The PG Pool is racist [MD]

[Anonymous]

The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

I agree with that. I do think the weighting of people on the waitlist based on zip code is a reasonable solution.

[Anonymous]

Oh my gosh. A long waiting list and a membership fee are not racism.

The fact that the pool was segregated FIFTY YEARS AGO is not racism today.

[Anonymous]

Why do you keep insisting only white people are members? Have you been there? Why can't folks ask PG county leaders to build more pools? There is the chillum pool, hamilton pool and another one in college park that are open to residents.

I moved to another county recently. The pool in my neighborhood had a long waiting list and was unaffordable. So we use county pools. Much more affordable. I would assume that would be a better option for most families. $600 is a lot for one season.

[Anonymous]

Threads like this are why Trump is going to win in 2024. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this any different from the myriad of other private clubs in the area?

It’s private. White Members only.


What part of that is so difficult to understand?

ftfy

It is NOT "white members only" though...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

I agree with that. I do think the weighting of people on the waitlist based on zip code is a reasonable solution.

No way. Why? I don’t see any reason they should prioritize neighbors. And I’m a neighbor. I’ll be on the waitlist for 10 years. But we have multiple county pools nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, for the 2 adults and 2 kids, the membership fee is $650/year. Given the strong correlation in the DC area of race with income, is that fee something that Black community members can afford?

This isn't some luxury pool, btw. It looks like it barely scrapes by.

Well it's a chicken and egg thing isn't it.

If people like you think Black people can't afford the pool, they won't accept Black people as members.

Also, it's not cheap for most families, even those that can afford it. If you were Black, would it be a priority to pay for a pool with such recent racist history?

Probably not when they can go to the free DC pools instead. Pools need money to function- so you either have public pools subsidized by the local jurisdictions or you have private pools where the costs are covered entirely by its members. It would be great if the PG government would build more pools so there were more accessible and affordable options available for its residents.

And the other PP is right that the long waitlist is a somewhat recent development. By the way some people talk you’d think the pool was entirely comprised of legacy members and black residents have had no opportunity to join.

You know that not all Black people are poor right? And racial disparities are not just about socioeconomic differences?

DP. Of course, generally. But in Mt. Rainier, the lower income families definitely skew toward people of color. The single family homes are pretty evenly distributed among white, black, and latino owners, but a large portion of the Mt. Rainier citizenry is in the large apartment complexes that are almost all black and latino (although more black, I think). I'm sure the apartment dwellers have far less income. BTW, the large apartment complex right next to the PG Pool has its own pool, although I rarely see anyone in it. It doesn't have a life guard, so I don't know if that's cause or effect or irrelevant to usage.

The apartment pool isn't operational most of the time, probably because these are low-income apartments.

It must be sad for all the Black and Brown children in these Mount Rainier apartments to look out the window and watch all of these white kids cool off from the horrific heat in your pay-to-play pool (PG Pool) across the street.

How do you know that exactly? Do you live there? Why don’t you raise sone funds to fix it? Otherwise I’m not sure what you are proposing, a PG pool scholarship program for low income kids?

Right? Height of the bullsh*t false accusations of racism. You get the picture here that OP’s purpose is to make accusations and not actually increase pool access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

I don't think that's true, given the circumstances here.

1. Fifty years ago, PG Pool had racist policies.
2. They changed those policies in 1975.
3. In the 1990s through 2010-11, membership was so low that there was no waiting list. This wasn't a short-term occurrence, it lasted for decades. Anyone, of any race, could (and did) join just by signing up and paying the fee.
4. The pool recently has become more popular, and there's a wait list, that's open to all.

In other words, this isn't a "legacy racism problem" - it's a racist past that has been addressed, and now race-neutral factors have combined to create a wait list, and inhibited people in the neighborhood (and everywhere) from joining. But having a wait list isn't evidence of a legacy racism problem. It might be if there's been a wait list going all the way back to 1975, but the extended time period where anyone could join really eliminates that argument (for anyone who's honestly thinking about this, anyway).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, for the 2 adults and 2 kids, the membership fee is $650/year. Given the strong correlation in the DC area of race with income, is that fee something that Black community members can afford?

This isn't some luxury pool, btw. It looks like it barely scrapes by.

Well it's a chicken and egg thing isn't it.

If people like you think Black people can't afford the pool, they won't accept Black people as members.

Also, it's not cheap for most families, even those that can afford it. If you were Black, would it be a priority to pay for a pool with such recent racist history?

Probably not when they can go to the free DC pools instead. Pools need money to function- so you either have public pools subsidized by the local jurisdictions or you have private pools where the costs are covered entirely by its members. It would be great if the PG government would build more pools so there were more accessible and affordable options available for its residents.

And the other PP is right that the long waitlist is a somewhat recent development. By the way some people talk you’d think the pool was entirely comprised of legacy members and black residents have had no opportunity to join.

You know that not all Black people are poor right? And racial disparities are not just about socioeconomic differences?

DP. Of course, generally. But in Mt. Rainier, the lower income families definitely skew toward people of color. The single family homes are pretty evenly distributed among white, black, and latino owners, but a large portion of the Mt. Rainier citizenry is in the large apartment complexes that are almost all black and latino (although more black, I think). I'm sure the apartment dwellers have far less income. BTW, the large apartment complex right next to the PG Pool has its own pool, although I rarely see anyone in it. It doesn't have a life guard, so I don't know if that's cause or effect or irrelevant to usage.

The apartment pool isn't operational most of the time, probably because these are low-income apartments.

