It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Open thread on The Valley Club swimming pool controversy
Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 4:01 pm - by Alan Tu. Filed under: Budget, Community, Education.
The Valley Club swimming pool as pictured on an archived web page
I am back from my vacation and from my week helping Radio Times out. The big story this week locally has got to be the racial discrimination allegations related to The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley. This is just outside of Philadelphia.
Here’s what we know. 65 kids from a summer camp were properly registered as guests to the private swimming pool. Most of the kids are African-American or Hispanic. Most of The Valley Club’s regular members are white.
The Creative Steps day camp director Althea Wright brought the minority kids to the pool on June 29. When they entered the pool, many of them say they overheard racial remarks by white pool members. 11-year-old Marcus Allen was quoted in a USA Today story with these remarks.
“They were saying, like, they didn’t want us here, and they were saying that they were afraid we might do something to their children and trash some of their belongings. And they were also saying, like, ‘Oh, we don’t want these people here and how did they even get here?”
The Creative Steps kids were allowed to swim. But days later the camp director was notified that her contract - allowing access to the private swimming pool - was being canceled with a full refund but no explanation.
The pool’s Executive Director John Duesler was quoted in a TV interview over the incident saying
“There is a lot of concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … the atmosphere of the club.”
He now says those were a poor choice of words on his part. In today’s Philadelphia Inquirer story, Duesler says what he really meant was that there were too many kids and not enough life guards.
“It was just too many kids on top of each other,” Duesler said. “Many of them couldn’t swim.”
So do the parents of the summer camp kids have a valid discrimination case on their hands?
Could this be a case about poor communication on The Valley Club’s part and not racial discrimination?
Does it legally matter in this case (assuming a lawsuit is filed) whether racial remarks were made by the parents of white children at the pool?
July 10th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
It is a sad day to see BIGOTRY is still alive and well in whitey land. The bigoted lying director opened his gaping yaw with the truth and now tries to lie about it now that the media and NAACP are involved. Maybe that place should just be shut down for good!
July 10th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Why is this such a big story?
I have seen this story a half dozen times on national and local newscasts. I never saw a single airing of the flash mobs stealing and destroying businesses in Philly. I haven’t seen a minute of coverage about the family in Akron that was attacked by a mob of youths after watching fireworks in a city park. I haven’t seen a story aired about the violence after the Black Expo in Cincinnatti.
Is this story so much more important? If you think it is…why?
July 10th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
It’s unbelievable that these kinds of events still happen in this day and age. The most distressing part is that this happened to children. Even if the club’s explanation is true, they should have handled the issue in a better way.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
It makes sense that the club member parents would not want their kids’ skin to get stained by the pigments oozing out of the colored kids’ pores, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s just common sense… right?
bh
July 10th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
You — the United States of America — are going down the tubes. We — the rest of the world — are laughing at you.
You can elect President Obama and pretend you are now enlightened and have eliminated racism in the 21st century and ……… blah-blah-blah.
It’s all crap. We Europeans know the truth about you Americans – you have always been racists, you are racists, and you will always be racists. Well, not always …….. because always assumes you have a future.
And you have no future.
America will die. You will plunge into widespread poverty, and then civil war. You will get a hold of your nuclear weapons and biological weapons and dirty bombs and you will use them on yourselves. Rich against poor, white against black. Tens of millions will die. Perhaps a hundred million. Perhaps more.
And we sophisticated Europeans will laugh.
We’ll laaaaaaaugh? Boy will we laugh.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I am shocked and disgusted at not only what has transpired but also your feeble attempts at covering it up. If in fact this was a “safety” issue and not a “racism” issue, the simplest solution would have been to divide the children into groups to go swimming, if 1 large group of 65 was too many. And your insipid excuses of safety do not have the public fooled at all. We are not morons. You are fooling no one.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Ms Wright has failed to mention that on Monday she contacted another swim club was told that they could not accommodate the number of campers she wanted to bring. They suggested she split the group and was told that she would not do that because of the cost of buses. Why then on Tuesday would she alert the media and discribe this as racial discrimination. If she is so concerned about the children wouldn’t she want them to be safe while swimming?
July 11th, 2009 at 12:26 am
This is real, very real. Racism is alive in well, they hide it a little better now, but they still walk among us. I work with them (racist), I live next to them, but I have been around them all my life; I have learned to deal with them. This is the important part, once you learn to deal with them and are able to walk among them, you can then infiltrate them. They (racist) are not smart, frankly they are very dumb. For example, Colin Powell, my hero in more ways then you will ever know. But that is the biggest infiltration I have ever seen. Just keep this in mind, when they get you down, and their ignorance will take its toll on you every now and then, keep your head up! Be proud of who you are and were you come from. No matter what color, race, creed or religion you are, keep your eye on the prize; and remember this…the ignorant people are loosing the battle. Their numbers are dwindling and some day they will be exstinct. But until then, let them think we dont know who they are.
