Both incidents if accurately reported are reprehensible.

The Philadelphia is reprehensible because the private club had entered into an financial agreement with the day camp. Apparently at no point prior to signing the agreement did the private club explain their “membership policy”. It is not clear if the day camp group was aware of the club’s policy from the outset. It is clear that the first time anyone found out anything was when the day camp showed up as per their agreement.

The Ohio story is not equivalent, though no less reprehensible. It represents a type of gang/group violence that sadly has been occuring with greater frequency. Those, who however want to always make it “racial” only have to look out the number of high school “hazing incidents” over the past few years wherein one group of students (usually those designated as being some type of “out” group) is brutalized by a much larger gang of students. These are not “racial” for the most part in that they involved sports/cheer teams.

In the first instance, the explanation is a matter of intentional “policy” presumably written down somewhere. In the second instance it is an act of opportunity. Neither is excusable.

“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion…and the atmosphere of the club”.

OK, I read all the articles referenced about this incident. Although a private swim club, it advertises “open membership”. The “membership” application by the camp was voted on and approved by board members. They accepted the membership fee. Surely they were aware of approximately how many children were signed up for this camp and that they were children from the “inner city”. If not, perhaps someone should have gotten a little more information before they voted, approved the membership application and accepted the fees. If it wasn’t racial, then person speaking on behalf of the club should have been more careful in his choice of words.

Where are the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to check out both the incident in the article and in the comments. They should be for civil rights both ways and be blind to race. The problem with the private swim club is that they should never have accepted the fee to get in. If there was an all-black private swim club, I’d understand if they never accepted another race as long as they don’t accept my fees or dues. The problem I have is that the club accepted fees and so should have kept to it’s agreement with the day camp kids.

In the other commented incident, I really don’t care about the race of the attackers. The people who did the attacks should be prosecuted and a full court case should be done to determine if there was criminal activity on both sides of the matter. It’s difficult for me to imagine a group of kids beating some people without any exchange of words or looks beforehand. I’ve personally been in situations where a mob action may have occurred if words were exchanged, but have been able to stop one from forming.

stlarch50 and bb,

I agree that the incident in Ohio was indeed considered a hate crime and should be treated as such. To acknowledging that does not take away from this story. You could have stated your thoughts about the kids being booted from the private swim club and also brought to our attention this one in Ohio. The attack of the White family in Ohio by the Black teenagers is a hate crime. All bad and evil racial incidents must be exposed and denounced.

This pool incident is pure racism and maltreatment of children.

I wonder what percentage of these pool members are “Pro-Life”. I would be willing to risk stating most of these grown up private swim club members identify themselves as “Pro-Life” and Christians having no clue about they how are called to treat the least among us who are alive and have been born from the womb. This pool incident is truly evil displayed towards little children and one must have a seriously dark heart to treat children in this way. Racism is evil.

I do not condone racism–however, there may have been no provision made in advance for sixty children to show up at one time. Legally there needs to be enough lifeguards and parental guidance in place. I’d like to know if the membership was paid for each child individually and if the swim club was warned about the expected large influx of unsupervised children. You aren’t guaranteed a pass to flout good sense just because of your race.

edgestl,

You are absolutely correct, if this club has non-for-profit status, it should be revoked if these charges are found to be true. And they should be sued for damages fore enough to make certain that even though their hearts are dark and evil that they dare not commit such an act ever again because it will cost them dearly. They accepted their money and this is the treatment they got?

If this club is truly private and they do not want Blacks allowed, the they need to be private and state; “No Swimming Teams or Swimming Groups Were Most Swimmers Are Black Are Allowed”! This is not at all unusual for “private clubs” or even many White establishments however. It is usually okay if there are one or two are even a very small party, but if there are too many Blacks at once, it usually always brings about disparate treatment and discomfort for the average White person. I have seen it many times in St. Louis.

However I must say that I can’t ever recall service for large Black groups at Bristol’s in Creve Coeur disparate and is where we celebrate special family occasions when we have a very large crowd. We have been doing this for at least twenty years. There are others, but their service and treatment of people stand out above the rest. I am curious to learn if the O’Fallon, MO Bristol’s is the same.

GeckoGirl,

I seriously do not think that was the problem. Snap out of that wishful fantasy. Don’t you think that they would have shared such a fact with the camp director of this Black swim team?

Shelly,

You are correct in that we are only receiving one side of the story concerning the Ohio incident. Were these boys the ones provoked? You are correct but if it is truly as told then it was a hate crime. People have been known to lie about these sort of racial incidents and crimes.

Thou this story is seriouly lacking any information…..

It sounds like the black kids paid to go to the day camp ONLY but that did not include the right to swim in the private swimming pool. Were they just wandering around? Were they brought there my the camp people and then suddenly sent away? Was the day camp and the pool owned by the same people?

This story lacks clear info.

I’ve lived in the St. Louis area for 17 years. I find it funny the lengths people will go to try to justify this discrimination. It is obvious. An agreement with an inner city DAY CAMP - when campers go swimming it’s inevitably more than a handful; then the statement about the complexion of the pool. Come on folks, please spare us all the gyrations about lifeguard ratios, etc. This private, but open membership pool (an oxymoran right there) most surely discriminated against these kids. Call it as it is. And please don’t justify yourselves by saying you don’t condone discrimination, but… You’re only fooling yourselves.