Letters

What a wonderful letter from Tom Murray about the beach mess caused by dogs on Old Town Beach [“Poop Problem,” Letters, July 6]. But it’s not just dogs. The same entitled slobs Tom describes also think the beach is one big garbage pail.

Regular daily beachgoers who enjoy the sun and the sea also typically respect the beach. Almost all leave it looking as pristine as they found it. The problem is caused in the evening by the local commercial “clam bake” companies and the entitled slobs they entertain. They don’t bother to clean up after themselves, and every Saturday or Sunday morning after such a party, the beach is strewn with garbage.

There are many things that attract us to Southampton and make us proud to call it home. But high on the list has to be the natural beauty of our beaches. Are we really happy that some in our community, in search of a few dollars, contribute to the destruction of the very beauty that we all enjoy and that allows their very businesses to function? And that they leave others to clean up their mess after them?

I could name names, but I won’t. I think we need to protect our beaches from a different kind of shark … and the entitled slobs these cowboys in our community call customers.

And, by the way, these clam bake companies do not bring portable toilets to the beach with them … and the last time I looked, there were no doggy bags for humans.

Neil Smith

Southampton