Go away, this beach is private

Peter Simon

It's summer and it's hot. And that means people want to cool off in the ocean. It also means some people will ignore any and all signs that say "private, no trespassing" to do it, jamming up single-lane roads and limited resident parking. Worse, they'll get in your face if you ask to see their beach parking pass. Here on Martha's Vineyard it has become a clash some insensitively call "beach apartheid."

The rub is this:

"According to 2005 Martha’s Vineyard Commission figures, 124,565 linear feet, or 37.5 percent, of the Island’s shoreline is open to all. The remaining 62.5 percent is either restricted town beach – 4,090 linear feet, or 1.2 percent – or land held privately in one way or another. The greater portion of this is held by individual big landowners. The rest is held by beach associations, shares in which trade for astonishing sums."

And these landowners, most seasonal summer residents, pay 80 percent of the island's taxes, supporting the schools, roads and public services all year. And for that, they want a little privacy in July and August.

Bruce McCall ~ The New Yorker

David Sipress ~ The New Yorker