*The Outdoor Recreation Center in Wendell, NC is facing criticism on social media after a photograph of the pool rules was posted on Facebook, with one that bans “baggy pants'” and “dread-locks/weaves/extensions.”
The Outdoor Recreation Center in Wendell is defending its ban after Internet users called the rules racist and discriminatory. One rule says “no baggy pants, no dread-locks/weaves/extensions or revealing clothes will be permitted or you will be asked to leave.”
John Freeman, who co-owns the center, insists he and his family are not bigots, despite what outraged Internet users are saying.
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Many on social media are calling for a boycott of the Outdoor Recreation Center in Wendell due to rules that some claim are racially motivated. https://t.co/0VgeFFDC4Y
— CBS 17 (@WNCN) June 17, 2019
According to ABC 11 News, the facility charges a one-time $100 registration fee, and $6 for daily admission. Freeman runs the center with his wife, Teresa, and claims the rules have been posted in the center’s office for the last six years; but they didn’t spark controversy until Teresa recently shared the guidelines on Facebook, per Complex.
“Is this really allowed in Wendell!!!” Nikki Nechole Harris wrote on the Wendell NC Community Connections Facebook group.
“It did look racist, a racist statement,” Diana Powell, Executive Director of Justice Served NC, told ABC11. “[John] told me that his wife is—they’re not racist. His wife just actually just made a mistake.”
The post, which has since been deleted, was flooded with comments of folks calling for a boycott.
John claims the ban on fake hair is to ensure the pool pumps don’t get clogged and the ban on baggy pants is to prohibit males from walking around with their ass crack or underwear on display. But an instructor for Certified Pool Owners ain’t buying John’s reason for banning hair extensions.
“In 50+ years operating commercial swimming clubs (owned/operated a large community pool management company in Northern Virginia) never have I heard of or experienced a pump or filter system damaged by hair,” the instructor told ABC 11. “Strainers are installed to prevent hair and other material from getting into the pump—that is their purpose. There was a time (many decades ago), when swimmers with long hair were required to wear bathing caps because of the argument that hair lost in the pool would block up the filter system, so perhaps this thinking is still lingering. Experience proved it was not a concern.”
The Outdoor Recreation Center of Wendell issued an apology in a since-deleted Facebook post, noting that instead of using the term “dread-lock,” they should have said “artificial hair” instead.
Meanwhile, John said he’s considering taking legal action against anyone who publicly accusing him of being racist.
“If they call me racist, they can put it in writing and we will deal with it at the courthouse,” he said.
