Update, July 11, 3:30 p.m.: The East Hampton Town police have confirmed that six people were arrested Monday morning, all charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, for allegedly obstructing traffic. They have been or will be released on their own recognizance with an appearance ticket for town justice court.
The six who were charged on Monday bring the total to 16 arrested since Friday in connection with multiple "tax the rich" protests.
Detective Sgt. Ryan Hogan of the town police said Monday afternoon that it is not yet known whether any of those arrested Monday were the same individuals charged on Friday or Sunday during similar demonstrations. He said police later confiscated the poles that were used to create the tall makeshift tripod that one of the activists had been sitting on before a bucket truck was called in.
Despite the traffic blockage, Detective Sgt. Hogan said, "they were all very peaceful."
Update, July 11, 11:50 a.m.: New York Communities for Change continued its Tax the Rich protest on Monday at East Hampton Airport, with about 20 people forming a blockade at the parking lot entrance for more than an hour to make a statement about wealth inequality, housing affordability, climate change, and native land protections.
Police took at least three people into custody during the protest, including a woman who had been sitting atop a tall makeshift tripod that was directly blocking traffic. After officers on the ground appeared to be unable to coax her down, a utility bucket truck was called in, and a female police officer escorted her down to the ground, where she was handcuffed and led to a police S.U.V. It was not immediately known on Monday whether the individuals were charged with a crime, as others had been on Friday and Sunday during similar protests.
One activist with a megaphone decried "the 1 percent that is disproportionately responsible" for crises including climate change, shortages of affordable housing, and desecration of native lands. "We cannot have a fair society with those levels of inequality," the unidentified speaker said.
As the protest continued, traffic backed up on Daniel's Hole Road. Police officers and airport employees directed drivers to an alternate airport access point. At one point, several children and adults toting luggage on wheels were able to safely pass through on foot.
One helicopter landed and at least one jet took off from the airport even as the demonstrators maintained their position.
Originally, July 10: East Hampton Village police on Sunday arrested six people affiliated with a Tax the Rich protest that traveled east from Southampton Village over the course of the weekend.
The six were charged with disorderly conduct, a violation, and released on their own recognizance to await a future court date, said Chief of Police Michael Tracey. He explained that those people were in the roadway and allegedly did not respond to officers' instructions to move out of the street. The protest was otherwise without incident.
About 20 people, some with signs and a couple with musical instruments, arrived in the village shortly after 11 a.m. The protest Sunday was organized by New York Communities for Change, while several other entities, including the Progressive East End Reformers, the Long Island Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Suffolk Democratic Socialists of America, and the Shinnecock Indian Nation, took part in similar protests earlier this weekend. In an announcement distributed to the media ahead of time, New York Communities for Change said the goal was to "protest on behalf of a fair tax system, environmental justice, and native land protections."
"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," they stated. "It's time to tax the rich, build green housing for all, and fight to protect our native land — and since we won't rest until we get [it] done, the billionaires in the Hamptons shouldn't rest, either."
Chief Tracey said the protesters were there for about an hour and a half, "and so were we." He thanked his neighboring police departments, as well as the New York State police, for their assistance.
During a similar protest in Southampton Village on Friday, four people were arrested, including a member of the Shinnecock Nation, according to Alice Hu, a climate campaigner with New York Communities for Change. Of the specific demographic they were trying to reach — the wealthy who vacation in the Hamptons — Ms. Hu said, "I think they heard the message loud and clear."
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
