By Kate Stockrahm

While many stayed home on Friday in observance of the national “ICE Out” strike, local artist Jewel Brown was hard at work.

“On Thursday, I was considering what ways [we] could support the community through the blackout,” Brown, whose day job is at Factory Two, explained of how she and Stephen Shippritt of Savage Village streetwear came to host a free anti-ICE screenprinting event on Friday, Jan. 30. 

Brown said she first thought of closing the Flint makerspace so that employees could take part in the countrywide protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence in multiple U.S. cities. However, she said, “it felt wrong to me to close down a community hub – like a meeting space, a creative space – on a day that’s supposed to represent community. So I knew that wasn’t an option.”

Instead Brown, also the owner of MarTket, an art business that’s made waves since Brown converted an old cigarette vending machine to dispense art in early 2025, thought it best to volunteer her time and talent to the act of protest. So she connected with Shippritt on ways they might get involved.

“He mentioned a video that I had also seen of a print shop in Minneapolis who did a free screenprinting event,” Brown said. 

“She was just like yes, yes, yes, yes!” Shippritt said, smiling as he recalled Brown’s response to the idea.

That was all the pair needed to get started, and within 12 hours, they had three designs drawn up and screens ready for however many folks came through the door with t-shirts, jackets, and whatever else they wanted to see protest imagery printed on that Friday.

Some of the screenprinted items from local artists Jewel Brown’s and Stephen Shippritt’s January 30, 2026 event. Shippritt’s design is far left, with Brown’s in the middle and right.

“I was like: if we get 20 people, that would be cool,” said Shippritt, whose own workplace, Soggy Bottom Bar, closed in observance of the national shutdown. “But I think we got close to 70 or 80… It was incredible.”

And while screenprinting was entirely free, guests ended up offering tips and donations – now totaling over $900 – which Brown and Shippritt gave to The Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights (FAIR).

“We knew we wanted to donate to local mutual aid,” Brown said of partnering with FAIR, which also provided “know your rights” information for the event. “They’ve been doing a lot of great work.”

Both Brown and Shippritt confirmed they plan to host another screen printing event in the near future, and that one may even offer artwork from Art Price Studio – the print shop behind the video that inspired Brown and Shippritt to create the event in the first place.

In addition, Brown said she’s kept the screens from Jan. 30 and is prepared to provide free screen printing through Saturday, Feb. 7.

“Anyone who was not able to make it for the Friday event, for whatever reason, can come in and drop their things off and have them printed,” she said, noting that drop off can happen during Factory Two’s normal hours for pick up the next day. She said the service is still free, but people are welcome to donate and all proceeds will continue to go to FAIR.

When asked if she was surprised by the support she and Shippritt received for their impromptu event, Brown said no.

“I don’t think it surprised me, and I don’t think it changed how I see things. I think I feel even more empowered by what our community has to offer here,” she said. “ I know how Flint shows up for each other, for the people, and I know that they’ll continue to do that. It’s very much a part of the culture here… It’s always reinvigorating, getting to witness that firsthand.”

For his part, Shippritt said it’s felt sad and “oppressive” keeping up with the news around immigration issues, and he hopes that events like the one they held on Jan. 30 will keep happening in Flint and keep bringing people together.

“It feels like there’s forces out there governing that want us divided, so it makes more sense now than ever to just band together as a community – as a matter of blue, red, green, or whatever color party people are devoted to,” Shippritt said. “Humans are human beings. Everybody has their own struggles, and we’re just trying to get through day to day as best that we can.”