Pa. to investigate pool discrimination allegations

[spaceboots06]

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. -- State officials will investigate accusations of racial discrimination against a suburban Philadelphia swim club that allegedly reacted to a visiting group of minority children by asking them not to return and pulling other kids out of the water.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will immediately open an investigation into the actions of The Valley Club in the leafy suburb of Huntingdon Valley, chairman Stephen A. Glassman said. The club maintains that accusations of racial discrimination are false.

"The rule of law in Pennsylvania is equal opportunity for all, regardless of race," Glassman said Thursday in a written statement released by his office.

"Allegedly, this group was denied the use of a pool based on their race," Glassman said. "If the allegations prove to be true, this is illegal discrimination in Pennsylvania."

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1660593,w-minority-pool-descrimination-071009.article

They interviewed the minorities that were not allowed in the pool area on the news and they all said the same thing- that the white folks said that too many minorities would make the pool less respectable.

Do you think it is okay to have pools and facilities exclusively for a certain race? This isn't public either, it's private.

 

[MacVixen]

Well... clearly there is more to the story than the newspaper is letting on.

This is a tricky one - it's a private club, and private clubs are allowed to make rules as they see fit - yes, even rules that exclude people on the basis of race, gender, religion, etc.

However, the club had clearly taken the camps money, and seemingly knew that some of the children were minorities. Seems as though the club didn't have a problem with it, but after an outcry from the membership decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and thus refunded the money.

My gut tells me this is more about "class" than race. As in the parents in the "leafy suburb of Huntingdon Valley" didn't want their precious associating with "outsiders".

Still disgusting, either way.