City pools face unruly behavior
Disobedient teenagers dunk lifeguards and vandalize facilities
By Lou Michel, Brian Meyer and Steve Brachmann
News Staff Reporters
Updated: July 09, 2010, 11:00 pm / 0 comments
Published: July 10, 2010, 8:53 am
Lifeguard Jacqueline Carlton climbed down from her 6-foot-high chair to try and restore order in the Masten Pool on Thursday when an older teenager yanked her by the ankles and pulled her into the water.
As the 16-year-old guard toppled into the pool, her head slammed against a drain and she was unable to navigate the water, not that it mattered.
"There were six or seven and they kept dunking me. I told them they needed to stop, that I hit my head and it's really hurting. They kept dunking me and I was swallowing water," Jacqueline said Friday, recalling how it took the head lifeguard to rescue her.
"He dived into the pool and got me," she said.
It was just one of several incidents â€" including fights and unruly behavior â€" at area pools this week that prompted administrators to close the city's eight outdoor bathing facilities Thursday and then fast track the hiring of security personnel to guard them for the rest of the summer.
Starting today, lifeguards should be able to maintain order with backup assistance from the armed security guards.
"[It's] pretty much older kids â€" teenagers â€" who come in groups and cause a ruckus," Deputy Parks Commissioner Andrew R. Rabb said.
Listen to Public Works Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak and Rabb discussing the problems at city pools:
The city reclaimed operation of the pools earlier this year from Erie County, which had maintained city parks, playgrounds and pools. But unlike when the county operated the pools, the city decided against hiring security to see if it could be managed internally.
For decades before the county took over, the city had gotten by without security personnel. But this wave of dangerous horseplay proved security was needed.
Most of Thursday's problems broke out in the late afternoon. Centennial Pool in LaSalle Park, JFK Pool at Clinton and Hickory streets and Masten Pool on Best Street were closed because of the problems.
Two other city pools: Allison on Rees Street and Shoshone at the foot of Beard Avenue, were closed for about 30 minutes due to unruly behavior.
Perhaps the most serious incident involved the lifeguard at Masten.
Jacqueline was taken to Women & Children's Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a mild concussion that, by Friday, had subsided to a mild headache. She offered a theory as to why older teenagers have consistently refused to obey lifeguards since the pools opened July 1.
"They don't want to listen to someone younger than them. Most of them are 17, 18 and 19 years old and they feel they don't have to listen to someone younger," Jacqueline said.
Jamilla Peay, another 16-year-old Masten lifeguard, said the behavior has verged on lunacy since the pools opened.
"When we tell them the pool is closing because of rowdy behavior, they get mad and just go crazy picking us up and throwing us in the pool," Jamilla said. "And it is not just teenagers doing it, it's young adults."
At Centennial Pool, which was rebuilt and opened last week after being closed seven years, fights and vandalism have marred the reopening.
Vandals broke into the locker rooms Thursday by breaking a window and, once inside, they scattered garbage and toilet paper, according to workers.
"Security is a good idea because kids come off the streets and bring their problems with them wherever they go. So you need somebody to regulate them," said 16-year-old pool attendant Harry Barnett, who cleaned up the mess.
Senia Colon, the mother of a 2-year-old girl, expressed frustration because Centennial closed two hours earlier than scheduled Thursday after a fight broke out between two teenage girls.
"Kids don't know how to act. I was here with my daughter, and it was very hot out," she said.
Centennial lifeguard Ricky Ruiz said he had to threaten a young person with ejection from the pool for the summer if he attempted to throw him in the water.
"He was hovering behind me Thursday, and I told him if he pushed me in I would throw him out for the season," Ruiz said, adding that the threat worked.
Several lifeguards interviewed by The News on Friday said they were glad security guards were being brought on board.
Mayor Byron W. Brown said he ordered the hiring of a security firm fast-tracked after he received complaints from a worried parent.
"We have a few bad actors who have exhibited some really poor behavior," Brown said.
The sweltering weather has spurred capacity crowds at city pools.
"We've had the pools operating at maximum capacity through this entire heat wave," Rabb said. "The pools have been completely packed, and that hasn't helped things."
Brown said he disagrees with some who suggest charging a fee to use city pools might weed out troublemakers. Taxpayers, the mayor said, already fund pool operations, and it would be unfair to impose fees. The outdoor pools do not charge any admission. However, users must pay a one-time fee of $3 to obtain a residency pass.
Brown encouraged parents to get involved.
"We want parents to talk to their children about showing proper behavior in public facilities," the mayor said. "These type of incidents can endanger their children and others."
News Staff Reporter Phil Fairbanks contributed to this report.
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