The PG Pool is racist [MD]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool was well ahead of the times in acknowledging its racist past back in 2015. Current members and guests who are POC and multiracial families find the pool to be welcoming and inclusive. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree in this particular case.

Implementing a zip code requirement is an imperfect solution in my opinion, as it opens the door to fraud. I remember the idea of a proximity preference for DC charter schools was floated a few years ago. That actually creates the same potential for affluent residents to purchase their way in to a desirable catchment and reduces the benefit of a citywide school. And what about POC who have been languishing on the list for years and might wait even longer so white neighbors can get in?

Regardless, as a member since 2010, I will support the pool’s efforts to increase diversity, whatever form that takes. Despite what a PP claims, I have no wish to turn the pool into some crazy whites only resource. I thought a time stamped waitlist was pretty equitable, but maybe there are other solutions.

As a person on the waitlist, I hate you.

[Anonymous]

Holy cow! There are almost 4,000 people on the waitlist...

[Anonymous]

So 29 pages and not one person has produced data that says it's majority white? For all you know it could be majority black/brown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So 29 pages and not one person has produced data that says it's majority white? For all you know it could be majority black/brown.

It's more likely that the majority of the families are inter-racial. In fact, this may well be the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PG pool was well ahead of the times in acknowledging its racist past back in 2015. Current members and guests who are POC and multiracial families find the pool to be welcoming and inclusive. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree in this particular case.

Implementing a zip code requirement is an imperfect solution in my opinion, as it opens the door to fraud. I remember the idea of a proximity preference for DC charter schools was floated a few years ago. That actually creates the same potential for affluent residents to purchase their way in to a desirable catchment and reduces the benefit of a citywide school. And what about POC who have been languishing on the list for years and might wait even longer so white neighbors can get in?

Regardless, as a member since 2010, I will support the pool’s efforts to increase diversity, whatever form that takes. Despite what a PP claims, I have no wish to turn the pool into some crazy whites only resource. I thought a time stamped waitlist was pretty equitable, but maybe there are other solutions.

As a person on the waitlist, I hate you.

Sorry! The good news is my kids are off to college soon so we will give up our membership altogether at that point! I would also support additional member tiering that might expand membership; like singles only or couples with no kids or senior citizens. Why should senior citizens count the same as a family of 6?

[Anonymous]

This is so much a bunch of nothing. This white UMC family sat on the waitlist for years and years ---until our kids had aged out of wanting to go to the pool all the time during the summer. It's simply a popular place, not racist. And it wasn't all that cheap either--it would have been roughly the same as joining Beauvoir (which is what we wound up doing) but with better activities. Feel like the people trying to pull the race card are simply trying to gain an advantage on the interminable waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Not a member of the PG pool but have good friends who are and have been there many times as their guest. I do feel like the it's weird how white the pool is given the neighborhood. I think part of what is happening is that it's just so hard to get a membership at the pool because demand is high, and when demand for something is high, more privileged people tend to do better. They have more resources and it makes it easier. We know POC who are members as well and they are all UMC.

I think the solution to this problem should involve the PG pool looking for ways to diversify and be welcoming AND finding a way to provide more of this resource, either through a public pool in the neighborhood or another private pool. Just something to reduce the pent up demand in the area. To be clear, I'm not suggesting segregated pools. At all. I think the solution has to involve making sure the entire community is served with summer activities, cooling options, swim lessons and teams, etc. And those resources should be integrated and open to all. And not require sitting on a 10 year waitlist to get it, because that will always preference people with more resources.

- Signed, someone who lives nowhere near the PG pool and does not have a personal stake in this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a member of the PG pool but have good friends who are and have been there many times as their guest. I do feel like the it's weird how white the pool is given the neighborhood. I think part of what is happening is that it's just so hard to get a membership at the pool because demand is high, and when demand for something is high, more privileged people tend to do better. They have more resources and it makes it easier. We know POC who are members as well and they are all UMC.

I think the solution to this problem should involve the PG pool looking for ways to diversify and be welcoming AND finding a way to provide more of this resource, either through a public pool in the neighborhood or another private pool. Just something to reduce the pent up demand in the area. To be clear, I'm not suggesting segregated pools. At all. I think the solution has to involve making sure the entire community is served with summer activities, cooling options, swim lessons and teams, etc. And those resources should be integrated and open to all. And not require sitting on a 10 year waitlist to get it, because that will always preference people with more resources.

- Signed, someone who lives nowhere near the PG pool and does not have a personal stake in this.

That’s a pretty serious accusation if I’m reading it correctly.

What you describe in the second paragraph would make sense if we were talking about a public pool but PG pool is private. The county should absolutely be expanding its constituent services and I encourage PG county residents to advocate to your local leaders. It’s not the responsibility of a private pool to make up for the county’s shortfall.

[Anonymous]

I mean, if we want to target a mostly white institution in PG County why not start with UMD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a member of the PG pool but have good friends who are and have been there many times as their guest. I do feel like the it's weird how white the pool is given the neighborhood. I think part of what is happening is that it's just so hard to get a membership at the pool because demand is high, and when demand for something is high, more privileged people tend to do better. They have more resources and it makes it easier. We know POC who are members as well and they are all UMC.

I think the solution to this problem should involve the PG pool looking for ways to diversify and be welcoming AND finding a way to provide more of this resource, either through a public pool in the neighborhood or another private pool. Just something to reduce the pent up demand in the area. To be clear, I'm not suggesting segregated pools. At all. I think the solution has to involve making sure the entire community is served with summer activities, cooling options, swim lessons and teams, etc. And those resources should be integrated and open to all. And not require sitting on a 10 year waitlist to get it, because that will always preference people with more resources.

- Signed, someone who lives nowhere near the PG pool and does not have a personal stake in this.

That’s a pretty serious accusation if I’m reading it correctly.

What you describe in the second paragraph would make sense if we were talking about a public pool but PG pool is private. The county should absolutely be expanding its constituent services and I encourage PG county residents to advocate to your local leaders. It’s not the responsibility of a private pool to make up for the county’s shortfall.

+ 1. It’s NOT the private pg pool’s job to provide recreation for the entire county. That is ridiculous. DC did a good job of providing decent pools and splash parks citywide and Maryland should do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, if we want to target a mostly white institution in PG County why not start with UMD?

There has been a clear effort for a while now.
https://irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/Enrollments/stuprofile_allug.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, if we want to target a mostly white institution in PG County why not start with UMD?

There has been a clear effort for a while now.
https://irpa.umd.edu/CampusCounts/Enrollments/stuprofile_allug.pdf

Same with that pool, so....

[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.

Ha ha yep. This is just bitter Mt Rainier people looking for a reason to hate in the pool now matter how ridiculous their claims. There is a perfectly good public pool, open to all, and it is a ten minute walk from PGPool. Just use that one you cry babies!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys all keep fighting over this crap and watch the US fall deeper into a theocracy. This is the stuff that seriously makes people turn and vote GOP.

It’s manufactured drama, but sure, there always stupid people who will flock to a different political party over manufactured drama.

The problem is that getting all excited about this stupid pool and proposing ways to force a “fix” on a problem within a private pool that hasn’t show any actual discriminatory practices is the kind of thing that alienates people who would otherwise champion causes that actually address real problems.

It’s the focus on crap like this that leave even leftists rolling their eyes and giving up on supporting real organizations and candidates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holy cow! There are almost 4,000 people on the waitlist...

If this is true, then clearly there is a demand for a new private pool in PGC. And, yes, there is plenty of land in PGC for a new private pool.