It must be sad for all the Black and Brown children in these Mount Rainier apartments to look out the window and watch all of these white kids cool off from the horrific heat in your pay-to-play pool (PG Pool) across the street.

How do you know that exactly? Do you live there? Why don’t you raise sone funds to fix it? Otherwise I’m not sure what you are proposing, a PG pool scholarship program for low income kids?

Right? Height of the bullsh*t false accusations of racism. You get the picture here that OP’s purpose is to make accusations and not actually increase pool access.

I dunno, have a little compassion for the community. It kinda sucks that folks in the surrounding apts have to watch more privileged kids swim in this heat 🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, for the 2 adults and 2 kids, the membership fee is $650/year. Given the strong correlation in the DC area of race with income, is that fee something that Black community members can afford?

This isn't some luxury pool, btw. It looks like it barely scrapes by.

Well it's a chicken and egg thing isn't it.

If people like you think Black people can't afford the pool, they won't accept Black people as members.

Also, it's not cheap for most families, even those that can afford it. If you were Black, would it be a priority to pay for a pool with such recent racist history?

Probably not when they can go to the free DC pools instead. Pools need money to function- so you either have public pools subsidized by the local jurisdictions or you have private pools where the costs are covered entirely by its members. It would be great if the PG government would build more pools so there were more accessible and affordable options available for its residents.

And the other PP is right that the long waitlist is a somewhat recent development. By the way some people talk you’d think the pool was entirely comprised of legacy members and black residents have had no opportunity to join.

You know that not all Black people are poor right? And racial disparities are not just about socioeconomic differences?

DP. Of course, generally. But in Mt. Rainier, the lower income families definitely skew toward people of color. The single family homes are pretty evenly distributed among white, black, and latino owners, but a large portion of the Mt. Rainier citizenry is in the large apartment complexes that are almost all black and latino (although more black, I think). I'm sure the apartment dwellers have far less income. BTW, the large apartment complex right next to the PG Pool has its own pool, although I rarely see anyone in it. It doesn't have a life guard, so I don't know if that's cause or effect or irrelevant to usage.

The apartment pool isn't operational most of the time, probably because these are low-income apartments.

It must be sad for all the Black and Brown children in these Mount Rainier apartments to look out the window and watch all of these white kids cool off from the horrific heat in your pay-to-play pool (PG Pool) across the street.

How do you know that exactly? Do you live there? Why don’t you raise sone funds to fix it? Otherwise I’m not sure what you are proposing, a PG pool scholarship program for low income kids?

Right? Height of the bullsh*t false accusations of racism. You get the picture here that OP’s purpose is to make accusations and not actually increase pool access.

I dunno, have a little compassion for the community. It kinda sucks that folks in the surrounding apts have to watch more privileged kids swim in this heat 🤷‍♀️

How does making false accusations of racism, designed to divide, help the community get access to pools? Take it to the apartment complex with the closed pool, and the PG County Parks Dept. Do the work. (Oh you’d rather make a splash on social media than do the actual work, I guess.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

I don't think that's true, given the circumstances here.

1. Fifty years ago, PG Pool had racist policies.
2. They changed those policies in 1975.
3. In the 1990s through 2010-11, membership was so low that there was no waiting list. This wasn't a short-term occurrence, it lasted for decades. Anyone, of any race, could (and did) join just by signing up and paying the fee.
4. The pool recently has become more popular, and there's a wait list, that's open to all.

In other words, this isn't a "legacy racism problem" - it's a racist past that has been addressed, and now race-neutral factors have combined to create a wait list, and inhibited people in the neighborhood (and everywhere) from joining. But having a wait list isn't evidence of a legacy racism problem. It might be if there's been a wait list going all the way back to 1975, but the extended time period where anyone could join really eliminates that argument (for anyone who's honestly thinking about this, anyway).

Do u think ppl who were excluded from this pool for decades would suddenly feel welcomed to join after 1975? Racism takes a long time to work it’s way out of the social fabric of a society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool has the same legacy racism problems that other private clubs have.

It is widely hated in the neighborhood because we know we’ll never get off the wait list.

Some people want to have a constructive conversation about what the pool could do to address its racist history. There are a bunch of good ideas out there. None of them move most of us neighbors up the waitlist though.

Mt Rainier has its fair share of useless busybodies who just like to complain and the pool is an easy target.

I don't think that's true, given the circumstances here.

1. Fifty years ago, PG Pool had racist policies.
2. They changed those policies in 1975.
3. In the 1990s through 2010-11, membership was so low that there was no waiting list. This wasn't a short-term occurrence, it lasted for decades. Anyone, of any race, could (and did) join just by signing up and paying the fee.
4. The pool recently has become more popular, and there's a wait list, that's open to all.

In other words, this isn't a "legacy racism problem" - it's a racist past that has been addressed, and now race-neutral factors have combined to create a wait list, and inhibited people in the neighborhood (and everywhere) from joining. But having a wait list isn't evidence of a legacy racism problem. It might be if there's been a wait list going all the way back to 1975, but the extended time period where anyone could join really eliminates that argument (for anyone who's honestly thinking about this, anyway).

Do u think ppl who were excluded from this pool for decades would suddenly feel welcomed to join after 1975? Racism takes a long time to work it’s way out of the social fabric of a society.

As someone who joined in 2010, absolutely welcome. The

[Anonymous]

It’s been disturbing seeing PG Pool members actively disregard the documented racist history of this pool.

It’s clearly not an environment that seeks to be inclusive.

[Anonymous]

Oh stop. The pool did a big and public denouncement of its racist history in 2015.
https://pgpool.org/about/the-raymond-bowlding-pavilion/