she said. “They’re looking beyond the idea that they might lose business for a day, which, in these times, is a real concern.”

While the national shutdown is aimed at drawing the federal government’s attention, Duran said she also sees the boycott as a way to pressure local officials who have offered muted responses to ICE enforcement in the state.

“Gov. Katie Hobbs has expressed that her hands are tied and there’s not much she can really do,” Duran said. “But I do believe that after tomorrow, that’s going to change.”