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Police were called in North Carolina Wednesday after a white man confronted a black woman about using a neighborhood swimming pool, prompting allegations of racial profiling and a backlash on social media. The confrontation also follows a string of incidents across the country in which white people have reported law-abiding people of color in everyday life.
The North Carolina incident reportedly happened in Winston-Salem after a white man asked Jasmine Edwards, who is black, for her ID while using a neighborhood pool. Edwards later uploaded video of the ensuing confrontation to Facebook, where she also wrote that "this is a classic case of racial profiling in my half a million $$ neighborhood pool. This happened to me and my baby today."
In the video, Edwards can be heard saying that "nobody else was asked their ID. I feel this is racial profiling; I am the only black person here with my son in the pool."
The man responds that "I ask residents pretty much a couple times a week."
Two police officers are already on the scene as the video begins. One of the officers tells the man that if Edwards "has a card to get in the pool I believe that that should be enough." The woman later hands over her electronic key card to the officer, who demonstrates that it opens the gate.
"Alright ma'am," the officer tells the woman. "I apologize for the time and the altercation that occurred."
The woman addresses the man only as "Adam" in the video. The Winston-Salem Journal, citing the Glenridge Homeowners Association, identified the man as Adam Bloom.
Karam Gulkham, a lifeguard manager at the pool, told the Journal that both Edwards and Bloom live in the Glenridge community. Gulkham said that the incident happened about 2 p.m. Wednesday.
"There's a key card to the door to get into the pool," Gulkham told the Journal. "Apparently, it was not enough for him. I don't know why he felt it wasn't enough."
By Thursday evening, the video had racked up nearly 4 million views on Facebook, and had been shared more than 80,000 times.
The video also prompted several hashtags on Twitter, including #IDAdam, which many used to criticize the man and call for him to be fired from his job.
The altercation has also reportedly cost Bloom two neighborhood leadership roles. A letter from the Glenridge Homeowners Association, obtained by WXII, states that Bloom has since resigned from both the HOA board and from the position of pool chair. The letter apologizes to people who "were directly hurt by these actions" and promises new policies.
"We sincerely regret that an incident occurred yesterday at our community pool that left neighbors feeling racially profiled," the letter states. "In confronting and calling the police on one of our neighbors, the pool chair escalated a situation in a way that does not reflect the inclusive values Glenridge seeks to uphold as a community."
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