July 11th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Yo, European Ed!
I am not an American, and speaking as a non-American …you …have …really…got…to…take it down a few notches. WoW!
July 11th, 2009 at 1:55 am
One more thing…the only time it’s ok to be black in this country, is when your fighting to protect it. Check the ratio of minorities in the military protecting YOU, so you can sit in your ivory tower, at your pool and judge me. You Disgusting pigs!
July 11th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I gotta be honest…I wouldn’t want 65 children OF ANY COLOR invading my private swimming pool. It appears to me that the club should have had its members vote on whether to sell a pass to this organization and then notified the members so they could be prepared. Please don’t say that the club was racist…they sold the swim pass to Creative Steps. It was only after the members complained that they rescinded the pass AND gave a full refund. The private club has more responsibility to its PERMANENT, PAYING members than it does to a group buying a summer swim pass. This doesn’t mean the club members were racist. It just means they didn’t want to share their private pool with 65 young people. Has anyone ever been around 65 teens/pre-teens in the same place? It’s not for those with a weak stomach. Young people OF ANY COLOR can be obnoxious in large doses.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:38 am
The city should revoke any liquor or other occupancy license the Valley Club has and shut the place down.
if the members can’t share their space with paying elementary school kids after accepting their money because of their race, shame on them.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Lotsa back peddaling being done by the President of the Pool.
Oh and Euro trash dude.
Get stuffed.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:59 am
http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/global/civil_human_equal_rights/RacismagainstBlacksinEurope.asp
July 11th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Racism is alive and thriving in the United States. It saddens me that a group of elementary children couldn’t swim at a private club because of their color. The people running this club need to realize that this is the 21st century. These kids wanted to swim. Not become members. They went through the proper channels and still was denied when they arrived. Wake up. You handled this situation very poorly and you should be ashamed of yourself. I hope you gave the money back to them. You people need to ask God to forgive you for what you did.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I was exrtremely saddened to hear this story…I live in a family which includes many races..we joke we are the “melting pot” family..and to see that this type of racism still exists in America is horrible..these are children! What makes this club so special that they can make those accusations? Sounds like sophisticated snobbery to me and, is that not racism? Reading a few of the blogs posted here one in particular is extremely racist to not just the color of Americans but to ALL Americans..maybe you Ed M should take a look in the mirror..I see a racist there….we are all people no matter what the color and we all have the same human functions..what makes many so different is ignorance..nobody is better than anyone else.. unfortunately there are racists in every race….so sad there is so much hate…in such a supposedly educated world.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Just a p.s. to my previous blog…try to get into The Valley Club’s website and you cannot…wonder why? Hmmmmmmmm??!!
July 11th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
“Could this be a case about poor communication on The Valley Club’s part and not racial discrimination?”
No Alan – NO. From what has appeared in the media, it is highly unlikely – one can even profess the impossibility – that the comments and actions by the club personnel can be misconstrued.
If one tries to put a spin into this (at best) or support it (at worst) in any manner, chances are that one is mentally living in another era. Given what has been published in the media- including the lame and outrageous comments made by club personnel – there is absolutely NO doubt that this club shamelessly exercised discriminatory policies.
Even though injustices due to discrimination in some manner are practiced just about everywhere in this world, one has to be always on guard. One must – MUST – put oneself in the shoes of a minority kid before making any comment. One MUST ask oneself if he/she wants to be treated the way these kids were treated.
However, if one’s mind is already clouded with bigotry, then of course bigotry will always prevail.
July 11th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Am I too black to go into the pool?
That’s one of the statements from thelittle camper.
These people should be ashamed of themselves.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Fvck Europe
July 12th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Colored Glasses: It has been reported that the children from the camp were allowed to swim FOR A WHILE until the many complaints of the adult members took over and thereafter the on-site club manager (not the President/owner of the club) came and told Ms Wright that the kids had to leave BECAUSE the club does not allow african american members. Period. Nothing about over-crowdedness. Nothing about SWIM safety concerns about number of kids compared to lifeguards on duty. This SWIM safety crap is an after-the-fact excuse to cover up what the real issue to them was: MAYBE the owners of the club themselves are not racists, but many of their members must be and were unhappy that those children showed up and mixed in the pool with their kids, and they were probably threatened with membership cancellation if it happened again. There SHOULD be a lawsuit so that the emails and phone records of the club can be reviewed during Discovery and I’d bet my right arm and left foot that the club’s email and phone lines were SWAMPED with cancellation threats and THAT’s was prompted them to return the camp’s money. They’d rather return $1900 than lose $19000.
July 12th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
If I recall many years ago this club would not allow Jews to join their pool as well.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
It’s a private swim club, they have every right to discriminate on who they let in!!! If these kids can pay to swim, then it’s a different story. Why do hard working people have to share what they pay for with kids who can’t afford it> That’s what the YMCA is for!!!!
July 12th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
@Get a life. The Valley Club falls under the “public accommodation” category for the Civil Rights Act so it is not a true private club like the Boy Scouts or the KKK. The pool is open to anyone who has a membership, and since anyone join the pool it is not allowed to discriminate.
I get the feeling that because some white members of the club complained to the management, that the staff panicked and thought a refund would solve the problem. But if an investigation shows that they cancelled the Creative Steps membership on racial grounds and that they they cancelled other summer camp memberships to mask their intentions, the swimming pool management may have opened themselves up to a valid discrimination suit. A lawsuit was filed on Saturday.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Rawspoon you listen to too many rumors. The campers were allowed to swim for the agreed upon time period, they were not pulled from the pool early. The manager did not tell them they had to leave but was actually on the pool deck as an additional lifeguard. The pool had scheduled extra lifeguards but the concentration of swimmers in the shallow end makes it difficult to keep track of everyone, so it is a safety issue. 65 extra swimmers is not normally a safety issue at a pool that size but when they are all concentrated in 1/3 of the pool because they could not swim it is a safety issue. Even if the Valley Club has no black members at this time it does not mean they have never had black members and blacks, as well as other minorities, have been guests at the club this year and other years with no problems. Everyone is quick to judge based on what they hear in the media, I know I’ve heard that in many stories about blacks why can’t it be the same with The Valley Club.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Ann, you know you’re lying. You can’t cover up the fact that some of the children heard the racist comments and have seen some of the parents pull their children out of the water. This is sick and the people who are responsible for this incident need to be reprimanded.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Racism will always exist in America. So if you are non- white expect if from whites. Non- whites also practice it on those who do not look like them. The cancerous residue of Jim Crowism covers us all. I feel sorry for the children and no sympathy for the folks at the swim club.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Here is the respose from Brian J. Graham the Executive Director regarding John Duesler’s actions:
“As a person from a multi-ethnic background who has worked very closely, traveled and shared accomodations with John Duesler many times over several years, I can unequivocally say that the allegations of racism against him are absolutely untrue. It is unfortunate that the media has taken one ill advised word from his statement and run with it attempting to paint him as a racist. John Duesler is a man with impeccable character who deplores racism and it is criminal what is being done to him. I stand behind John and his family with my support and prayers and I urge everyone to withhold judgement and refrain from making uninformed comments. This is a media witch hunt and the truth will eventually come out.”
Here is the original source:
http://www.pdga.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=32063
Please call and express your concerns, PDGA, (706) 261-6342
July 14th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
So, I was at my township’s public park today with my 4 little children (infant through 6). After about 30 minutes of our arrival, 4 buses arrived with about 90-100 children of all races from 3 camps for underpriveleged children and 1 privately run suburban daycare center. My kids were literally getting pushed and run over while the camp counselors from all the camps and the daycare workers stood by the entrance and talked amongst themselves. A very few of the adults in charged were supervising the children. YES, of course, I pulled my kids out of there! They were going to get hurt. My thoughts were, “I can’t see my children- where are they and how will they find me? My kids are going to get hurt. We’ll come back another time since we live close by.” So what? Isn’t that what some of the Valley Club parents probably did, too? I mean, if I were a member, I could come back another time and so what if I wanted my kids to swim at a time when it’s less crowded. Maybe they didn’t like crowds instead of they didn’t like black people. Why is it ok for black people to assume the worst about white people? I don’t know if I speak for all white folks, but I was raised to be a bleeding heart liberal who hates racism and I still hate racism, but I am also sick and tired of us all not being able to Move On already! Just move on. There are white racist ignorant knuckleheads and black racist ignorant knuckleheads and Asian racist ignorant knuckleheads. BUT, the majority of us just want to peacefully coexist, have no problem with our neighbors of any color, don’t care if our kids are in biracial relationships, welcome friends who are different from us and are just plain TIRED of hearing about how bad white people are. Makes me feel a little defensive that in my real life experience I have been called all varieties of cracker, whitey, white-bread, etc for absolutely no good reason. Educated, white liberals are NOT the enemy- get it? Guess I’m a racist now, huh.
