The April 21 protest in support of immigrant workers at Tom Cat Bakery in Queens brought four arrests and extensive coverage in New York media. Of the 31 workers threatened by ICE, 18 are continuing to fight for a full severance package and a commitment by the company not to cooperate with immigration authorities. A number of businesseshonored the call for a “Day Without Bread,” posting the protest’s yellow signin their windows. Among the shops in solidarity were Yemeni bodegas in Brooklyn that also honored the “Day Without Immigrants” in February.—TPOI editor
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| Protesters block delivery trucks. Photo: www.nbcnewyork.com/ |
Immigration Inquiry Draws Protest at Tom Cat Bakery
By Tejal Rao, New York Times
April 21, 2017The protest over a Department of Homeland Security investigation that began in December and threatened the jobs of several immigrant workers at Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City, Queens, was meant to begin at 6 a.m. on Friday.
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| Photo: @WidadIndie |
But at 3 a.m., a few protesters arrived at the factory and chained themselves to the bakery’s trucks, disrupting morning deliveries. Four people were arrested, the police said.
By 7, more than 100 people had gathered in the rain, carrying signs that read “No Human Is Illegal” and “Rise and Resist.” Members of a marching band, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, played as a group of 100 people marched back and forth along 10th Street, chanting in both Spanish and English.[…]
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New York: Tom Cat Bakery Workers Hold "Day Without Bread" Protest
Democracy Now!
April 21, 2017
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| Photo: @WidadIndie |
In New York City, immigrant workers at the Tom Cat Bakery are calling for a "day without bread," as about 18 workers face the loss of their jobs today after their employer demanded valid working papers. This morning, activists locked themselves to the underside of Tom Cat Bakery trucks, stalling delivery of bread while police worked to cut them out. Meanwhile, over 100 of the workers’ supporters rallied outside the bakery in solidarity with the workers. This is Tom Cat Bakery employee Osias Davila.
Osias Davila: "There are workers who have been here for 10 years, 18 years, and so it’s unjust that Tom Cat treats us this way, after we have given so much for the company to grow. It’s a very large business with a lot of production. So what we’re asking for at this time is that there is justice and that they stand up for their workers."
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