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1,000 Yemeni-American Stores Shut Their Doors, Hundreds More Rally, In Protest Of Trump’s #MuslimBan

by Gabe Ortiz on

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An estimated 1,000 Yemini-owned New York City business shut their doors — and hundreds more rallied throughout the day — in protest of Donald Trump’s unlawful immigration order targeting Muslims and refugees.

In a news release, organizers said the boycott was meant to show “the vital role these grocers and their families play in New York’s economic and social fabric and, during this period, grocery store owners will spend time with their families and loved ones to support each other; many of these families have been directly affected by the ban.”

The images shared by many on social media showed just how personal this ban for countless Muslim-American families.

As the Village Voice reports, the park outside Brooklyn Borough Hall “was already packed with hundreds of protesters” hours before the noon boycott was scheduled to begin. Hundreds continued to arrive throughout the night, with many praying in groups for their families and loved ones.

As one point, says the Village Voice, the park was covered “with so many American flags waving in the air that one watching from a distance would think it were a pro-Trump rally were it not for the fact that they were mixed in with chants of ‘No ban! No wall!’”