Why a plane saying that the RI shore isn't private flew over beaches on Saturday
A small plane with a banner stating, "THE RHODE ISLAND SHORE IS NOT PRIVATE!" flew over South County beaches on Saturday.
"The point is the Rhode Island shore belongs to the Rhode Island public — always did," said Scott Keeley, the activist who organized the demonstration.
Keeley, a Charlestown resident, was famously arrested while gathering seaweed on the beach in front of private homes in 2019. The charges were later dropped, but the incident highlighted the fuzziness around where Rhode Islanders' constitutional right to the shoreline begins and ends.
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Now, the state has new legislation designed to clear up that fuzziness. A few days before the July Fourth weekend, Gov. Dan McKee signed into law a bill that allows the public to use the shoreline within 10 feet of the visible high tide line. It took effect immediately.
Keeley said that he initially envisioned the fly-over as a protest when he came up with the idea over the winter — at a time when some lawmakers didn't seem to be on board with the bill.
"Now, it's a celebration," he said.
The plane left Westerly shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday and flew along the coastline as far as Bonnet Shores in Narragansett, passing beaches that were packed for the holiday weekend. On social media, supporters excitedly reported seeing it from East Beach, Green Hill, Matunuck, Scarborough State Beach and beyond.
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Keeley organized an online fundraiser and also contributed money of his own to pay for the plane. All told, advocates exceeded the initial $1,100 fundraising goal — which turned out to be a good thing, because gas prices went up afterward.
"It's great," Keeley said of the new law that he inspired. But, he added, "It's not perfect. Plenty of people will tell you that." The law, for instance, doesn't give the public the right to use the entire shore, as is the case in some states, such as like Hawaii and Oregon. But it does add clarity, Keeley said.
On Saturday morning, when the plane passed overhead, he was back on the beach where it all started — at the spot where Charlestown meets South Kingstown, and fencing and a forbidding-looking sign state, "Town Beach Property Ends Here — Private Property Beyond This Point."
Keeley has some doubts about the legality of that sign. But he noted that this time around, in a distinct contrast to the day that he was arrested, there was no security guard keeping people away.
"With the new law, it would probably be a waste of money," he said.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Why a plane saying that the RI shore isn't private flew over beaches
