What the... Discrimination at PRIVATE pool?

[Dredly]

This has to be a joke

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,531408,00.html

State to Investigate Racial Discrimination Case at Philadelphia-Area Club Pool
Friday, July 10, 2009
PrintShareThis
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pennsylvania — State officials will investigate accusations of racial discrimination against a suburban Philadelphia swim club that allegedly reacted to a visiting group of minority children by asking them not to return.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will immediately open an investigation into the actions of The Valley Club in the leafy suburb of Huntingdon Valley, chairman Stephen A. Glassman said.

"The rule of law in Pennsylvania is equal opportunity for all, regardless of race," Glassman said Thursday in a written statement released by his office.

"Allegedly, this group was denied the use of a pool based on their race," Glassman said. "If the allegations prove to be true, this is illegal discrimination in Pennsylvania."

The club maintains that accusations of racial discrimination are false and claims overcrowding from more than one outside camp was the problem.

The Creative Steps camp in northeast Philadelphia had contracted for the 65 children at the day camp to go each Monday afternoon to The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, camp director Alethea Wright said Thursday. But shortly after they arrived June 29, she said, some black and Hispanic children reported hearing racial comments.


"A couple of the children ran down saying, 'Miss Wright, Miss Wright, they're up there saying, "What are those black kids doing here?""' she said.

The gated club is on a leafy hillside in a village that straddles two townships with overwhelmingly white populations. It says it has a diverse, multiethnic membership.

Wright said she went to talk to a group of members and heard one woman say she would see to it that the group, made of up of children in kindergarten through seventh grade, did not return.

"Some of the members began pulling their children out of the pool and were standing around with their arms folded," Wright said. "Only three members left their children in the pool with us."

Several days later, the club refunded the camp's $1,950 without explanation, said Wright, who added that some parents are "weighing their options" on legal action.

maybe the kids were not behaving? a lot more then expected? nahhhh... its gotta be race!

[camper]

"Private" in and of itself is a form of discrimination. They could only allow left-handed red heads who take it up the pooper 9 times an hour swim if they want, and it should be a non-issue...it's a PRIVATE pool.

camper

[autotech6506]

i can promise you that they were acting like a bunch of wild animals and the pool didn't want them to come back. There simply aren't any people out there with views like that except for white supremacists.

If people are so upset about have equal rights stop crying wolf about the race card. This kinda crap really pisses me off.

[dc dalton]

This has been on the NY news for two days and the evidence doesn't support the claims. Simply put the group brought too many kids, overloaded the pool so they refunded the money to them. Yes there was supposedly a comment from one of the staff but that had nothing to do with the decision ... and yes it's a private club.

[64Jeeper]

I work at a private golf club as their mechanic, and I can tell you that at some "private" golf clubs (not ours) to this day do not allow certain races in their club.

[FNG19]

Simply put the group brought too many kids, overloaded the pool so they refunded the money to them.

I used to live practically down the street from that swim club. It's been around probably four decades, and it's not that big a facility. It's easy for me to believe that it's a space issue.

Here's a URL for the satellite view of the property, courtesy of Google Maps. As you can see, it's a pretty small facility.

I work at a private golf club as their mechanic, and I can tell you that at some "private" golf clubs (not ours) to this day do not allow certain races in their club.

This isn't a golf club. It's a private pool facility. I don't doubt what you say, though, about some private golf clubs. It's terribly unfortunate, particularly in this day and age.

[WhiteShadow]

This is all null and void, because it was a PRIVATE pool, and they can deny whoever the hell they want.

The people bitching need to get over it. Its unfortunate, buts its reality.

And i heard on the news about the Black parent saying a comment to the effect of "I cant believe this is happening. This is 2009!" My retort to that is, so what the hell is your point? Do you really think racism is gonna end because we finally have a black president? Take the wool off your eyes lady. Racism, unfortunately, will never end.

[Bravo Whiskey]

I grew up down the road from there in Phila. and We coudn't buy our way into that place for a swim, and I'm a white guy. Back then it was very selective, & we were just poor white kids from the city. Seems like we have come a long way as a society, as now the blacks have the same oppurtunity to sniped by the upperclass snobs as I and many others have witnessed.

[greasy]

Duesler (president of the club) is simply not a bright individual. While I do not like him, and think that the rest of the members of the club ARE ignorant trash, it is private. They can do as they wish.

[1blindref]

Besides it being a private, membership only pool/club ........

I'm sure if 65 rich, poor, white, yellow, German, Italian, Jewish, Polish, French, whatever, etc, kids came to that pool one day, the regular members who pay about $700.00 per season would have complained.
I know I would have.

I think it would have been different had the owners of the pool told their members when they signed up for the year that they would be sharing the pool with 65 or more kids this year.

I blame the greedy pool owners for bad business practices, not racism.

I gotta start playing the race card more and find somebody to sue. I'm running out of gun money.