White man calls police on black mother and child for using neighbourhood swimming pool

A white man has become the latest person accused of racial profiling in the US after calling the police on a black mother and her child – because they were using the neighbourhood swimming pool.

Adam Bloom did not believe Jasmine Edwards was rich enough to live in the area and have access to the residents-only facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

But, when he demanded to see ID, Ms Edwards called him out and filmed the encounter.

On the video, she can be heard telling the responding officers that ID is not required to use the pool; that, in any case, she has an access card with her; and that Mr Bloom has not asked to see identification of anyone else using the pool.



Mr Bloom is seen topless and unrepentant. “They kinda make their way round sometimes,” he tells the police after seeing the access card.

The video went viral after Ms Edwards, who was with her son, posted it on Facebook.

She wrote: “This is a classic case of racial profiling in my half a million $$ neighbourhood pool. This happened to me and my baby today. What a shame!!”

In the video – recorded on July 4 – she remains calm while telling police: “I am the only black person here with my son, and he walked all the way to me, to ask for my ID. He asked for my address. I give it to him, and then he came back and said, ‘Well, I didn’t catch your address correctly. Can you provide an ID to prove the address that you gave to me?’ And I said, ‘Why do I have to show my ID? Is there an ordinance in the neighbourhood?’”

In response, Mr Bloom – who was the pool chairman with the Glenridge Homeowners Association – says he asks residents “pretty much a couple times a week” for proof of access.

Officers resolve the dispute by asking Ms Edwards to quickly prove the access card works.