NYC MELTS ICE | Anti ICE Protests

 

The anti‑ICE protests in New York City have surged over the past week as part of a wider wave of national demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and mass deportations. The New York City protests are part of a broader national pushback against intensified ICE activity. Across the U.S., demonstrations have erupted in major cities—Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco—many culminating in large rallies, mass arrests, and police intervention . Organizers in NYC and elsewhere are drawing inspiration from the solidarity tactics of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, emphasizing decentralized organizing, mutual aid, and sustained resistance.

A couple of days ago, I chanced on large crowds walking down Sixth Avenue, Varick and Hudson Streets. Here are some of scenes I photographed.

ANTI FUR PROTEST | Soho NYC

While walking last week through Broome Street in the heart of SoHo’s shopping district, I came across a small spirited but vociferous anti-fur protest, which aimed at drawing attention to animal cruelty in the fashion industry.

To me, documenting civil disobedience is like catnip to a cat, so I snapped a handful of frames of the raucous event.

I haven't seen nor heard of anti-fur protests for quite some time, and read in the New York Times that the anti-fur movement has been largely successful in its efforts to force fashion houses to stop using skins, with almost every runway brand adopting fake fur as a fabric and eschewing the use of former luxury staples such as mink and sable.

CROSBY STREET | 65:24 Aspect Ratio

One of my favorite streets in Soho, NYC, is Crosby Street. Some of its buildings have walls always covered in “illegal” posters and ads, which I think make perfect backdrops—not just for my street fashion shoots, but also for everyday street photography with the Fujifilm GFX50R, using the super wide 65:24 X-Pan aspect ratio everyone raves about.

More of the Crosby Street in 65:24 photographs will be uploaded soon.

THE AZTEC CONCHEROS | Mexico City

The Concheros dance, also known as the dance of the Chichimecas, Aztecas and Mexicas, is an important traditional dance and ceremony which has been performed in Mexico since early in the colonial period. It consists of syncretic features, both pre-Hispanic and Christian.

It apparently originated in 1522, after the Spanish conquest of the Chichimec tribe, as a means of continuing ancient ritual.The Zocalo is central to Mexico's political and cultural identity as it marks the historical center of Mexico City and the center of the Aztec city-state of Tenochtitlan.

During the dances, ritualistic spirit cleansing is administered by some of the Concheros. This is done using tree leaves to fan the incense smoke over the bodies of those who seek the energy and the cleansing. Traditional herbs, such as basil, are used for the incense.

For larger photographs:

The Aztec Concheros by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure