The controversy began two weeks ago when 65 black and Hispanic children from Northeast Philadelphia's Creative Steps Inc. day camp visited the suburban swim club. Some children were said to have heard club members make racial remarks while removing their own children from the pool. Conflicting reports, however, dispute those accounts and suggest that there was no overt hostility toward the Creative kids.
Club officials insist racism was not at play. The campers were allowed to swim, but later the $1,950 fee they paid to use the pool this summer was refunded. The club said it decided that having so many unskilled swimmers at one time represented a safety hazard.
That explanation might have been accepted if club president John Duesler hadn't also commented in a TV news interview that he had voided the contract because the minority kids "would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club." He later apologized for what he called a misstatement, but such a remark would lead anyone to believe the campers were shunned solely because of the color of their skin.
Once the story hit the media, and the resulting bad publicity smacked the swim club, it tried to make amends by inviting the campers to return. But some parents said they were afraid of the reception their children might receive, and the camp declined the offer. In the meantime, a lawyer for the camp filed suit.
More lawsuits are expected, and legal fees and any judgment against it could ultimately put the swim club out of business and bankrupt its board members. Bet they never thought of that when they signed up to help run their community's pool.
If costly lawsuits result from this incident, there may be even fewer suburban pools opening their facilities to city kids, at a time when Philadelphia is shutting down many of its public pools to make budget.
The state's Human Relations Commission is also investigating the incident. Maybe it or another agency can help find a resolution that isn't so damaging. What apparently happened at the Valley Club pool was despicable. But there should be a way to use the incident to foster better race relations, and not make them worse.
