No Splish spash for blacks suffering Southern Heat

[packman]

When Americans try to beat the heat in the summertime, many find they have no municipal pool in which to swim—the result of deliberate choices made decades ago by white residents who preferred no public pool at all to an integrated one.

When American cities started building pools in the late nineteenth century, as geographer P. Caleb Smith writes, the pools were segregated by gender . That changed in 1913, when St. Louis opened the first gender-integrated pool. It was also the nation’s first municipal pool built in a city where African-Americans made up a large part of the population. Faced with the prospect of black and white men, women, and children swimming together, St. Louis instead put up a fence and stationed armed police to keep black people out.


https://daily.jstor.org/when-cities-closed-pools-to-avoid-integration/

....

I live in a redneck area and wondered why there was no municipal pools in the area. I also remember a huge park in the Pittsburgh area we loved going to for its rides and huge pool. It was closed down when it was being forced to integrate.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Are there any public pools any more, anywhere?

I know of none in my area, but I'm no longer a parent. There are some local beaches.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Sure... We have several where I live thanks to Parks+Rec Dept.

[Codeine]

3. We have some in our part of Southern California

and they look nice in pictures. I avoid pools because I’m not going to swim in someone else’s pit sweat, reconstituted smegma, and swamp ass residue but the facilities do look nice on the websites.

[ooky]

9. Anyone who swims in a pool should be informed.

The pit sweat, etc., is what the chemicals are for, but not all pools are treated properly. Anyone swimming in a pool, public or private, should test the water for proper chlorination first, which is a simple thing to do with a water test strip, or a test kit, for more precise measurement of the free chlorine level in the pool water.

[Codeine]

10. I don't think it's actually dangerous or anything,

just kinda nasty. The reluctance is less biological and more psychological.

[ooky]

13. The chemicals, properly administered, are what keep it from being nasty.

But when the water is not properly chlorinated the bacteria levels can rise to the point it can be risky to swim in it.

[Tanuki]

15. Do you drink water? W.C. Fields claimed he didn't, because

fish fuck in it."

[unc70]

5. Lots of public pools in NC

Pools were a flash point 50+ years ago with integration. It might still be an issue in some areas.

[LuvLoogie]

6. Chicago has public pools.

And it's lakefront is mostly public access parks and beaches.

[Bettie]

11. Around here, nearly every town of

a decent size has one. Our town of about 3,000 has one.

[marlakay]

14. In my area you have to go to gym

No public ones. Medford Oregon.

I am here in Ireland for the summer, a lot of the towns have leisure centers with a pool or hotels let you use pool for fee if not staying there.

[mahina]

17. Are there some pools open in the winter too?

I’d love to go to Ireland. I also like to have a swim 3-4x a week. I’ve looked for this info to no avail, and here’s you! Thanks!

[marlakay]

19. Because of weather all pools

Are indoor so winter should be fine.

[mahina]

20. Oooooh!

Always wanted to go there. Greats are all from Galway.

Aloha.

[marlakay]

21. I am here for whole summer

Galway is one place. Going all over. I have never left states before and no one would go so i came alone! Its been great. It will be 3 weeks on Thursday.

[mahina]

23. Lucky lucky you!

Have the best time. Wish I was there 😝

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. Plenty here in Florida.

Even with the amount of backyard pools and private community pools, there are still a good amount of public pools for everyone's use. It's a great resource.

[RobinA]

18. Philadelphia Has Some

There's always some argument over when they open, when they close, or something else. Usually money related.

[Blue_true]

24. My city in north central Florida have them at several places in town.

All are completely integrated and staffed and the ones that I have passed by on a hot day were busy.

[AJT]

26. We have a nice one here in Middleton WI

[kwassa]

29. We have massive pool complexes.

Our immediate community has a dozen pools, and three active swim teams in the summer.

Our county operates at least four big indoor pool complexes, several with multiple pools, and many outdoor pools in parks.

Intramural swimming in the summer is huge here, the county has about a million residents, and many communities host teams. There are thousands of kids involved in competitive swimming, and we get even Olympians out of this county.

[cwydro]

4. There were municipal pools in my southern town.

Fully integrated.

I think they still have them.

[Jersey Devil]

8. Public pools largely disappeared due to Polio

In the 50s people were afraid to let their kids go under the public sprinklers in the parks, let alone pools.

[Codeine]

12. One of the good things about being a GenX kid

is having been born after that shit was gone.

[SoCalDem]

22. In smaller municipalities, there may be many reasons

Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2019, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

fear of lawsuits
having to hire lifeguards
costs of running the pools
high costs for maintenance

towns all over have been tightening their belts for decades now, and many once public features are pretty much gone these days

[Jake Stern]

28. Lived in a town that closed their pool

Wasn't due to racism but the fact that they had to pay out the nose to settle a slip 'n' fall lawsuit and decided it wasn't worth the risking future payouts. Now it's solely used for the high school swim team and PE classes.

[Chellee]

25. Mid sized city - Midwest

We have four municipal pools and twelve splash pads, all outside, so they're only open during the summer months. And at least two, (I haven't been to all four facilities) have these extraordinary spiral slides, and these incredible Rube Goldbergesque sprinklers which the kids adore judging by the shrieks of joy. For short periods of time they'll clear the pool of kids, so if you're an adult that would just like to do some laps for exercise you don't run the risk of being bonked in the head with a floatie. You can buy one day passes, or summer passes. It's fairly inexpensive, a one day pass is like $2, really little kids are free. The splash pads are outside of the pool areas, and some parks only have splash pads; they're free.

[AJT]

27. Sounds like where I live in the Midwest.