February 2, 2017

More Than 1,000 Bodegas in New York Are Striking to Protest Trump’s “Muslim Ban”

It’s an unprecedented protest against a ban that would hit the local Yemeni community hard.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/amirjina/3396317832/in/photolist-6b81Y1-5kXE89-6jNJFZ-gXYw6y-dpuFCW-eePzvu-egu98W-7wYDPt-622Mhm-8dTUBa-J5Ej5-tHWJw-rmpXJ1-9jjZTe-5kXBU5-5kXBgh-5kTkGT-5kXBnq-7VivmN-5S6EYc-5nah7m-J5Jmc-6QrrFv-6pqvs3-2yNqBB-7LDqz-9NVAxJ-6koQR6-3KhoS-f5rd2i-APiNJ-bWC1MA-FcWYxr-4zGNVm-6huFnT-Gfavx-9fiyFv-67FLcF-doAsZm-4HLQQJ-4mvsNG-4b1tYs-6koPWa-5WzxFo-bW2B4R-doAt7E-PAy3M-vR8P2-6jgn1g-bRq4e4">Amir Jina</a>/Flickr

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More than 1,000 Yemeni-owned shops in New York City are closed today in response to President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban.” The executive order, signed last Friday, banned immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Yemen.

In an unprecedented move, bodegas across all five boroughs shut their doors at 12 p.m. and will remain closed until 8 p.m. 

There are 4,000 to 6,000 Yemeni-owned grocery stores in the New York area, according to Debbie Almontaser, a member of the Muslim Community Network and an organizer of the shutdown, told DNAinfo. Organizers estimate 1,000 shut their doors today in protest. 

The grocery store shutdown comes after a similar demonstration last Saturday night, during which cabbies of the New York Taxi Alliance halted service to JFK Airport for one hour in protest.

Organizers and protesters will come together this afternoon at Brooklyn Hall for a public call to prayer and to rally against Trump’s executive order.

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