Rich Hamptons residents rush to hire private security guards after protests
Hamptons NY July 3 2020
With protesters descending on the Hamptons this summer, rich New Yorkers with second homes on the East End are looking for more protection than just their hedges.
Charlie McArdle, co-founder of CM Security Consulting, says business is booming in the moneyed enclave, and that he’s gotten a flood of calls after Thursday’s protests, which targeted the Hamptons homes of figures such as Mayor Mike Bloomberg, real estate mogul Stephen Ross and Blackstone CEO Steven Schwarzman.
“My clients range from the 1 percenters to people who are concerned about the political climate and what’s going on today,” McArdle said.
“We make sure there are no trespassers when they are away from their homes and when they are in them too.”
Members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation also took part in the protest, including Rebecca Genia, who said in a statement: “It’s clear the real looters in New York are billionaires — and it’s time to make them pay their fair share so we can all thrive.”
The threat to their cozy summer getaways did not sit well with homeowners who just want to party this Fourth of July weekend.
“The protesters are so crazy,” said one Hamptonite, who declined to be named. “I first hired armed guards around two weeks ago, when the protests began, and put a fence around my property to defend it. This is happening all over the country.”
McArdle said he “protects” 16 residences and almost half are owned by billionaires.
“The calls came in as soon as the shutdown started, in March. People started thinking ahead and added security. They were worried about burglaries as unemployment soared and then they started worrying about protecting their property from protesters,” he said.
McArdle also provides armed guards to drive billionaires, or their offspring, to and from the Hamptons.
