1/5 Alex B. 5 months ago on Google • 2 reviews
Ymca
Oakville
On
Saturday
November
18
2023,
at
the
Ymca
in
Oakville
on
410
Rebecca
Street.
I
experienced
the
worst
case
of
racism
in
my
life.
I
was
called
a
“security
threat”
and
“safety
concern”
by
a
short
Caucasian
woman
with
curly
hair
by
the
name
of
Anne
Marie.
My
son
was
playing
at
the
newly
built
jungle
gym,
and
I
was
sitting
on
the
bench
with
my
headphones
on
listening
to
music
as
he
played
by
himself
for
approximately
2-5
minutes.
Two
children
come
into
the
jungle
gym
and
started
to
play
with
my
four-year-old
son.
One
of
the
children
had
a
potty
accident
on
themselves
and
left
the
jungle
gym
the
other
child
followed.
My
son,
was
playing
by
himself
alone
in
the
jungle
gym
once
again.
Shortly
after
Anne
Marie
walks
in
calls
for
my
attention
and
says
“Excuse
me
not
to
be
rude
but
you
need
to
leave,
there
is
a
birthday
party
that
booked
this
room,
so
if
you
want
to
come
back
when
there
done
you
can”.
My
response
was
“why
do
I
need
to
leave
it’s
a
playroom,
there’s
nothing
wrong
with
my
son
being
there
room.
There’s
nothing
stopping
the
rest
of
the
children
from
playing?”.
Anne
Marie’s
immediate
response
was
“because
you’re
a
security
threat
and
a
safety
concern
none
of
the
parents
know
you
and
I
work
here
and
you
don’t
and
I’m
telling
you,
you
need
to
leave
or
else
I
can
go
get
my
manager”.
I
simply
said
“go
get
your
manager”.
The
best
part
about
this
entire
scenario
is
that
my
son
was
playing
on
the
jungle
gym,
while
the
birthday
party
started
to
head
inside
the
play
room.
The
children
from
the
birthday
party
and
my
son
we’re
continuing
to
play
like
kids.
Then
proceeded
two
young
men,
walk
in
to
the
playroom.
The
first
young
man
said
calmly
“excuse
me,
but
I’m
going
have
to
ask
you
to
leave
because
of
birthday
party
had
booked
this
room”.
My
response
was
“ok
not
that
I’m
a
security
threat
or
a
safety
concern
because
that’s
what
the
other
employee”
said.
The
other
Ymca
male
employee’s
response
was
“yeah
actually
it
is
a
safety
concern”.
He
begins
to
explain
why
am
a
safety
concern
and
a
security
threat
to
the
birthday
party.
As
I
was
going
back
and
forth
with
the
YMCA
employee
on
how
I’m
a
security
threat,
and
a
safety
concern
the
entire
time,
my
four-year-old
son,
and
the
birthday
party
children
who
came
into
the
jungle
gym
we’re
playing.
So
finally,
I
agreed
to
leave
I
stopped,
and
I
said
“you
know
what
you
do
me
the
honour
of
calling
my
four-year-old
son
and
taking
him
off
the
jungle
gym
and
explaining
to
him
why
he’s
a
security
threat,
and
the
safety
concern
to
the
other
children.
The
two
young
men
called
to
my
son
and
told
him
a
four-year-old
that
he
needs
to
leave.
My
four-year-old
son
started
hysterically,
crying
and
didn’t
understand
why
he
needed
to
stop
playing
with
the
other
children.
I
then
looked
at
the
YMCA
employees.
The
two
young
men
and
I
told
them
“They
should
be
ashamed
of
themselves”.
Then
the
male
Ymca
employee
said
“I’m
not
ashamed
of
myself.
You
guys
are
a
safety
concern
to
this
birthday
party
and
you
need
to
leave.
This
is
not
the
time
or
place”.
Calling
an
African
American
woman
with
a
child,
a
security
threat,
and
a
safety
concern
is
typical
targeted
racist
terminology
to
describe
Black
people.
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