Beyoncé invoked the fury of a Shelter Island local, Mike Gaynor, as the queen of pop allegedly shot footage for her new film Black Is King at a historic location without any official authorizations to do so.
According to the Long Island local, the “Black Parade” singer used the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm as a location for filming, and that was simply unacceptable as he claimed, “Please know that there are at least 200+ enslaved Africans and Manhasset Indians buried on their land and so that’s just not a place where you film a dance-off. There’s no way they would have allowed her to turn up without knowing—I believe in fact the town did know about this, and the town was signed up on an NDA so that the Manor and the town could make money.”
Gaynor also stated that he had an official confirmation from the town clerk that no permits were obtained for the shooting and he was “deeply offended” upon learning that “The Manor took money from Disney to allow the film…on what is without argument on wholly sacred ground”.
Another local reportedly claimed that the town board was to blame since they gave favors to celebrities such as Beyoncé.
A local told Page Six: “The residents here are sick of the town board. We think they give favors to elites like Beyoncé. They don’t care about the Ambulance Corps or the Meals on Wheels programs—they’re only for rich people. I’m a very wealthy person, and I’m able to defend myself when I’m treated unfairly in my community. What we find so beautiful about Shelter Island is its historical nature, it’s a very simple place, untouched, but increasingly the fact is that if you’re wealthy on the island, you’ll be treated one way, and it’s different for everyone else.”
In addition, it was reported that Disney was not responsible for the choice of where to film the album since the company only bought the streaming rights for the film after it was finished.
Gaynor, who apparently served Jay-Z‘s wife at her East Hampton mansion, added: “It has now been over a month since Beyoncé was served with the Subpoena, and she has not objected to any of the Subpoena…nor has she provided any justification for her failure to respond. This Court should compel Beyoncé to comply…within 14 days, issuing a warrant for a Sheriff to bring her to be deposed—or order her to pay costs, penalties, and damages.”
Meanwhile, representatives of Sylvester Manor shared a message on social media that stated that the Lemonade star chose the location because of her deep understanding and appreciation of the historic site and its lengthy history and that “Beyoncé and her dancers performing on the land of the Manor paid tribute to the Ancestors of Sylvester Manor, invoking their spirits and celebrating their heritage.”
Queen Bey gets on some critics’ nerves when she pushes hard to get the things she really wants.
