The deep end: Confessions of a McCarren lifeguard (at Brooklyn's $50 mil ghetto pool)

NY Post ^ | 7/15/12 | Annie Karni

[jimbo123]

When the McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg reopened last month after 28 years of dormancy, it was hailed as a civic achievement and summer oasis for Brooklynites. But the city’s largest public pool has been plagued by violent brawls that pit teens against lifeguards and even forced the NYPD to shut it down on June 29. Lifeguards are forbidden to talk to the media, but one spoke to the The Post’s Annie Karni about life in the aquatic war zone.

Every morning when I wake up, I pray for rain. Because if it’s sunny and 90 degrees at 11 a.m., when my shift starts, there will be 1,500 people lined up around the block to get in and just 30 lifeguards to watch over them. And a lot of them are coming in drunk and high.

-snip-

We get paid $13.55 an hour, plus overtime. So far, I’m sticking it out, and it’s not bad pay, but it’s a hard job. There’s something going on every day, and it’s not just violence.

One of the lifeguards called me over while I was watching the baby pool the other day. “There’s poop in the pool,” he said. “It’s scattered everywhere.” I saw one kid step on a piece. I tried to tell the parents to get out, but no one listened to me. I had to yell at them that there was feces in the pool.

We cleared out the pool and made everyone stand on the sides. The rule is five minutes for poop and 25 minutes for throw-up. Luckily, there were two new lifeguards, so we made them clean it up.

[jimbo123]

I live in NYC (Manhattan) and the city is turning back into the cess pool that Giuliani fixed. Yesterday morning, my kids got the chance to jump over a big pile of vomit on the sidewalk on our way to get some bagels for breakfast. As well as spying on the Puerto Ricans digging through the trash bags on our street looking for discarded electronics and other trinkets.

[aruanan]

Sounds like enough “wretched refuse” has washed up in New York City, and a lot of it is in this lavish taxpayer-funded pool. Third-worlders generally turn their new residence into the third world they left.

You're making a lot of assumptions, Margaret Sanger. Those who immigrate generally improve their lot much more quickly than those native born at a low socioeconomic level. Unfortunately, those newly arriving usually have to live initially in socioeconomically depressed areas. Those that are newly arrived are usually very well-behaved compared to those who are native born and of the Jerry Springer socioeconomic group. Look at the bad places in virtually any city of any size. It's not the immigrants who are the source of the trouble. It's the parents' constant fear: how do they earn enough to get out of those bad neighborhoods before their kids get shot or corrupted. And, yes, I used to live in Brooklyn. And, yes, I have lived overseas in a country that would be considered third-world by some. And, yes, I've known many immigrants from all over the world over at least three and half decades. For the most part they put the native-born government dependence class to shame.

[ilovesarah2012]

A long, detailed article about the pool and its history:

http://www.theawl.com/2012/07/mccarren-park-pool

The Politics Of McCarren Park Pool
Aaron Short | July 9th, 2012

[Popman]

You know, if George Bush didn't destroy the economy all these youths would have summer jobs and not acting out... / S

[mkjessup]

We got LIFE STRAWS, to filter out the bad stuff, no worries about poop or puke!

[leaning conservative]

I recently watched this movie for the first time w/ my husband. I haven’t laughed so hard in a loooooooooooong time!

[leaning conservative]

1,500 people........................how big is this pool?????????????????

[Timber Rattler]

Yep, those are the good kids who are following the rules.

[Leo58]

CLASSIC!

[jimbo123]

Before the $50 mil renovation.

[Future Snake Eater]

Right, that’s what I’m saying. They don’t even hint at the possibility of a certain race’s proclivity for such behavior, not even in the one picture they posted with the article.

[SaraJohnson]

Are you going to move out of there before the rioting phase begins?

[AppyPappy]

There will a vast void in the deep end away from the walls. That’s the safest place in America.

[SaraJohnson]

Whether they mention that it is Black teens who surrounded and attacked the life guards in the story, people know what is happening.

People who misbehave like this should be banned from the pool. Under 18 - a parent should be required for entry to the pool and if the kid misbehaves, the whole family gets banned for the summer.

[Scotswife]

Math wasn’t my best subject, but I’ll do my best here.

$50,000,000 into the pool.

Initial investment of small team of lifeguards at $13+ per hour.
Big crowds.

Unexpected expenses involving local law enforcement.
Vandalism.
Cleaning/maintenance of property including feces and vomit in the pool. (imagine what’s going on in the toilet/shower area)

Teenage lifeguards overwhelmed by size of crowd and distractions coming at them from all sides.

I see multi-million dollar lawsuits in the near future, as well as the certain closing of the pool.

Well done liberals. Well done.

[Future Snake Eater]

True, but it still needs to be enforced. Rules, bans, they only work on people who give a damn about such things.

[pepperdog]

Do you know you can’t buy those straws here in the USA? A local (Oklahoma) company makes them. I called to ask about buying some and was told they aren’t marketed for sale in the US. But they are given away free in foreign countries. No explanation was given. Only reporting what I was told.

[sgtyork]

Those lifeguards actually sound like courageous real Americans. Bet they won’t be voting Democratic.

[jimbo123]

Are you going to move out of there before the rioting phase begins?

Probably after the next mayoral election when the inmates elect the lesbian Christine Quinn as the next mayor.

[P.O.E.]

It’s beyond race. There’s plenty of wannabes.