Police yesterday blocked the entrance to Jaws Beach at Clifton Pier after two opposing civic groups arrived.
Attorney and former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) MP Keod Smith claimed police asked him to leave the beach or face arrest as he was attempting to remove debris.
Smith, a member of Re-Negotiate.org, said he went to the beach to clean up some debris when police approached him asking him how long he intended to stay and eventually asked him to leave.
However, Fred Smith, QC, director of the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay, said police asked everyone on the beach to leave so no confrontation would take place between the two groups.
Fred Smith said Robert Kennedy Jr. and the coalition held a press conference at Jaws Beach yesterday.
Kennedy is president of Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit environmental movement active on six continents.
"The police explained that the beach was closed to everybody and that was probably a sensible thing given that they didn't want a controversy arising between Re-Negotiate and the coalition," Fred Smith said.
"So we walked down to the main street and had our press conference.
"All the police did was put the area off limits temporarily so that people didn't have an issue."
Keod Smith, however, said police targeted him first.
"It is crystalized that black people who represent Re-Negotiate.org were being asked to leave and would have been required under threat of arrest to leave this place so that Mr. Kennedy could come up here and have his picture taken and his interview done," Keod Smith said.
When asked if police threatened to arrest him, he said, "At one point I was told, 'Mr. Smith you know we have no problem arresting you.'
"I said, 'Man look here; I could sit down as long as you all want me to sit down.'
"I don't have a problem with being arrested, especially when I know I'm righteous.
"We had no intention of even encouraging anybody out here other than to come out here and move some of the debris that has nails in it nestled in the bush."
When The Nassau Guardian arrived at the scene, at least 25 uniformed police officers were present, blocking the entrance to the beach.
Keod Smith said he did not want an altercation, and Fred Smith expressed similar sentiments.
When asked if the incident between the two groups is immature, Fred Smith said, "When you say people are saying it's childish the way we are reacting towards each other I'd like to know what it is we are doing that is perceived as childish or immature or any way contrary to the public interest."
The two groups have been involved in an ongoing dispute over Clifton.

MIAMI, Florida - This past year has not been easy for managers at BlackBerry.
For the director of Caribbean Enterprise Business Development, the company's declining market share and changes in leadership have presented their fair share of challenges.
"When you go through a transitional phase, it's not always roses," said Sean Killen.
The regional director believes the last couple of years, however, have translated into a time of renewal for BlackBerry. The weak were led out the front door. The natural leaders rose to the top.
"We got a chance to reset the company. I see a lot of top talent in the right spots," he said. "This leadership team is fundamentally different than before."
The Bahamas will get its chance to touch and feel the results of this transitional period with the launch of BlackBerry Z10 on Friday. It's no secret that BlackBerry's first touch-screen smartphone represents a watershed moment for the Canadian firm, as it seeks to re-establish its place among juggernauts such as Samsung and iPhone.
"The Z10 phone will have a big launch. Anyone who is anybody will be there," according to Killen. "The new management team did not come in to fail. They knew we would need to execute this year or we would fail. If you listen to them, they have no give up in them. They are taking their shot."
Noting that BlackBerry still holds around a 50 percent market share in the region, executives like its chances in The Bahamas. The Z10 has already launched in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Much of the English speaking Caribbean has also introduced the new phone.
"The Bahamas is a little late, but Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) wanted it to be perfect," Killen told Guardian Business.
With this launch, BlackBerry is seeking to reengage this market with a high-end device to rival Android devices. The Caribbean and Latin America are seen as a large growth market for the Canadian company, particularly through the introduction of mid-level devices like the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220.
Killen felt this latest launch, however, will cater to the company's high-end market.
"We have done well with the other phones, but we made our living at the high end. We only focused more on the other models in the last few years," he said. "We want to make sure that people who are successful in their lives use these products. They drive the rest of the market. They are the early adopters and the masses will follow that."
The new Z10 brings the look and feel of touch-screen Android phones while also staying true to the BlackBerry philosophy.
Killen said that one of the strongest features is the electronic keyboard. Traditional BlackBerry users might miss the keyboard, but product developers have taken time to ensure Z10's virtual keys are crisp and accurate.
"I also love how it flows. I can check it a lot more on the go. I feel more integrated on this phone than past ones. It is more intuitive, and once you get the hang of it, it just flows," he said.
BlackBerry Balance is another new feature that has raised eyebrows and holds true to the company's corporate roots, allowing users to cleanly and securely separate work and personal information.
Perhaps the biggest change that's different with the Z10 is the bolstered software platform and the introduction of mobile apps. Similar to Android, BlackBerry is developing its own portfolio of applications and so far brought 100,000 of them to market in four months.
"I don't think our people are getting enough credit for that because we're missing a few key titles. Everyone wanted those key titles and ignored the fact that this team on a brand new eco-system, went out and got 100,00 apps in four months, on a platform that hadn't launched yet," he said.
One of those key titles in question is Instagram, which should be available shortly.
Looking at the next few months, The Bahamas can expect the Q10, combining the features of Z10 but with the coveted physical keyboard, by mid June. In fact, an entire portfolio of BlackBerry 10 operation system products are rolling out this year.
"We have six phones for the BlackBerry 10 in the next year, so four more after the Z10 and Q10. We haven't announced the other phones publicly. There is a mix and match in terms of where they fit in the market," he said. "We are trying to hit a lot of places right now."

