Valley Swim Club-Huntingdon Valley: Are Racism Allegations Fair?

YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES.  PERIOD.  END OF STORY.

I can't believe that in 2009 we are actually sitting here reading about this, those kids should not have to be subjected to those type of remarks or treatment, they paid good $ to use these facilities, and for the club to say they quickly learned they didn't have the capacity to meet thier needs is the STUPIDEST excuse I have ever heard.  I think some of  the memebers of  this POOL CLUB should actually trade their memeberships in and become members of the KKK. 

My daughter is biracial and it is not her fault she has a black father and a white mother, she did not ask to be brought into this world.  Kids should not be mistreated becuase of the color of thier skin - no one for that matter should be mistreated because of the color of their skin.  That is the problem with racism, certain adults can't change their views and they in turn instill them on their children.  A child is a beautiful creation and they are our future, if they are raised to dislike people simply because of the color of their skin, what kind of future do we have?  We as AMERICANS voted the first Black President into Office, yet we are still reading about racism - and this is pretty serious, people actually pulled their kids out of the water because there were black kids getting in the pool - I really had no idea people still really thought that way.  I mean I know it's out there but to that extent??  I am deeply disappointed in this club and hope that here in Berkley, MI my daughter never has to experience that.     

Can President Obama withdraw all black and hispanic soldiers in harm's way and send the racist valley club parents and staff to far-off  meatgrinders instead? Then they can either show arabs and afghans how superior white power is, or provide some humor by becoming carrion. Either ways, good riddance to bad rubbish!

Why is it that blacks can have their own organization, clubs, associations and pagents that exclude whites, and that is thought of as fine, but whites cannot do the same without being tagged as "racist"?

 I think the double standard,and reverse discrimination/racism sucks. If Blacks can have their own organizations that exclude whites, then whites should be able to have a all white association, club, pagent,association ect without having any problems.

I don't see whites being allowed into NAACP, Ms/Mr Black America,all black fraternities.sororities or anything else "black". It is time White people were allowed, without the accusation of "racist", to be proud of OUR race, and have our own, all white,exclusive clubs and organizations.

i dont feel that it was a racist issue. this card has been thrown around sooooo many times and for soooo long that it is so easy to get what you want when you use the word racist. unfortunately now , this club is scarred for life because of the false accusation and all of its members will carry the big R on their chest. and to all the whites that are screaming the big R , why dont you go to the inner city of phillie and walk the streets and take all the poor children that couldnt go to that pool and bring them and their families to your house and build a pool for them there if you think they were treated so unfairly. go ahead, see how far you get walking the streets of the hood to show how much you care.impress me by taking donations to build a pool in your back yard so they can come swim. jesse and al can help you raise the money .

As the director of a child care learning center this saddens me. Children are children....and I guess I'm color blind. Our children at my center have their own pool on the property. One of my summer camp children made the comment today, "Tell Ms. Tammi to call the kids and tell them to come swim in our pool."  I wish this was possible. Remember folks small minded people have small minded ideas.

The fact that the president accepted a fee as payment for the contract and then wants us to believe that he had no idea so many kids would be attending thereby overextending capacity is the lamest excuse I have ever heard. We are to believe he entered the contract and never asked how many children would be attending, come on, Man Up, simply admit you subcumbed to the pressure from some ( not all) members with racist attitudes and instead  of standing up to the them,  You are sorry for your cowardly act!!!

Man up

John Duesler should be terminated from his position. It is pretty clear to me that he is a racist overseeing a racist club. I wonder what is the ethnic makeup of the club? I think that would speak volumes

Copy of message to Senator Specter:

Thank you for launching an investigation into the private swim club which denied access to minority children: their action has sparked nationwide outrage.

I saw the club's spokesman on the news. He denied that it was a racial issue; he said the pool was simply overwhelmed by the numbers.  But the group that came to use the pool had an agreement to allow their sixty-five children to enter.

Sixty-five.

The club knew how many would be coming and had agreed in advance.

It was only after they arrived and the members and management saw them that the kids were told to leave.

Thank you for your work to correct this wrong.

I think it's high time that we gave people the benefit of the doubt before we rush to hate. When these people used the word complexion, if they have any brains at all, they did not mean it in the racist way it appeared. My impression from a news story I just watched on tv that interviewed both sides of this situation. They seem like they are hurting. I can't imagine as a white man dedicated to helping the cause of equality for all making such a mistake that the whole world now viewed me as a racist as I know it is a false perception. I believe that this man thought he was doing good, and when the kids showed up, he realized that this was changing the dynamics of the club, and the promises that had been made to the original members. He knew they were black (or mixed races) when he made the arrangement. We DO have rights to pay for services. Would you eat at the Four Seasons with a Baby crying next to you constantly? A person Black, brown,  or white expects what they pay for. These people made a mistake, and now they're paying. If there were racist there, throw them out. They might sue you, but that's how you show your principle. I've marched with the gays and the blacks and the Mexicans as an activist for many years. I've learned that if you believe in the best in people, you just might get it.

