It was a beautiful day at Ditch Plain Beach in Montauk on Tuesday, and Sarah Ross and her family were enjoying the scene when a Cessna 150L aircraft flew by from the west towing a long banner with an anti-Islam message.
"It was disgusting and inappropriate," said Ms. Ross. "There are families on that beach. We've sat on that beach for years. Usually if they fly over, they're advertising alcohol."
During the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, crowds were similarly upset when a plane advertising abortion pills circled the area for over an hour. It seems that in America in 2026 even the skies are split with divisive messages.
"We condemn this hateful message," Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez wrote in a text. "East Hampton is one community, and no one should be targeted because of their faith."
A phone call seeking comment from the Islamic Center for the Hamptons was not returned as of early Friday.
Liv Moore, a surf instructor for Corey's Wave, said the plane flew over Montauk between 1 and 1:30. "We were like, 'What the hell was that all about?' " She called the East Hampton Town police, who said it was outside their jurisdiction.
"I started to research banner companies that flew out of Montauk," she said. She found that planes with banners don't fly out of Montauk, East Hampton, Westhampton, or Brookhaven Calabro Airport. However, when she spoke to an employee at Brookhaven and described the plane's path, they gave her the registration number and let her know it had flown out of Westerly State Airport in Rhode Island. That led her to Mark Simmons, owner and operator of Banner Tow U.S.A.
In a phone call Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Simmons declined to say if he was the pilot, but politely and firmly explained his First Amendment rights and how he compartmentalizes his business from his personal beliefs.
He has been in the news before. In 2023, his company towed a banner over Harvard University, paid for by an anonymous group, as a protest against antisemitism on the campus.
"I'm just a facilitator of a message," he said. "I do not take a political stand. After people heard about the Montauk banner, I had someone call from Rhode Island who wanted me to carry a banner that said, 'Praise Allah!' Had that sale gone through I would have treated that customer with 100 percent respect and given them the same pricing, the same routes."
"Take a guy who owns a donut shop," he continued. "He might have somebody walk through the door wearing a Proud Boys outfit. Next person could be ultra-liberal. As a businessman, he's not turning people away because of what they wear on their T-shirts. The first amendment carries through any news article, banner in the sky, or billboard. I've seen some pretty harsh billboards."
An owner of a local donut shop agreed. "I default towards free speech," said Kyle Sanderson, who owns Grindstone Coffee and Donuts in Sag Harbor and East Hampton Village. "That includes, of course, offensive, stupid, and just obnoxious stuff. I'm deeply suspicious of people who want to restrict free speech when it's viewpoint-based. I have a strict no profanity, no religion, no politics, clothing policy for my employees though, because I would never want to bring politics or social issues into donuts."
"People can't have a dialogue anymore," said Mr. Simmons. "More talking needs to happen and we need more communication between people who don't get along. That's how I feel as a person and it's not the message you might see in the sky."
Ms. Moore spoke to Mr. Simmons as well. "I told him he has the legal right to deny a message and asked what his company policy was," she said. "He said he doesn't take stances. If people want to pay, he'll tow their message. He thanked me for inquiring but showed no recognition that putting it in the air was wrong. He also denied it was hate speech and said he wouldn't confirm or deny he sent the plane."
His company was established in 1985 and operates as a division of Simmons Aviation Services L.L.C., which he also owns.
The Banner Tow website shows "Happy Birthday" messages, advertisements for network television programs, auto glass, a restaurant, and another celebrating "24 years and still magical!" There's even one that reads, "End the Cruel Shark Tournament Now!"
"Our specialty is shoreline and coastal area routes," reads the site.
Whoever purchased the banner went for the standard five-foot red letters and likely got the "weekday special."
The banner led to phone calls to the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce in Westerly asking for some sort of action to be taken against Banner Tow U.S.A. On Friday, the Chamber of Commerce released a statement: "The Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce wants to make clear that membership in our organization does not constitute endorsement of every product, service, advertisement, statement, or opinion expressed by an individual member. Every day, individuals or organizations independently contract with Chamber-member businesses -- including newspapers, media outlets, advertising companies, and banner-towing services -- to purchase advertising. The Chamber has no role in creating, approving, placing, or controlling such independently purchased advertising and is not responsible for its content."
The group concluded by saying that it "does not endorse or support racism, discrimination, hate speech, or messages intended to demean or target individuals or groups."
