Insert "Brotherly Love" Quip Here

Straight out of 1960...

Uh, well...

Club members chimed in.

So friendly that they'll turn the hoses on them. That's just like going swimming, right guys?

Well, this doesn't say much for my home town.

Sadly, this counts as progress.

We used to just bomb black people we didn't like.

It could have simply been an awesomely poor decision on the private club's part in not determining the number of people who would be in attendance, and not having enough capacity.

But then again, here are a sampling of comments to a linked article.

'High quality H2O' writes, "Change the water to ride it of the urine".

'whitey' says, "look lets be real .keep them where they live dont bring them here because we live here we do not go to thier pool now do we so why should they come to ares?

'DetaiIInspector' opines, "Look at the half wits in the photo wearing the Obama t shirts lmao. I dont even feel bad for them. What a waste of life."

... but nothing beats the massive irony attack gained by reading 'everyone love everyone' spout, "To all the people crying racist...show me a woman that looks like Halle Barry and DOESNT smell, and I will have sex with her. Provided she, ya know, maintains the jungle down there."

[shakes head]

Maybe he means all women smell, and to get near one she'd have to not only be odor-free, but also look like Halle Berry?

Or perhaps he means she must be lacking her olfactory sense, so she doesn't smell his own foul stench?

I'm figuring option #2

Wanted to see if this organization had a website. They do, but it consists of this single page. It appears there had been other information at one time (a 'contacts' page), but it is now '404'.

Looked at a Google map of the area.

The photo must have been taken later in the day (shadows from trees lining the parking lot obscure a fair portion), but I counted at least 64 parking spaces.

The only reviews of the Valley Swim Club I've found so far are dated after this imbroglio, and none are reviews in the true sense of the term.

For what it's worth I did find a health inspection report for their snack bar.

Why is it that I can't get the "Baby Ruth" scene from Caddyshack out of my head?

If you're worried about capacity, don't let everyone in the pool at the same time?

"Change the complexion of the club?" Big Freudian slip there.

Ah, I remember visiting our friend's cousin in Miami a couple of year's back, and having to endure him boasting about how he chose their gated community house because there would be "no blacks or Hispanics at our son's school". Twat.

Can you imagine how those kids felt being turned away like that? What a life experience that will be for them.

For any of you crying "blatant racism"...have you stopped to think for a second how you might feel if you paid a hefty membership fee to a private club...so you could have a nice, peaceful place for your family to swim & hang out....only to have it swarmed by 60 or more EXTRA kids on the same day?

Was there ANY racism involved? Yes, I'm sure there was....because people were involved.

The question, for me, is....was there a conspiracy to commit systemic racism in order to exclude people based on their race? Or...could it have been the front office of the Swim club looking to make some extra $$ without discussing the possible impact with its existing members?

The problem, in my opinion, is that certain people are SO inclined to jump on the bandwagon....that they hear preliminary stories about minority kids...a predominantly white club...and "unwelcome" and jump 3 or 4 steps ahead......then call in the NAACP.

I'm not saying I know what happened. I'm not saying I can vouch for the personal feelings of everyone involved. I'm simply saying...maybe it's not as bad as the media are making it out to be. Because we all know....the media has a vested interest in getting the FACTS....not making the story sound as good as possible to get ratings, right? Right? Oh....wait.

Well, at the very least the management of the club handled the situation with a deal of incompetence, and a considerable lack of sensitivity, that in any major business would probably lead to disciplinary action. I think the question we don't know the answer to is whether previous camps have been allowed access, whether they were predominantly white, and whether the reaction was the same.

If, as is stated, pool attendants actually said that minorities were not allowed in the pool, I think that pretty much amounts to a racial policy, don't you? So somewhere between numbnuts incompetence and outright racism - neither of which reflects particularly well on the club.

But this ISN'T an example of outright racism...as far as I've seen. No doubt there are racist members of the private club...but you will find that ANYWHERE. I can tell you about some local private clubs & even bars open to the public where my pasty Irish ass isn't welcome.

The club states that it has open membership. Which should mean that anyone who ponies up the membership fee can join. They also state that there are non-white members. They also interviewed at least one of the non-white members who said "This is all just a misunderstanding, we're a friendly club"

If you want to call this outright racism...show me where a large (60+) group of white kids from an outside daycare agency was allowed in. Show me where a minority member was refused membership...but a white member was allowed after that. Show me registered complaints form the non-white members of the club alleging racial inconsistencies.

Until then...it looks, to me, like a case of paying members of a private club not wanting to be deluged by 60+ EXTRA kids at their swimming club.

So racism is okay as long as it isn't blatant racism? You've lost me.

And remember, these "EXTRA" kids paid to swim at the pool too.

They said the teen was "Hispanic" not "non-white." There is actually a difference.

Do you intentionally keep missing the part where pool attendants said 'we don't allow minorities in the club'? That was their justification for why the kids had to get out of the water & leave the club. Because club employees, rightly or wrongly informed, told them that minorities aren't allowed in the club. That doesn't sound a little racist to you? Maybe just a little bit?

NOT RACIST!

Unless I am mistaken...their parents paid the daycare center...and the daycare center had a contract with the swim club, right?

No, I didn't miss it. Forgive me if I don't consider one email...from the parent of one of the daycare kids...to be concrete proof.

So, his word isn't proof enough, but the word of one member who says "we're not racist" is?

I guess that makes sense.

You're obviously mistaken, and confused Their parents paid for the children to swim at the swim club, with the daycare center as a proxy.

No. My point was...and remains to be....it's not exactly a cut & dry situation now is it?

And when the President of the club clarified the decision to not let the kids in by saying that they would change the 'atmosphere & complexion' of the club?

So then....I'm not mistaken or confused. The parents paid for their kids to go to the daycare. Daycare has a contract with the Swim Club. Apparently...unbeknownst to the Swim Club members...an army of 60+ kids shows up. Members of the swim club proceed to say "WTF is up with all these kids?"

Completely possible that it's an erroneous choice of wording....combined with being taken out of context. I would even say it's likely...moreso than just a possibility.

Oh, for christsakes, man. I'm not indifferent to your position, as a society we're hypersensitive to racism, & occasionally that means people get accused of it, or overreact. I have a really hard time seeing how this is a case of that, when you have people being quoted as saying 'what are all those black kids doing here', 'we don't let minorities in the club', 'we were concerned that they would change the complexion' of the club', & witnesses saying that as soon as the kids jumped in the water mothers rushed to pull their children out, while the rest got themselves out. That's a pattern, this is not the possible appearance of racism that's being blown out of proportion, this looks to be real, live, actual racism. I'd lay money on it. Keeping an open mind for way too long is just as foolish as jumping to conclusions right away. So why don't you stop being an apologist for racists & come back to the herd?

I'd suggest that, if the children and carers of the camp felt that they were treated in a discriminatory fashion, that at the least the club has a duty to investigate its own behaviour. It wouldn't be the first time in history someone said "Oh no, we're not racists! Look, we have a non-white member!"

Yes, you are probably right in part; that the club made a decision that was not in the spirit of a private members facility. However, there is at least some evidence here that the way it was handled was discriminatory and demeaning to those affected.

As someone mentioned above, you can either take everyone's word at face value, or disbelieve both sides.