its all untrue. I've gone to the valley club and the pool is big but there is a small part for kids who can't go in the deep end and there were alot of young kids there that couldn't swim. the pool is usually already filled with kids. they were the last ones to join so they are the first ones to leave its that simple. It has nothing to do with the color of their skin and i bet if it was a swim club with the majority being african american and a camp of white kids came and the same things happened that this wouldnt get so big but just because their black it has to make headline news because 50 years ago blacks didnt get the same rights as whites.

you are all crazy. the valley swim club is totally right and of course they knew how many kids were coming but i guess they didnt realize that the little part of the pool that is used for kids who cant swim would get packed wit them and even more kids that already go their. it wouldnt be a big deal if white kids got kicked out its all hype

In my opinion, this probably wasn't the first summer that they gave temporary membership to external groups visiting the area. But maybe it was the first time a camping group for black kids had used the pool. The club management had not anticipated such a racist reaction from some of it's club members.

 They should have banned those members, at least during the time the camping group was using the pool, but in most private clubs, the membership committee is elected or appointed by the general membership, so may be they also feared for their future.

Instead of honoring their legal contract with the camping group they rescinded and caved in to some of their racist members. They cancelled the other groups to cover their backs.

There's a history which can't be ignored. There was a time if a black kid got into a "whites only" pool, they drained it!

The fact that so many people have already jumped on the racist band wagon to make this a truly "racist" issue is nauseating. This is the first article that I have read that has actually included any quotes from the pool goers themselves.

"This has nothing to do with race," member Lori Slowinski said. "I paid my money for a private swim club…if they're gonna have it out to camps, then I want my money back."

"I was the first person to talk to the president, because the pool was overcrowded," said Flynn. "As members we have nothing to hide. There's good people here."

Daniel Veres, a 16-year old Hispanic teen who is also a member, says the entire situtation is just a misunderstanding.

How would you feel if you paid money to attend a private swim club and then suddenly, 65 children and counselors showed up? There is no reports on any of our credible new sources (Fox, NBC, etc...) to elaborate on the actual behavior of the children, only  on "alleged" racism propagated by the counselors and some of the young children. Let's take a look at what one of the children attending the camp had to say.

“I heard a white lady say, ‘What are all these black kids doing here?'" 14-year-old Dymir Baylor (Camp attendee).

So let me get this strait. When referring to these children who show up at the pool, this unidentified woman, is quoted, simply because she refereed to them as BLACK? But did not Dymir Baylor just refer to her as a "WHITE LADY"? 

In the vein of false quotes, let us take a second glance at what the pool president, John Duesler,  really had to say.  

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ...and the atmosphere of the club." (philly.com). 

To anybody who has any semblance of grammatical syntax intelligence, the use of an ellipsis in a quote allows for the writer to cunningly insert essentially any words that they deem fitting for their article, while they are quoting the interviewee. What John Duesler said was not racism, complexion has two definitions. 

1) the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person's skin, esp. of the face : Marilyn Monroe had a very pale complexion, wasn't she beautiful?

2) the general aspect or character of something : Wow, that construction sight next door sure has changed the complexion of our nice quiet backyard.

Interestingly enough, it seems that Mr. Duesler could have gone in two directions with his comment, but the media, as it usually does. Has taken it in a direction for him. So please, to anybody who has any pretense of knowledge, before taking a side on this story by dusting off your old tar and feathers in the garage, or nailing together those pieces of balsa wood to make your picket sign; at least attempt and get the whole story, before we lynch John Duesler.

They say no good deed goes unpunished. I think this is a case of that here.

65 kids IS too much for the pool size. I have been to this pool and 2/3 of the pool is for children who are certified to swim in deeper water and 1/3 is the shallow end of the pool.

If there were 10 kids or so in the shallow end already and from what I understand another then 65 kids enter the shallow end, there is overcrowding. Period.

This becomes a safety issue because when there are too many kids in the water like that, the lifeguards are unable to see under the water and a child could become easily trapped.

It is up to the media to get the real story here. And the story is --- here is a man who tries to do good for the community all the time; here is a man who is a good father and husband; here is a man who is not used to speaking to the media; here is a man who happened to use the wrong word.

Who is really making the children cry? Is it not Ms. Wright from the daycare (that is making these accusations) whose child is in most of the video coverage. The children sound more and more couched each time I hear the news.

Media >>> CNN - NBC - ABC - CBS - FOX- MSNBC >>> it is up to you for once to give credit to a good man who misspoke rather than go for the soundbite. Soundbites never tell a full story.

Media - it is up to you to do the right thing.

Media - this man is not a criminal, yet you crucify him.

Media - it is this man who deserves an apology.