Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion" (Black kids kicked out)

NBC ^ | july 8, 2009 | Karen Araiza

[Titus-Maximus]

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

[norge]

I have two issues. One, I happen to think that discrimination based on skin color “stinks” as I said in my first post.

The second issue has to do with the fact that the club took money from the Day Camp outfit to allow the kids to swim for an hour and a half one day a week. I have since found out that they had that same arrangement with two other camps, since cancelled, also.

I have absolutely no problem with private clubs for whatever purpose, but what this club did, unconscionable or not, seems to put them in jeopardy, not the least of which is a hit to their reputation.

[mysterio]

But, so far, the story seems blown out of proportion.

Unless you were one of the kids who got shut out because they were black and will then carry that forward. Or one of the parents of those kids.

The club screwed up. Badly. And admitted as much with the first "complexion of the club" BS. Now they are running with "we didn't have the capacity." So if racism is their policy, they are afraid to admit it now.

Racism poisons everyone it touches. It poisons those kids who will carry it in the back of their minds. It poisons the racist, who carries the racism like rot in his soul. And it poisons society which has to deal with government solutions to the problem.

It's time the pool apologizes or owns up to its racist policy.

[Tired of Taxes]

Unless you were one of the kids who got shut out because they were black and will then carry that forward.

If you look further into the details, there were other factors involved. The camp is screaming, "Racism!" But, the swim club is insisting race wasn't a factor.

But, in the personal example I gave, race was the main factor. What hurt my children was that our family had invested time and money into this group, and my children even had invested their own money. Also, my children had come to trust the people there. We were angry over the money and the violation of trust.

If the group had been honest and refused to admit us from the beginning, I could've explained it very easily to my children. They would've accepted it and moved on much more easily.

In the case of the swim club, the camp received all of their money refunded. They may have a valid argument for contract dispute, and they should've brought all concerns into discussion, but for this story to have gone national is taking it too far.

[mysterio]

But, the swim club is insisting race wasn't a factor.

Their initial statement was they were afraid the children might change the "complexion of the club."

If you had to bet 20 grand one way or the other, which statement would you believe? I know where my money would be.

The club needs to apologize to those kids.

[Tired of Taxes]

We don’t know what the original, full statement said. Notice the ellipsis (”...”) after the word, “complexion”. Something was edited-out by the press. The word, “complexion”, has different meanings.

If the swim club has a racial bias, do you really believe they would admit it in a statement? Of course not. The word must’ve been used with a different meaning intended. The reporters must’ve jumped for joy when they saw it. ;-)

This story has gone overboard now. It’s all over the news, the radio, the internet. Now the families have filed a lawsuit:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6910529

What the camp claims to have overheard is NOTHING compared to what I’ve heard through the years. We’re a quote-unquote “mixed” family, so we’ve had to deal with it from many different people. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these people screaming about racism in this story wouldn’t want us in their own private clubs. ;-)

The club needs to stop apologizing. They invited the camp knowing it was “multi-ethnic”. They refunded the money in full. We can believe all we want that the reason was racial, but the swim club gave a different reason, so now it comes down to presuming guilt (instead of innocence) and penalizing people for a thought crime.

[mysterio]

We don’t know what the original, full statement said. Notice the ellipsis (”...”) after the word, “complexion”. Something was edited-out by the press. The word, “complexion”, has different meanings.

“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.”

I don't see anything you could put in between those phrases that would make it right or change the meaning. The kids are owed a big apology.

If the swim club has a racial bias, do you really believe they would admit it in a statement? Of course not.

Yes, I believe they would admit it. Racists are often not intelligent enough to hide their racism. They choose words that they think soften the racism like "complexion," but a lot of times they are unable to cloak. This idiot outed himself in the first statement and then the club tried to backtrack later.

The club needs to stop apologizing.

I disagree. And if they decide to keep their moronic racist policy, they need to own up to it and stand behind it instead of pretending like that wasn't really the policy. That makes it easier for the good people in town to know what pool to avoid.

[Republic of Texas]

Isn’t this in liberal, tolerant Philly? Nothing to see here then.

[Tired of Taxes]

they need to own up to it and stand behind it instead of pretending like that wasn't really the policy. That makes it easier for the good people in town to know what pool to avoid.

Well, I can agree with that, assuming the club really has such a policy. We'll have to agree to disagree about all the national attention and the ridiculous lawsuit.

[Eva]

Racism had NOTHING to do with not wanting these kids in the pool. The woman who made the complaint is the mother of two bi-racial children. The complaint was made over the fact that the club was letting too many unaccompanied kids into the pool at one time. Kids who were taking over the place, displacing members.