White man asks black mom & daughter if they bathed before using hotel pool in viral vid

Carle Wheeler was a victim of racism at the pool of the Westin Pasadena Hotel when a white man asked her and her five-year-old daughter if they had showered before getting into the water.

In the post, Wheeler revealed that she and her family were at the pool when the unidentified man walked to her, asked if they had showered, and said that people carry diseases into the pool and that he didn’t want the health department to shut the place down.

Soon after that, he walked to them again saying that he worked for the health department. Wheeler confronted him because she considered it was “blatant racism,” and let him know that being black was not a disease and that showering would not wash “the black off” their skin.

DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM

In the video that Wheeler uploaded to her Facebook page, which contains strong language, some members of the staff were trying to handle the situation while Wheeler and her mother were clearly upset.

Staff manager Ofelia Dolliver was one of the workers trying to solve the problem. The unidentified man admitted that he asked them to shower and apologized, but added that he did so because it was part of the rules.

REALIZING IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE

He said that he was tired of people peeing in pools. Wheeler chimed in and pointed out that the man didn’t ask anybody else but them if they showered, proving that he somehow targeted them only because they are black.

Dolliver said that the remarks were inappropriate, adding that the general manager was on his way to take care of the issue.

HANDLING THE SITUATION IS A BAD WAY

At some point, the man even told Wheeler that she should Google about the diseases that people could contract in pools.

Later, the general manager Carl Sprayberry arrived and instructed the man to go into the hotel and Wheeler and her family to go to the pool and enjoy the rest of the day.

TAKING DECISIONS

Wheeler’s mother complained about Sprayberry letting the man go, but he said that he didn’t want to call the police.

Wheeler revealed that only when another guest called the front desk and told what the unidentified man did, Sprayberry said that he would look at security footage to identify the man and remove him from the hotel.

RELEASING A STATEMENT

Dolliver apologized for the situation, pointing out that Sprayberry didn’t handle the issue in the best possible way. Later, the Westin Pasadena Hotel released a statement addressing the situation.

“In light of these events that happened, we feel it is important to share that we do not condone comments or behavior directed to our pool guests. The safety and security of our guests is our top priority. We strive to maintain an environment where our guests feel welcome and are treated with equal respect and attention from our team.”

DIGGING INTO A SIMILAR SITUATION

It was not the first time a white person reacted inappropriately in a pool for no apparent reason as Kar Porter was a victim of a racist incident, too. A woman in a public pool dialed 911 because one of Porter’s family members was wearing socks.

According to the woman, doing so was banned, but Porter made sure to point out that the public’s pool rules did not state such a thing, so even if the police showed up, there was nothing to be worried about.