Gardener Francisco Camey, 61, Dies in 0-Degree Cold Near the Hamptons

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 21

Francisco Camey, a 61-year-old gardener, vanished from a tarp shelter in woods near Riverhead, New York, during a February cold snap and was later found dead in the snow.
Temperatures fell into the low 20s Fahrenheit, with wind chill near 0 degrees, after Camey left the encampment around 9:30 a.m. and did not return that night.
His brother, Gilberto Camey, who shared the makeshift shelter, followed Francisco’s tracks the next day through forest and across a brook.
The death unfolded less than a dozen miles from the Hamptons’ multimillion-dollar homes, where laborers like Camey protected expensive hedges while some undocumented workers lived in hidden woodland camps.

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A landscaper freezes to death protecting luxury plants. What does this tragedy reveal about who and what we choose to value?

When the labor sustaining a luxury economy is forced into the woods, who is responsible for preventing the next tragedy?

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