In the southwest corner of Brooklyn lies one of the most diverse city neighborhoods, Bay Ridge. A traditionally Irish and Italian neighborhood, it has witnessed an inflow of large numbers of new residents from Mexico, the Middle East and Asia. Yesterday neighbors were outraged over Trump’s latest executive order temporarily banning travelers from seven mostly Muslims countries and permanently barring refugees from Syria.

Muslims from Bay Ridge participated in recent protests against the ban and are still in shock that Donald Trump was elected president.

“This guy…I don’t know how he won,” said Bahaa Ellaithy, 46, an Egyptian Muslim who teaches math in an Islam private high school. “Until this moment, I couldn’t believe that he became the president of a country like America.”

He strongly objected to the ban saying that it’s unconstitutional and against the values that the country was based on. Ellaithy joined the protest at Battery Park Sunday and had protested in front of Trump Tower ten times.

The nationwide protests give Ellaithy comfort and hope.

“I met a lot of wonderful people in the protests who really believe in freedom, believe in dignity, and believe in that people could live together from all races, religions and ethnicities,” Ellaithy said. “It makes me feel that I’m welcomed and accepted in this country.”

Ashraf Gad, 45, also an Egyptian Muslim, thought that the unprecedented ban was dangerous for all Muslims. He did not understand why those seven countries (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen) were targeted. He assumed that the selection was due to Trump’s personal views or business interest.

Gad, a pediatrician, wasn’t able to join the rallies because of his busy schedule at the hospital. But he would make some time for upcoming protests regarding this issue.

Paul Khoury, 62, a Lebanese salesman, came to the US at the age of 17 and has been living in the neighborhood for about 30 years. Back from a 10-day vacation in Spain last night, he was surprised to see the large number of people protesting at the airport. Khoury was worried about the direction where the nation was going and his children’s opportunities as policies became less friendly towards immigrants.

“My life is almost at the edge of it,” Khoury said. “I fear for my kids, not for me. They need a peaceful world than this world to live in.”

Bay Ridge residents from other ethnicities also expressed their anger towards the “Muslim Ban.”

Sally McMahon, 63, an Irish American, said for a country of immigrants looking for a better life, she found the whole ban ridiculous. She felt proud to be active in the protests including the Women’s March on NYC.

“I think that the nation is going a terrible way,” McMahon said. “I think the nation will go in a way of fascism and authoritarianism. And I’m very afraid for myself, for the people, for the country and for the world.”

Diana Balcazar, a 43-year-old Mexican mother of three children is concerned about Trump’s next move. She was afraid that she might be forced to go back to Mexico.

“Honestly, this is my country,” Balcazar said. “I’ve almost been here for 30 years. My whole life is here now.”

The post Bay Ridge Residents Stand in Unity Against Trump’s Muslim Ban appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Even before the first New York Marathon runner hit the track this morning, NYPD officers could be seen in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn lining the streets with caution tape and blocking off roads with their squad cars. As the crowds started to emerge around 9:30 a.m., additional officers were walking up and down the streets, trying to clear walkways and control the abundant excitement.

But the uniformed officials weren’t the only NYPD attendees at the marathon this morning. Many members of the NYPD were seen running in the race, with their supportive coworkers flocking to the sidelines to cheer them on.

Jackie McMahon, an NYPD employee, was one of these cheerleaders. She was more than happy to get up early to cheer on her comrades.

“I always enjoy watching the marathon,” said McMahon. “I have a sergeant who I work with who is running. I don’t know if I will see her in this huge crowd, but I told her I would be here.”

Once the race was in full swing, McMahon waved and smiled at all the runners who were sporting NYPD shirts “Way to go NYPD!” she shouted.

The crowd chants, “Go NYPD” as officers, sporting their official marathon shirts, run through Bay Ridge. Photo by Alexandra Zuccaro

Along with her NYPD coworkers, McMahon was also very excited to see the handicapped runners, who started trickling in during the early hours of the race. The crowds was sparse , but McMahon makes a special effort each year to see the handicapped participants roll by in their wheelchairs.

“My sister is handicapped, so I just feel very supportive towards the handicapped runners,”she said.

Although McMahon has watched past marathons all around the city, she now loves watching in her Bay Ridge neighborhood. The energy here is different she said.

“It’s not as big of a crowd as you would get in Manhattan, but the energy is very high because they are just starting out,” she said.

In Bay Ridge, the buzz was definitely alive, with runners stopping along the sides to take selfies with the viewers or high-fiving the kids sticking their hands out as they were held over the railing by their parents.

Bay Ridge spectators also made an effort to keep the runners pumped. While marathon runners trudged up the hill on 94^th St, a group of locals, including a few NYPD officers, chanted “Welcome to Brooklyn!” Some of the runners waved to the officers and cheerers in response, and used that hype to make it around the upcoming turn onto 4^th Avenue.

“There’s a big police presence and it’s exciting,” said McMahon. “It’s what makes it a nice event.”

The post New York City Marathon: Bay Ridge appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

All that was left from the chilly 2014 TSC New York City Marathon in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, by 11.30 a.m today, was the amount of clothing thrown off the bodies of the runners.

After running two miles across the Verrazano Bridge, they started to strip off their gloves, hats, and jackets.

Standing on the side of 92nd street, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Pat Corsilli, 64, loudly cheered as the runners ran past her discarding their layers as the sound of beating drums, courtesy of a drum filled the streets. But while waiting for the next wave of runners, she went to middle of the street and collected the clothing the runners threw off their now warmed up bodies.

