President of the swim club is exonerated

By MICHAEL SMERCONISH

Sorting out what happened at the Valley swim club is as difficult as determining who peed in your backyard pool.

But one thing now apparent is that club president John Duesler isn’t the villain so many first concluded.

Recall that Duesler said campers from Creative Steps Day Camp — all of whom were minorities — had spurred “concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club.” His word choice, which was featured in every media account of the kerfuffle, sparked this furor. Without it, what transpired at the Valley Club on June 29 would have been just another ugly he-said, she-said episode. His words gave heft to the charges of racism. At the time, I wrote here that Duesler was “either the stupidest man alive for admitting to be a racist, or naively innocent.”

In light of the state Human Relations Commission findings released last week, it would appear he’s the latter. The chronology hardly exposes Duesler as insensitive, let alone motivated by racism.

Embarrassment

After hearing about the offensive comments the afternoon of June 29, the commission report notes, Duesler rightfully expressed his embarrassment. As the campers left, he reportedly told camp director Alethea Wright “he hoped everybody had a good time and that he would see them next time.” The commission offers no indication that Wright considered the altercation reason enough to sever the camp’s relationship with the club at that point.

Later that night, Duesler sent an e-mail to club members: “All-in-all, I must say that I think the day went fine,” he wrote. “And that I did receive plenty of supportive comments from our members, who were pleased to see us growing our treasury through these camp programs.”

Then somebody yelled “cannon-ball.”

Apology

An hour later, Duesler sent another e-mail, this time in response to a member who said that “when we joined we assumed that this was a private club not a club for hire or some sort of social program.” Duesler’s reply? He apologized for not alerting club members to the camp visits, adding: “I would still recommend the same thing to our Board, as I did in this case with their approval.” Hardly the words and actions of a man fueled by racial animus. The commission findings reference not a single statement or e-mail by Duesler that could be construed as racist.

Club member Michelle Flynn may have been the one diving in the shallow end. She’s the elementary schoolteacher who allegedly made the offensive statements (”What are all these black kids doing here?” and “I am scared they might do something to my child”). She denied it. The commission sided with the camper who reported hearing the comments.

But on what basis? The report cited a range of e-mails exchanged among club members and the board of directors in the hours and days after the incident, some of which the commission regarded as “racially coded.”

No black members

The commission also found significance in the fact that the swim club had no black members and sought to expand its membership only in white neighborhoods. Joe Tucker, the lawyer representing the club, told me there is an explanation for that. “What the club represents is the neighborhood that it’s at.” Indeed, that the club’s members are all white proves no more racial animus than the fact that none of the Creative Steps campers and counselors are white. Tucker called the notion that the club had knowingly targeted white neighborhoods with its outreach campaign “almost laughable.”

“They advertised in the local paper,” Tucker told me. “It’s a small neighborhood swim club. This isn’t a country club. It is a Memorial Day to Labor Day swim club and they advertised in the local papers around its neighborhood. They put a sign out in front of their club almost like an open house.”

He brings up a relevant question: If the Valley Club was actively seeking new members — while Duesler and the board of directors oversaw a club intent on excluding minorities — why did they approve the relationship with Creative Steps in the first place? After all, Tucker told me, “They knew before the Creative Steps Day Camp came that Ms. Wright was African-American. They knew the makeup of it. What was the fundamental problem was the membership had not been communicated with by the board that these camps would start.”

In other words, Duesler knew Wright’s “complexion” and made the arrangement to bring the camp to his club. Maybe it’s time to let him back in the pool.

X Michael Smerconish writes a weekly column for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.