New York City Bodegas Shut Down In Support Of Anti-Trump Protests
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Feb 3, 2017
The strike was scheduled for noon to 8 p.m. today - a time set intentionally later in the day in consideration of the morning breakfast rush. Among the participants are the owners of the Yemen Cafe in Downtown Brooklyn and Bay Ridge and the Nadal Three Deli in the Bronx.
He expects to lose at least $2,000 from the closure - but said it's something he is compelled to do.
"Donating what we would otherwise spend at our local bodega on a regular Thursday to give back to this community is the least we can do to show solidarity at this hard time!" Unconstitutional orders are being placed on us. "We have nowhere else to go", Mr Alshabbi told Buzzfeed.
Widad Hassan, a graduate student in NY told BuzzFeed News, "A lot of people have been asking us, 'Wouldn't this hurt them because they'll be losing money?' The business owners have said the important thing is the statement being made".
Aljomai is an American citizen of Yemeni descent. I have the right to bring them here.
Trump's executive order has sparked a flurry of criticism from immigrant minority groups around the country. The executive order, signed last Friday, banned immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Yemen.
The crowd stood shoulder to shoulder, crammed onto the steps outside Brooklyn's city hall, waving a sea of American flags and carrying the odd Yemeni flag or placards with slogans such as "Muslim Lives Matter".
According to the Bodega Association of the United States, there are about 13,000 bodegas in total in New York City.
At noon, Yemeni business owners across all five New York City boroughs will close their roughly 1,000 neighborhood grocery stores and bodegas in response to the Trump administration's travel ban targeting Muslims.
A rally "for religious freedom" organized by Adams is slated for 5 p.m. outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall where Yemeni-Americans will share personal stories about how they've been affected by Trump's travel ban.
