Demonstrators call for justice after alleged racial incident at Sag Harbor laundromat

Demonstrators demanding justice and racial equality gathered peacefully outside a Sag Harbor laundromat Saturday over an alleged racial incident that occurred during the summer.

News 12 Staff

Oct 9, 2021, 9:30 PM

Updated 1,076 days ago

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Demonstrators demanding justice and racial equality gathered peacefully outside a Sag Harbor laundromat Saturday over an alleged racial incident that occurred during the summer.
Demonstrators said a 21-year-old Black woman and her 11-year-old brother were harassed and assaulted while sitting on a bench outside and inside the laundromat.
Tanya Dawson, of Bridgehampton, says her daughter, Nia, was verbally attacked and pushed by the laundromat’s owner, William Tabert.
Later, Dawson says her daughter was told to use the back door of the laundromat because she says her daughter is Black.
Police were called, and later arrested Tabert on a harassment charge. Demonstrators, however, say the incident just highlights that there is still racism in the Hamptons.
"Our goal today was to come out and stand up and speak out on social injustice, and all of the bias that's prevalent right here in the Hamptons, and this is not the first incident, it really isn't. My daughter has been called the N word for the first time here in Sag Harbor. So, there's really a lot of built up hurt," Dawson says.
Tabert was not at the laundromat Saturday and workers inside had no comment. He has apologized via a local newspaper. Still, demonstrators say that apology has fallen short.