u235

I saw this article. Let me play devil's advocate for just a moment.

First - we do not know how the kids were behaving. This is a private club whose members are likely not used to having 65 kids dumped on them. I go to a resort and when they have "day trips for kids", typically about 30, I personally want to hide in my cabin until the little urchins leave since they are noisy and splash around in the pool. I don't care if the kids are white, black or green - if they disturb my peace and splash me in the face I want them gone.

Second - If inappropriate things were reported by the kids, we don't know if the kids were "coached" or were old enough to know if they used the race card they could get some rich white people in trouble. Lets face it, we are in litigious society that frequently looks for people to sue to make a quick buck. The kids were as old as 13, and kids, especially mobs of kids, can be manipulative at that age. Maybe I'm just age prejudice.

I think in this society we are too quick to point the finger and call people racist. Perhaps a few of the members we disturbed by the little brown kids, but perhaps even more were disturbed by kids without sufficient supervision. I prefer to reserve judgment because I've "been there".

No, sorry Odessa, there are Valley Club members who were actually at the pool who state that there was no "overcrowding" and that the kids seemed polite to her. They might as well have a sign up that says "White's Only"

I keep hearing about these sorts of things. There was a similar spot near my house that required a visual inspection of the entire family before being allowed to join. They did this as recently as the 1980s and perhaps longer.

As to the story, there are other accounts of an employee of the club blatantly saying something to the effect of "we don't allow minorities".

I was going to add the bit from the article that mentioned the kids behavior from witnesses:

Amy Goldman said she's been a member of the club for two years. She said the pool wasn't particularly crowded and the children from Creative Steps were ''well-behaved and respectful.''

I should have added that. It would have painted a clearer picture.

Thank you for the clarification. The article I read was not very clear. I am skeptical of the press because they can be inclined to twist a few "facts" to make something sound controversial.

Actually now it's getting less and less clear. A follow up article says that the same thing happened to another Daycamp (this time only 25% minorities) but the director of that program says the problem was genuinely overcrowding. That while the pool was large enough, only a third could be used because the kids needed to pass a "deep end" test before using it.

The only thing that actually is clear is that the president of the club chose his words really poorly when defending the situation:

Much of the attention has focused on an earlier statement by Duesler [the club president] voicing concern that so many children would ''change the complexion'' or atmosphere of the club, which he acknowledged was ''a terrible choice of words.''

Although it is sad that some white people think we are in the Rosa Parks days, it appears that 65 children all at once was too much for this club. I have to agree with Odessa on this. I have my own pool. My kids bring friends over and it becomes a loud environment in two seconds flat. Sadly, the claim has merit on the basis of the club president's comment. He definitely used a poor choice of words. While the adults see opportunity for suit, the kids will take it in stride if not emphasized. Rehashing the issue to them will only leave a negative imprint and feelings of worthlessness. For the kids' sake, let's all be grown ups. Address the issue quietly at the appropriate agencies while protecting our kids from further trauma.