Day Without Bread: Four Arrested At Tom Cat Bakery Rally

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — 'Day Without Bread' protests resulted in four people being arrested Friday, police said. They were at a rally staged by Tom Cat Bakery workers opposed to immigration policies of the Trump administration.

During the protest outside the bakery, people chained themselves to company trucks and were arrested for disorderly conduct, police said.

Bakery workers were threatened with deportation if they couldn't provide valid work documents, according to Brandworkers, an organization that's representing them. They went on strike Friday in protest and to request a suitable severance package from the bakery management.

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A number of business owners around NYC are supporting the workers by participating in a "Day Without Bread" Friday, refusing to sell bread or donating a portion of their bread sales to a relief fund for the workers.

“Their fight against America's broken immigration system is our fight too," said Rabyaah Althaibani, a Yemeni-American community activist from Brooklyn, NY, and a lead organizer of the Yemeni Bodega strike in February.

"Immigrants are the backbone of New York's economy and, by standing together and speaking out, we've proven we can resist efforts to tear apart our lives and communities."

The bakery management had received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security late March stating that their workers would be deported unless they were able to provide legal work documents within ten days, according to Brandworkers.

Following negotiations, the deadline was extended to April 21. Joined by numerous elected officials, the workers held a rally outside Trump Tower earlier this month.

Images courtesy of Brandworkers