Bay Ridge bodega shuts down for hour in protest of travel ban
Borough President Eric Adams and Councilmember Justin Brannan gathered with area residents and representatives of three local organizations, the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge, Muslims Giving Back and the Pakistani and American Youth Society on Tuesday, April 24 outside the 80th Street Deli, 8014 Fifth Avenue, to help the Yemeni-owned bodega shut down for an hour in solidarity with the fight against the Trump administration’s Muslim travel ban.
The gathering came in response to at-that-time-upcoming oral arguments for and against Trump v. Hawaii, a case in front of the United States Supreme Court that will decide the legality of the Trump administration’s executive order banning immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. There are an estimated 4,000-6,000 small businesses owned by Yemeni-Americans living in New York City, according to Adams.
“Many of the businesses, particularly in the areas of Bay Ridge and Downtown Brooklyn, are owned by Muslim-American immigrants and it’s our goal to show the power of this community and how much they contribute to everyday life here,” Adams said. “As a symbol of that, all across the borough, [members of] Yemeni communities will be closing their stores to show their outrage over this ban.”