Private swim club kicks out campers after they realize they are black, refund money

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?'

...

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.

...

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/...Complexion.html

[Krikit 1,164]

You have GOT to be kidding me.

[AlHayatZween 2]

He did NOT use the word complexion!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

You have GOT to be kidding me.

It's a private club, not a place of public accommodation. This is not too uncommon, what's strange is that the club didn't do it's due diligence before taking their money in the first place.

[AlHayatZween 2]

Indeed, and race is a pre-existing condition.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Indeed, and race is a pre-existing condition.

I would if the situation didn't svck so much..... I can't help myself.

[justashooter 430]

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?'

...

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.

...

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/...Complexion.html

different article than what i read in a philly forum this morning. in the earlier article it was not so blatantly spelled out. it really may not be so blatant. if you know anything about philly, you know the street kids are aggressive, nasty, and vulgar, no matter what color. could be they bashed the place and intimidated the locals (monkey county is whitebread and pricey), and are playing the race card to set up a lawsuit.

either way, my tax dollars pay for public pools for city kids, and day care programs, and lunches for them, and the grant they paid to the private club, and the busses they took there. would have been easier if they had just used their own pools that the city alread has.

nobody likes it when some kid pees in the pool.

[Danno 1,228]

This is too much to swallow even among North East libs in their private clubs.

While I don't doubt some alarm might have taken place, I find these quotes nearly unbelievable.

With all the free public pools in the Phili area, why would these kids be paying and traveling to swim anyway?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

With all the free public pools in the Phili area, why would these kids be paying and traveling to swim anyway?

Their parents put them in camp and this is where the camp took them.

[AlHayatZween 2]

This is too much to swallow even among North East libs in their private clubs.

While I don't doubt some alarm might have taken place, I find these quotes nearly unbelievable.

With all the free public pools in the Phili area, why would these kids be paying and traveling to swim anyway?

Sounds like it was a day camp. Might need a special permit or something to bring a large, supervised group to go to a public swimming pool...

[Danno 1,228]

This is too much to swallow even among North East libs in their private clubs.

While I don't doubt some alarm might have taken place, I find these quotes nearly unbelievable.

With all the free public pools in the Phili area, why would these kids be paying and traveling to swim anyway?

Sounds like it was a day camp. Might need a special permit or something to bring a large, supervised group to go to a public swimming pool...

I suppose that is possible, I don't doubt the members of this club were concerned by the flood of Black city kids into their peaceful pool area but I do doubt these race-quotes really happened, at least in hearing area of the visitors.

Country Club Liberals are way more sophisticated than that ...as are people in general.

[justashooter 430]

this is social engineering with very little finesse.

in a similar pattern on a larger scale, the busses of kids from baltimore are shipped up into Codorus State Park just north of the Mason Dixon line on saturdays and sundays to trash one of the biggest public pools in pennsylvania (Adams county, in a very rural area). busses from philly are sometimes seen. the city folk just want their kids to see how the "other side" lives. can you blame them? not really. could they be a little less disruptive? sure.

does forcing belligerent and aggressive kids into a quiet private swim club serve to reduce racial or social tension? not hardly. conforming the behaviour is the first step in assimilation.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

on the bright side, it will pull al sharpton away from cauterwauling at mj's funeral.

[SMOKE 1,426]

i gotta call BS on the quotes too. here is the pools rules...since noone else has posted them.

http://thevalleyclub.com/downloads/2009_Ru...f_Operation.pdf

[Danno 1,228]

Stories like this bring in so many "hits" it's no wonder they leave details out to inflame the story into something big.

I assume ad revenue goes up for the number of clicks the banners get as people are drawn to the website.