July 15th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I am a 51 year old
honky and sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me.
With that said i think they ougtta sue the f%$^ outta them. this crap has got to stop!!! we are all here on the same planet to get along,not act as if anyone is better or worse than we are. I believe we are all souls having a human exsperiance. So only do what you want to take home to God.
With 1 parents nasty views you have now tought a group of children to hate and be racists, i think the parent should be charged with child abuse!!!
July 15th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Shannon, It’s easy to call someone a liar when they don’t agree with your take on something. I was there that day at the club. I personally did not hear any racist comments but I am not saying that none were said. A club cannot control what their members say, whether appropriate or not, remember this is America. Yes some parents did pull their children out of the pool but more because of how crowded it was and not because the children were black. What if 65 white kids arrived at a predominently black swim club and someone asked, “Where did those white kids come from?” Is that racist? I don’t think so, I think they are wondering why they were there. Why can’t it be the same in this situation.
July 17th, 2009 at 6:23 am
(editor’s note: In the spirit of keeping things civil and productive. I’ve removed Jhem’s original comment and present it to you in a more civil form. Alan Tu)
It’s Our City reader Jhem writes: Ann, please take a hike. P.S. you are a less than pleasant white lady.
July 17th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Does anyone think that mediation could and should play a role in finding a middle ground in this dispute between Creative Steps and The Valley Club? or do you think the best way to learn what really happened is to move forward with litigation? Let’s keep this discussion as constructive as possible.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Greetings from South Carolina -
Since the South has always been the poster child for racism, I’d like to thank the Valley Club Management and Membership for telling the truth about racism in the North. Racism is not limited to regions, it’s prevalent throughout the world and it is most definitely rampant in place such as ‘The City of Brotherly Love, Boston, New York, Greenwich….
I better not hear another pompous racist Yankee lecture me about racism in the South again. Sweep under your own front porch brotherly lovers.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I’ve noticed that no one has said anything about how the 65 kids were behaving. Were they polite and swimming calmly? Were they screaming and running around? I wonder if this is a question of CULTURE, not of race per se.
At my gym, there was a similar program. The kids screamed and shouted abuse endlessly. The gym managment simply told the program management that IF the kids chose to keep screaming, THEN the program would be cancelled. Voila! The program chaperones now monitor and shush the kids. And gym members who want quiet just come at different times.
July 19th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Of course, it was discriminatory. Of course, it involved breach of contract.
Of course, there was a surprised reaction when 65 black kids descended on a primarily all white recreation facility.
So, the answer is a lawsuit. Let’s put the pool out of business and the daycare can give back all of the federal funds for disadvantaged kids they receive and pay back taxes and all will be well.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I very much agree that there is a strong undercurrent of racism. However the behaviors of these children, and those of the little white wasps differ greatly, and this has to do with culture not color. I grew up as one of the handful of white children in a “ghetto” innercity school system, I was very shy and well mannered. My peers were exposed to different attitudes and behaviors that made them very outgoing, very confrontational, and often very rude according to white Americans. I was bullied mercilessly for being a “little white girl”. I could not care less if this wannabe wasp club was shutdown, im trying to shed my own bit of light on the reaction that may have occured intitally. For many it may have been just the sight of brown, but for many the rambunctious behavior of children who cant be corrected by their own parents is unnerving. This of course is because they assume their little angels arent in the clubhouse smoking herb while the ethnic kids scream and shout in the pool. For the most part the backlash may not have been about color but cultural mannerisms and fear of the unfamiliar.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
The best part about this story is that if those 65 campers were white, no one would care.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
The Nile Swim Club, in Yeadon, could use the support of the African-American community.
July 25th, 2009 at 5:40 am
How can the innocent kids change the complexion of the pool? Such comments should not be tolerated.
July 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
This story is being exploited to benefit Obama’s 2012 re-run to brainwash people with those old “White Guilt” feelings. However, people have had just about enough of the One Sided Biased Double Standard and the White Guilt is beginning to fade and become persistantly annoying, like a fly buzzing round’ one’s head that won’t go away, till’ you SWAT the heck outta’ it that is!
November 15th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
The Valley Swim Club says it will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after it was unable to expand membership for the past few years. In a statement to its members the club says the bankruptcy was not triggered by racial controversy that happened this past summer (2009). What do you think? Is this a move to blunt potential civil lawsuits that could be filed?