Don’t look now, but #PoolPatrolPaul appears to have a Canadian cousin out here doing his mayonnaise lord’s work.
A black family in British Columbia, Canada, is alleging that they were racially profiled at a pool in their townhouse complex last Thursday. According to them, in the two years since they bought their home, this is the second time members of the family have been singled out about whether they belong in the complex.
As Global News Canada reports, Guerda Henry had taken her two daughters, a sister, and her nieces to the neighborhood pool when she says she was immediately confronted by the pool’s manager—“literally, 40 seconds after walking in,” says Henry.
From Global News Canada:
“She said, ‘Um, there are some concerns that you guys shouldn’t be here,’” Henry told Global News. “I said, ‘excuse me?’”
Henry says she showed the caretaker the key fob that allowed her to access the pool area, but the caretaker still asked for identification, citing concerns that people had jumped the fence to use the facilities.
“I was like, ‘No I don’t have ID. Do you go swimming with ID in your back pocket?’” Henry said she asked the caretaker.
According to Henry, another resident at the complex was responsible for flagging the property manager. And even once the property manager had verified that Henry was, in fact, a resident of the complex, Pool Patrol Payton wasn’t done.
After it was already confirmed and relayed to Pool Patrol Payton that Henry and her family were good, she received a call from her 12-year-old niece saying the neighbor was now confronting her.
The niece, Anna Elva, told Global Canada that Pool Patrol Payton was simultaneously trying to apologize for the situation and get more information from her.
“He was towering over me, basically, and he wouldn’t leave,” Elva said, adding that she felt “threatened,” but not scared, by his presence.
Deciding they’ve had enough, Henry and her husband confronted their neighbor, explaining how hurtful the incident was. A portion of their interaction was captured on video.
“This is a coward act,” Henry’s husband can be heard saying to the man. Henry then steps in, explaining that their family bought the house in 2015.
“Only us were asked to show ID. Can you imagine?” she says. “That’s embarrassing.”
The townhouse complex confirmed to Global News Canada that Pool Patrol Payton is a member of the neighborhood council and a member of the clubhouse committee. In a statement made to the Global News, the council says it is in the process of removing Payton from the clubhouse committee for “overstepping their boundary.”
Nothing was mentioned about his position on the neighborhood council.
Henry said she opted to speak up about the incident because it has happened to her at the pool before. She and her husband moved to that particular complex in part because of amenities like the pool, she says, which they wanted their kids to enjoy. The fact that her children had to witness the entire event was especially hurtful.
“I cried all [Thursday] afternoon and I woke up [the next morning] crying,” she said. “I don’t want to have to bring [my kids] here wondering how people are looking at them.”