“If you could give me the hats and the gloves, I’ll give you this jacket,” said the Dyker Heights, Brooklyn residence to another clothes collector. “I don’t need this (jacket).”

Corsilli was not the only spectator who collected thrown clothing along the marathon course. But she was specifically looking for hat and gloves because she has a mission.

“I give them to people who want to shovel the snow,” she said.

During the winter, many Mexican immigrants would come knocking on her door and offer to shovel snow off her driveways.

“I’d say, I shovel my own snow, but if you need hats and gloves, you can help yourself,” she said.

She didn’t want any jackets because hats and gloves are easier to store and those are the most needed by the people who knocked on her door, she said.

Just before the next wave of marathon runners came, Pat Corsilli, 64, collected clothing thrown by the previous runners. Photo by Virginia Gunawan

Today, she collected a big bag of hats and gloves. She said she would then sort paired gloves and decent hats, wash them, and put it in a basket in front of her door.

For her the marathon has been exciting and she has been an enthusiast spectator for 16 years.

“You know today is the marathon when you can hear the helicopter hovering above your head,” Corsilli said.

But she has only started collecting hats and gloves three years ago. The idea came from the real estate agent who helped her find her current house in Brooklyn. The agent volunteers at her church’s clothing donations and Corsilli thought it was a great idea to help those who need them.

“These are wearable, why do we want to throw it away?” she said while rubbing off the autumn leave of a Union Jack glove.

As the last runner passed and the drummers stopped playing, sweeper trucks came along. Whatever clothing was left on the street would be swept away and considered garbage.

The post NYC Marathon: Collecting discarded running clothes in Bay Ridge appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Bay Ridge Brooklyn’s The Third Rail Classic Rock Band from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

Marathon runners passing the 4th avenue and 88th Street corner in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn threw up rock-out symbols, air guitars, and even stopped to dance to the ripping tunes of rock-and-roll street band, The Third Rail.

The four Bay Ridge locals of The Third Rail have become friendly faces to locals and marathon runners alike, now playing for the third year in the New York City Marathon, with 4th avenue and 88th Street becoming their official stomping grounds.

Guitarist Matt Daus, 45, put on an “electrified” show, slinging his guitar behind his head to jam out the chords of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, and pay homage to the Bay Ridge music community he calls home.

“We have a lot of local people we know and they know us back from playing in the 80’s and 90’s to playing The Third Avenue festival every year,” said Daus, “Bay Ridge is one of the last true communities in the city of New York.”

Drummer Derek Rushton, 44, threw his drum sticks into the air in between bashing his drum set to Led Zeppelin, hoping his co-workers running in the marathon caught his beats.

Named after the third rail in the subway, the band has been playing for 25 years. Starting as a home band in the basement of guitarist and bass players Matt and Paul Daus, the band began opening for Brooklyn rock bands in the 80’s and 90’s. Of all the arenas they’ve performed, the New York City Marathon is the most captivating.

Paul Daus, 42, feeds off the energy of the Bay Ridge marathon audience, which he said has made playing music after 25 years worthwhile.

“When the audience gets involved, you get an adrenaline kick,” said Paul Daus, “That’s the exciting part about it, when you have somebody coming and saying ‘wow you sound really good’ it makes you feel good, and all the time you spend rehearsing or in your room playing guitar for hours on end actually pays off.”

For Matt Daus and lead singer Rob Delcastillo, 47, the combination of the audience interaction and the event itself is an invigorating experience.

“Here you’re one with the people and you’re part of a bigger event, an ancillary part of it where as when you’re on stage, everybody is looking at you as the event,” said Matt Daus.

The Third Rail guitarist Matt Daus of Bay Ridge, plays with high intensity at the New York marathon. Photo by Talia Avakian

The audience is just as much a part of the band as the members themselves.

“We have an open door policy,” said Delcastillo. “Anybody who wants to come and be part of the show, it’s more than fine.”

The lively interaction goes both ways. With wireless capabilities, the band members sailed into the marathon crowd and got spectators to sing on the microphone.

Third Rail Singer, Rob DelCastillio high fives marathon runners while belting a song in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Photo by Talia Avakian

While tighter security measures this year meant ropes guarding the band off, that did not stop them from getting up close with runners and onlookers alike, jutting their hands out to high-five runners and drawing their legs over the ropes to rip guitar shreds as close as possible to the action.

The band’s continuous involvement in the marathon was due to Matt Daus’ involvement in running two marathons, one in 1996 and the other in 2011.

“I saw the bands playing there and said, ‘we’ve got to do this one day,” said Daus.

For DelCastillo and Paul Daus, running the marathon was always a goal.

Bay Ridge rock band The Third Rail’s band members Paul Daus, 42, Rob Delcastillo, 47, Matt Daus, 45, and Derek Rushton, 44. Photo by Talia Avakian

“I was very much into running when I was younger and it’s always something I wanted to do but never got the chance,” said Daus. “Now my knees are shot and I don’t think I can.”

While bad knees made participating in the event difficult, the band members paved their own way into the event, showing that no matter the age, you can still rock out.

“I was cursed to have the knees of a 90 year old man afflicted with arthritis, but I’m lucky and blessed to have the lungs of an athlete,” said Delcastillo. He gripped the microphone before getting back to belting Freddie Mercury’s “Another One Bites the Dust”.

The post NYC Marathon: “Electrified” show at Bay Ridge greets runners appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Republican Primaries in Bay Ridge Brooklyn By Shara Talia Taylor from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

The post GOP Primary: Bay Ridge Republicans vote appeared first on Pavement Pieces.