On Saturday March 24, at 9:30 am a group of about 30 people, took over the vacant lot south of Aldrich Lane in Southampton Village, chasing away the assembled day laborers.
The group which consisted of young adults of various ethnicities ( Black, White, Latino, some Polish-Americans) were led by a Mr. Ricky King. We are told that Mr. King is affiliated with the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.
The King group began by assembling at the 7-11, carrying signs and shouting.
As related by Sister Margaret Smyth of the North Fork Hispanic Apostolate, the group then crossed over to the vacant lot (officially a park) at Aldrich Lane and North Sea Road.
A group of day laborers were there as were the Southampton Village Police. The workers did not respond. Sister Margaret says "King and his group kept pushing over until they finally took over the park, screaming that this is our land, our park.
Ricky King said that his grandfather was Mexican so he wore a sombrero (or an excuse for one) in his honor. Again, more young young African-Americans, Hispanics, Polish were arriving and being introduced in order to show their diversity. ..."
"Suddenly, the younger ones began to march down the whole block, screaming, ... forcing the men all the way down the block.
At the end (12pm) everyone had left from our side and they were shouting their 'we won' slogans. There was no work. Who would dare stop in this chaos .... they warned us to look out for next week."
