You don't need to be a Hamptonite, or even a New Yorker, to know that the tony enclave of Eastern Long Island has always served as a microcosm of the haves and the have nots. The multimillion dollar estates vs. the household staff that keeps them running, the flashy city dwellers who flock out every summer vs. the locals that live and work there. The Hamptons have never been known as a bastion of income equality, to say the least. But things have gotten worse in recent years. Since the onset of the pandemic, the rich have gotten richer (there, and everywhere else), while regular people are getting priced out. The wealth disparity, if it was blurry before, has come into concentrated focus, prompting shocking exposés and a series of protests demanding equity.

[Photo via Unsplash]