1901, New York City. An increase in the number of “lower-class” citizens throughout Central Park encouraged businessman Oscar F. Spate to nurture a rift between classes; segregating them in order to discourage poor people from using the park whilst capitalising on the situation for his own profit.
His idea was to sell seating time. His seating levy privatised public assets and spaces in the parks of Manhattan and Staten Island for a profit - an annual kickback to the city of New York guaranteed him a five-year contract to do so.
Spate, trading as the Comfort Chair Company of London, had moved the existing seating out of the shade, into the unforgiving direct sun of a New York summer, and installed his pay-to-sit rocking chairs in their place. People who refused to pay were arrested.
Some protestors agreed to pay for the chairs and then smashed them to pieces. A riot broke out.
The Rocking Chair Riots led to Spate’s contract being revoked and the State Supreme Court issuing an injunction forbidding anyone from charging money for park seats - “the parks are for the people, and not any particular class of people […] the agreement made with Spate is, in my opinion, plainly illegal, and in derogation of public right”