Pool nazi, or concerned community member?
A black woman has alleged racism after the police were called when she entered a North Carolina swimming pool, in an incident that has gone viral.
Jasmine Edwards said she was visiting the neighbourhood pool in Winston-Salem with her baby on Wednesday when a white man asked her to show identification.
She filmed the interaction and posted the video to Facebook, where it has been viewed more than 4.5m times.
Amid the ensuing backlash, the man has been fired by his company.
the latest controversyThis could fall into the busybody category. It could also fall into the category of tact. Let's say you see someone you don't recognize. Why not walk up, be friendly, and introduce yourself as the pool chairman and HOA board member? Ask which building the person lives in, or if they just moved in. Or just don't worry about it if a couple of random people sneak in and use the pool unless they cause trouble. At the very least he could have apologized once it was clear that the person had a keycard (which was probably clear already). Instead, he seems to imply that it could have been stolen because "they make their way around".
I wouldn't show ID at my community pool, why the hell would I bring my driver's license to the pool two blocks away? It's interesting because I just visited my own community pool for the first time this week. Nobody batted an eye. But if somebody had come over and demanded my ID, you can be sure I'd ridicule them for it. Then what, the cops get called about it? That's what some people deal with on a regular basis.
Does the guy deserve to lose his job over it? I'm not at all sure about that. Certainly he needed to resign from the HOA. Is there a good chance he'll have to use an alias or legally change his name if he ever wants to relaunch his career? Yes, quite possibly, if even that is enough. There's no parole from a racist label in the Internet era, and with advanced search anyone with your resume can probably connect the dots, especially a background check service.
He's getting threats over it, apparently. That's beyond out of control. This isn't a situation where he was violent or screaming a racist rant. Its where a person conditioned unconsciously by society acted in what he probably thought of in good faith. He certainly could have handled the situation better, but it won't be a the last time a self-important little prick wields his minute HOA power over community residents.
I'll bet he wishes he had apologized now. I'll bet he wishes he had taken the time to explain the reasons behind why they are so hyperactive about somebody getting in to their most precious pool.