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The watch party for the World Cup final was held in Central Park. According to the organizers, 50,000 people attended the event. They shared the intense, great game as Spain won the championship, beating Argentine 1-0 in extra time. Many supporters and fans of both teams also experienced highly emotional moments. Note: 2nd and 3rd images from the last are those of the supporters for Spain. The rest ones are for Argentine. #WorldCup #NYC #CentralPark #Spain #Argentine worldCupSupporters ArgentineSupporters SpainSupporters by @qsakamaki

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6 days ago

The Reality of Life:
Today, Saturday, July 18, I went to Times Square to cover an Anti-ICE protest, which followed the recent fatal shootings of Lorenzo Araujo in Texas and Johan Guerrero in Maine by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. According to official reports, neither of the individuals killed was the actual person federal agents were originally attempting to arrest. Yet, in Times Square, I was surprised to find that the protest was extremely small, despite the fact that the recent killings had received heavy nationwide news coverage. Then, I encountered another group: supporters of the Argentine national team for the World Cup. The number of Argentine supporters quickly grew, and despite the hot, humid day, they shared immense energy and passion while packed like sardines. On the other hand, the Anti-ICE protest ended quickly without a march. At the very same time and in the very same space, two completely different worlds existed side by side. I wonder if New York changed… #timessquare #nyc by @qsakamaki

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7 days ago

Street portrait during the anti ICE protest.

New Yorkers waged a protest at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, NYC, as well as marching, on Tuesday evening, July 14, 2026, to demand accountability following two recent fatal shootings of Lorenzo Araujo in Texas and Johan Guerrero in Maine by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. According to official reports, neither of the individuals killed was the actual person federal agents were originally attempting to arrest.

ICE stated that both Araujo and Guerrero used their vehicles as weapons, arguing that the agents opened fire in self-defense during the encounters when ICE attempted targeted traffic stops. However, Activists and local politicians at rallies, including the Foley Square protest, have rejected the agency’s narrative. Demonstrators argue that it is actually ICE that has weaponized its own vehicles and tactics through aggressive maneuvers like sideswiping motorists, smashing windows, and boxing people in during traffic stops.Eyewitnesses to the Houston shooting publicly stated that Araujo did not attempt to use his car as a weapon.

So far, a massive gap remains between both sides, as there is no body camera or dash camera footage from the scenes to verify what actually happened during the traffic stops. Yet, faced with massive public backlash, ICE leadership scrambled to announce two major policy changes, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 — 1) immediately pause of most vehicle pursuits and traffic-stop arrests and 2) emergency body camera rollout to the federal agents.

Note: the two attached photographs on the woman’s handmade hat were those of Lorenzo Araujo in Texas and Johan Guerrero in Maine. by @qsakamaki

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10 days ago

250th Independence Day of United States, at Brooklyn Bridge Park. #NYC #250thindependenceday #july4th #brooklynbridgepark #brooklynbridge by @qsakamaki

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20 days ago

Today marks the 250th Independence Day of the United States. While the nation celebrates, it is vital to remember that the history of Native Americans remains one of our most important and overlooked narratives.

Native Americans have faced oppression for centuries. Their lands were invaded, and their populations were decimated. The major tribes that once flourished across North America were nearly wiped out. They were pushed onto reservations and forced to sign treaties that the U.S. government repeatedly violated for its own gain.

Tragically, this suffering continues today due to systemic issues outside of their control. On many reservations, job opportunities are incredibly scarce, the high school dropout rate sits around 70%, and the teen suicide rate is among the highest in the nation. Despite the severity of these crises, the struggles of Indigenous communities are still largely ignored by federal and state governments.

To shed light on this reality, I want to share a few photos of the Lakota people in Pine Ridge and beyond, which I captured in 2010. The 8th and 9th images were taken on the Fourth of July.
#250thIndependenceDay #July4th #NativeAmerican #Lakota by @qsakamaki

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21 days ago

Coney Island launched its July 4th weekend festivities with its classic Friday Night Fireworks on July 3, 2026 - day before 250th Independence Day. Despite extreme heat and a sudden, dramatic storm that whipped up sand and brought heavy rain, Many New Yorkers stayed to enjoy it. #ConeyIsland #NYC #250thIndependenceDay #July4thweekend by @qsakamaki

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21 days ago

Dykes gathered for a massive celebration and dance party at the Washington Square Park fountain, New York, on Saturday, June 27, 2026, marking the grand finale of the 34th annual NYC Dyke March. #NYCDYKES #DYKES #WashingtonSquarePark #nyc by @qsakamaki

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24 days ago

NYC Happy Pride Parade. NYC marked the 57th Pride on Sunday, June 28. The vibe still remains. #happypride #nychappypridemarch #lgbtq by @qsakamaki

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a month ago

Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. #44thConeyislandmermaidparade #coneyisland #nyc #coneyislandmermaidparade by @qsakamaki

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a month ago

Tribute to refugees in Sri Lanka, as well as others in the world, as today marks World Refugee Day.

The image was shot in a refugee camp of Tamil IDP, actually a church compound, in June 2006, during the civil war. There are still thousands of Tamil internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka. While the physical, closed-door displacement camps from the civil war were officially shut down over a decade ago, long-term internal displacement remains an ongoing issue. #WorldRefugeeDay #SriLanka #Tamil #refugees #refugee by @qsakamaki

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a month ago

Tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Midtown Manhattan and chaotically celebrated on Saturday night, June 13, 2026, following the team’s first NBA title win in 53 years. It defeated San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in the Game 5.

At the beginning of the street celebration, it was somehow peaceful and NYPS also seemingly took the deescalation tactics. However, in Times Square and the nearby, after the crowds jumped on cars and a convoy of transit shuttle busses, the situations rapidly changed. Rowdy fans severely broke into multiple vehicles. At some point, gun shots erupted, causing lots of tensions.
#newyorkknicks #newyorkknicksfans #timessquare by @qsakamaki

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a month ago

New York Knicks fans flooded the streets of Manhattan in chaotic, massive celebrations on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, following Knicks’s historic game 4 come back -107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

Rowdy fans themselves set off smoke bombs and firework, and more than 50 people were arrested.

The outdoor watch party plaza right outside Madison Square Garden was officially canceled by MSG management just hours before tip-off on Wednesday. It is because New York city officials capped the outdoor plaza permit at 999 fans and insisted on building a heavy security perimeter. MSG executives publicly blasted the city government, claiming the strict regulations would “turn the streets around MSG into a police state,” and subsequently pulled the plug on the event.
#knicks #knicksfans #nyckniksfans by @qsakamaki

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a month ago