16 Arrests As Protesters 'Occupy Hamptons', Chant 'Tax The Rich'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A total of 16 arrests were reported as protesters convened to "Occupy the Hamptons" over the five days to call for taxes on billionaires that would help fund climate change and affordable housing programs, as well as conserve Native American lands, organizers said.

"A statewide coalition of activists, advocates, and community leaders will converge upon the Hamptons this weekend as billionaires enjoy their vacations to protest on behalf of a fair tax system, environmental justice, and Native land protections," organizers said in a release before the event. "As the income gap widens and climate change continues to threaten our existence, no one should stand by and allow the richest New Yorkers to escape their due diligence. And since we won’t rest until we get it done, the billionaires in the Hamptons shouldn’t rest, either."

Carrying signs that read "Inequality Kills; Abolish Billionaire; and Save Our Future," groups involved included New York Communities for Change, the Shinnecock Indian Nation, the New York Taxi Workers’ Alliance, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the New York Progressive Action Network, Our Revolution, Progressive East End Reformers, Suffolk Democratic Socialists of America, Long Island Activists, and the Long Island Party for Socialism and Liberation.

All actions were meant to call upon Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to tax the rich, with proceeds to fund climate change and affordable housing programs, organizers said.

Similar protests outside billionaires' homes have been organized by the same groups in the Hamptons in recent years.

A separate rally was also held Saturday in Southampton, with Shinnecock Indian Nation members demanding the Southampton Village board of trustees give tribal members free beach access, as, organizers said, the tribe never relinquished their rights to use the oceans and beaches and should not be required to pay.

Alice Hu of New York Communities for Change said while other protests have been organized in the Hamptons in recent years, due to the arrests related to "civil disobedience — this year looked very different."

Hu described the timeline of protests and arrests with Patch: On Friday, four — including Becky Genia, who has long advocated to protect Shinnecock tribal burial grounds, were arrested at a Southampton protest.

According to Southampton Village Police, on Friday, July 8, at 10:15 a.m., a Southampton Village Police officer assigned to the business district, observed about 20 protestors at the intersection of Main Street and Wall Street "verbally chanting, with four of them occupying the roadway preventing the flow of vehicular traffic. Police made several requests for the group to vacate their position, but they refused to move from the roadway."

At 10:50 a.m., four people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, police said; those arrested included Tyler Edward Ogborn, 24, of Littletown CO, Rebecca Campbell Richie, 23, of New York City, Gabriel Aaron Katz-Reichelr, 23, of New York City, and Rebecca G. Genia, 65, of Southampton, police said.

The remainder of the group then came to the Southampton Village Police headquarters, where police set up a perimeter of security with members of the New York State Police, Southampton Town Police and the Sag Harbor Police Department, authorities said.

All of those arrested were processed, released on a desk appearance ticket, and are scheduled to returned to the Southampton Village Justice Court on July 19 at 9 a.m., police said.

"On a very busy summer day in the Village of Southampton, order was restored, and the street was reopened as quickly and safely as possible," police said.

On Saturday, Hu said, following the unrelated "BeachBack" protest in Southampton, more than 250 marched down “Billionaire Lane” in Southampton and made "house visits" to billionaires.

Next, she said, on Sunday, six protestors were arrested in East Hampton Village.

A release from East Hampton Village Police said that on Sunday at 11:07 a.m., East Hampton Village Police officers responded to a "traffic disturbance" in the area of Main Street and Newtown Lane; police said they encountered about 10 individuals walking in traffic. They eventually positioned themselves in the roadway, blocking traffic for a protest, police said. Six were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct; the protest was "peaceful" and traffic was restored at 12:30, police said.

Six protesters were also arrested when they blocked the entrance to East Hampton Airport Monday, New York Communities for Change said.

And on Tuesday, Hu said, 25 protesters "paid two billionaires early morning wake-up calls" to cry out for a state tax on the rich that would benefit climate change and affordable housing programs.

A total of 16 arrests were reported, Hu said.

"All of these actions were connected by a thread, to protest the excessive wealth and consumption of these billionaires —the climate emissions they produce through their extravagant lifestyle —and the inequality," Hu said.

Hu said she believed the protests had a positive impact, resulting in "political pressure," she said. While some residents in the Hamptons "did get annoyed" at the protests on a busy summer weekend, there was also great support from many year-round, working-class residents of the Hamptons, she said.

Asked if the billionaires were "alienated" by their actions, Hu said: ""We are trying to create tax revenue for the state so we can take care of our communities, our climate needs, our housing needs — to make sure we have a livable future for us all. It doesn’t really matter if alienate the 1 percent."