On July 18, WSHU Public Radio launched “Everytown: The Hamptons,” a new seven-part podcast reported by award-winning journalist Charles Lane.
“Everytown” unravels a series of events that occurred last summer, when Southampton Town evicted a group of immigrants from their home. A shadowy group of mostly white Hamptonites was behind the effort. They pressured the town with lawyers, threats, and political allies. The immigrants fought back, and won. But it didn’t end there.
A second campaign to throw them out went all the way to the White House.
“Everytown” tells a sobering story about immigration through the lens of one property — The BelAire Cove Motel in Hampton Bays. This run-down motel is on the verge of demolition, and the poor Hispanic families who live there are in danger of becoming homeless in the Hamptons.
Every week, Lane will piece together thought-provoking interviews, soundscapes, and live-action scenes to reveal who is trying to demolish the BelAire and why. By the end, listeners will uncover the truth and what it says about our country’s divide over immigration. It’s a story as complex as immigration itself, one that defies traditional clichés of xenophobia or law-breaking. Rather, the story of the BelAire is a microcosm of immigration as it’s playing out in our country today.
Additional information, a trailer, and the podcast episodes will be available at everytownpodcast.org.
The podcast was conceptualized and reported by Lane, a public radio journalist who holds a National Edward R. Murrow Award, and three Public Service Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. The podcast was edited by Ann Lopez, a 20-year veteran editor and producer and Max Wasserman helped write and produce the show. The series is a production of WSHU Public Radio.
Staff Writer on Jul 21, 2020