For the first time in four years, a Bahamian women's 1,600 meters (m) relay squad has qualified for the International Associations of Athletic Federation's (IAAF) World Championships.
The team of Christine Amertil, Amara Jones, Cottrell Martin and Lanece Clarke, in that order, pulled off the feat on Saturday, in the USA vs the World Women's 4x400m event at 119th running of the Penn Relays, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bahamas finished sixth in a time of 3:32.90, and the qualifying time for the championships that will be held in Moscow, Russia, is 3:33.00.
The female quartet was one of three Bahamian relay squads that went under the qualifying standard for the summer event, scheduled for August 10-18. The last time The Bahamas competed in three relays at the World Championships was 12 years ago, in Edmonton, Canada, when The Bahamas ran the men and women's 4x100m events and the men's 4x400m relay.
In 2009, the team of Amertil, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, Sasha Rolle and Shakeitha Henfield ran a new national record of 3:29.53 to qualify for the games. At those World Championships, The Bahamas finished second behind Jamaica in the women's 4x100m, in 42.29 seconds, and the men and women's mile relay squads were disqualified.
With three teams qualifying early, that leaves only one more, and president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Mike Sands is optimistic and believes that the men's 4x100m squad will dip under the entry time of 39.20 seconds, in short order. On Saturday, the team of Shane Jones, Antillio Bastian, Teray Smith and Stephen Newbold was sixth overall, in 39.49 seconds. The winning time, at the Penn Relays, was turned in by USA Red team, 38.26 seconds. Jamaica was second in 38.65 seconds, and the USA Blue team came in third in a time of 38.94 seconds. The Bahamas was third in the USA vs the World Men's 4x400m relay. Ramon Miller was the lead-off runner and split 47.40 seconds. He then handed the baton off to Michael Mathieu who ran a 45 seconds flat split. Chris Brown ran a 45.40 seconds split, before giving the baton to Newbold who stopped the clock at 3:02.23, for The Bahamas.
The winning team was the USA Red team in 3:00.91, and Jamaica crossed the finish line in 3:01.15. Running on the Caribbean All-Star team were Felix Sanchez, World and Olympic Champion Kirani James and Bahamians LaToy Williams and Wesley Neymour. That squad was sixth overall, in 3:04.81.
The women's 4x100m team comprised of Sheniqua Ferguson, Nivea Smith, Carmeisha Cox and Anthonique Strachan. Team Bahamas was sixth overall, in 43.90 seconds, behind winners Jamaica, the USA Blue and the USA Red.
Sands said: "We went to the Penn Relays to take advantage of the opportunity that was presented to us. Our purpose in going was to make a best effort and qualify the teams for the World Championships this summer and we accomplished that goal. In the women's 4x400m, the target time was 3:33, and the girls ran 3:32, which is within the qualifying standard. When you consider that we didn't have the services of persons like Shaunae Miller and others who we are hoping, and expecting to make a major contribution to the team, the time is very fast. It is very encouraging that the women have qualified for the championships. The goal now is to improve on those times collectively and individually.
"I am very, very encouraged by the performance of our young men. If you look at the team, it is a pretty young squad, they don't have that major experience. As a matter of fact, some of the kids have never even ran at the Penn Relays before, and they handled themselves very well. I was very, very pleased with their performance, so was Coach Rolle. Looking at the young men, they ran 39.46 seconds and while they didn't meet the standard of 39.20, we are very encouraged by what we are seeing."
Sands is not sure what the next stop for the relay squads will be, but encouraged all Bahamians to come out and watch the BAAA National Track and Field Championships which will feature majority of the athletes.

Silence is acquiescence. Are we to accept then that our prime minister and deputy prime minister profess the same anti-foreign sentiment as is being expressed by Immigration and Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell?
If not, they should stand up and make a clear and comprehensive statement on this government's position on immigration.
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is at an interesting place. After winning the Elizabeth by-election, the last general election and then the North Abaco by-election, this party was on a roll. But after the failed gambling referendum, persistent problems with crime and high unemployment, new confusion on the gambling question and questions on the logic of some of the PLP's immigration policy, the shine is tarnishing on the gold rush ship.
There is need for an immigration debate. There is likely also a need for new immigration laws. Just as we need to work on our longstanding illegal immigration problem, we also need to be more liberal in welcoming in people who have skills that do not exist in The Bahamas. They can become part of our community and help grow the economy. What has happened instead is a discourse from some members of the PLP Cabinet, pinning the foreign worker as a major cause of all economic evil.
The immigration episode at Atlantis, though high profile, is not an isolated incident. Respected employees on work permits in other businesses have faced the inquisition of labor officials followed by the Department of Immigration in a manner and tone that was unfitting.
The PLP's mandate to put Bahamians first is admirable. However, the PLP increasingly appears to lack the tact to respect the present business climate. We recognize that these are difficult times, but spewing xenophobic rhetoric will not foster economic development. Simply being a Bahamian does not make one qualified to engage in a technical position. And so, such a sentiment of entitlement encouraged by the government generates a vindictive culture motivated by simply expecting rather than doing and earning.
We would urge the prime minister to make a statement on his government's immigration policy beyond merely answering reporters' questions on the latest immigration debacle. If Perry Christie, as PM and minister of finance, would make a sober pragmatic statement on the need to balance maintenance of the immigration laws of The Bahamas with ensuring businesses can function with a responsible mix of Bahamians and necessary foreign expertise, he would quell the growing concerns of the business sector as a result of Mitchell's remarks and tone.
Until then, we find it a contradictory undertaking to spend taxpayer money lobbying for foreign investment while spewing contempt for the foreigner.