By Dustin Rowles | Politics | February 2, 2017 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | February 2, 2017 |
On Saturday, the morning after Donald Trump signed the executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, my wife suggested we get lunch at the Iraqi bakery that day. “Oh,” I thought. “That’s a good idea.” It’s a tucked away store and the foot traffic there usually leaves something to be desired, but they have good shawarma, and the kids love the naan. So I went, and Holy Shit! So did the rest of the city. There was a steady stream of customers unlike I’d ever seen before. Apparently, a lot of people in town had the same idea. There’s only so much we can do about the President’s actions, but we can at least support Muslim-owned businesses.
That’s been the sort of reaction we have seen all over the country in response to Donald Trump’s actions. While he’s trying to stoke fears, much of the country is basically telling Trump to f*ck off.
Today, for instance, 1000 Yemeni-American bodegas are shutting down from noon until 8 p.m. to protest Trump’s Muslim ban. How can we help? By eating at these bodegas when they re-open. My guess is that they will more than recoup their losses, because the American people are pretty spectacular.
This is a great idea. pic.twitter.com/LXvSuRMmBT
— Dylan Marron (@dylanmarron) February 2, 2017
Elsewhere, in Texas, Islamophobes burned down a mosque. However, a crowd-funding campaign quickly raised the necessary funds to rebuild it. In the meantime, the Muslims who attend that mosque can use a local synagogue to pray.
Trump just brought Muslims and Jews together. Thanks, Donald!
But here’s my favorite account, which was tweeted by Anthony Breznican:
This is from an American friend of mine working with the UN in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/a86pLqY67b
— (((Jon Shieber))) (@jshieber) January 31, 2017
There are many in Iraq who thought America hated them, but thanks to Trump, now they know how much we “do care about them and DO want us” here.’
Protests work. Even if they don’t immediately change policy, protests are an important symbol, especially in this case to let the rest of the world know that the majority of us do not back our President’s policies.
These protests aren't just for Trump. They're for the world to see we're with them, not him.
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) February 2, 2017