Brooklynites took to the streets last weekend over President Trump’s ban on citizens of Yemen and six other Muslim-majority countries entering the U.S. So we took to the streets of Bay Ridge — home to the borough’s largest Yemeni community — to find out what people there think. More opinions appear on page 10.
“I’m one of those people who regrets voting for Trump. I voted for him because he’s a business man and I think he has what it takes to fix this country and get us out of debt, but I figured some of the things he said was all talk. I didn’t think he was actually going to ban Muslims and try and build a wall, because those are so larger-than-life and I figured he was just saying it for the attention. But it’s really happening. And I’m not for it, I just think that no one should be barred from coming to this country to make a better life for themselves. That’s what this country is founded on.”
—Caroline Spivack
“I was confused when I heard the news. Everyone said Trump’s Muslim ban wasn’t possible, but then he basically did it. And it’s just so disappointing because Muslim does not mean terrorist. You can’t judge an entire religion based on some bad people. My mom was raised in Yemen and she came here when she married to my dad. Anyone is supposed to be able to come here and make a life for themselves, but now I’m not so sure.”
“I was very upset when I saw that Trump banned people from all those countries, for the people and their families. I am from Egypt and I am not Muslim, but when people see me I can see that I make them nervous. They see a man from the Middle East and they think bad things. It’s very upsetting. Most of my family is in Egypt. Maybe my country will be added to the list, who knows.”
