A CALL FOR CIVILITY

A lesson learned is never really forgotten.

Stew Richland

In the days of old, when Knights were bold, in order for them to obtain a Knighthood by their lord,  they had to learn some basic lessons on their civil obligations.  This was known as the Code of Chivalry.  This code emphasized courtesy to women. In most civilized societies children are taught to respect all adults and when adults are at the senior citizen level we must extend them every courtesy.  “Good Form” as our British cousins observe includes opening a door, carrying a package, offering your seat and most important of all talking to seniors in a polite, moderate tone, speaking slowly so they could process your request and finally acknowledging the fact that many of these seniors are physically impaired in some way and must use a device to assist them in walking.

Well in the last few days we have seen a growing number of incidents at our pools that clearly illustrate that our security patrol lacks training in basic “Chivalry” training and lack the simple basic prerequisites to deal with our more senior citizens.

A few days ago the rover security patrol was ordered to enter our pool areas and ask bathers for their “IDs.”  There were no signs posted on the entrances to the pool area to inform residents that this was the new norm at the pools.  Prior to this, the only time a security patrol was observed was when they drove past the pool on their rounds and the only time they entered a pool area was in response to a call to security when children were jumping into the pool with little regard to the welfare of the seniors sharing the pool.

Based on the interviews that I have conducted as a member of the P@S Committee and some of the phone calls I have received, many of these seniors were told by security to display their IDs.  Many had left their IDs at home, some were left in their vehicles, but none carried them into the pool. Security demanded that all IDs must be shown as proof that they were legal residents and had pool privileges.  The burden of getting out of the pool,  pushing their walkers to go to obtain their IDs or even going out to their car was very stressful to say the least.  When many of these seniors objected to this intrusion to their recreational time, the security guards posture, language and tone became somewhat  rude.  In one instance, two more security cars had to be called to render assistance.

In one instance the same security guard returned to the pool that he had visited a few hours earlier and asked the same people to show their ID cards.  One pool person shouted at the security guard and reminded him that he was there earlier and should  be able to recognize the seniors he had already checked.

There is no question that these seniors were angry with this new WPRF policy. Reactions ranged from refusing to show IDs to security, to ignore them completely or to go as far as forming a committee to raise awareness of these issues. 

The problem lies directly on the shoulders of WPRF and those who give the instructions to security.  At the very least, WPRF should have informed the seniors that use the pool of this new initiative by the posting these new rules on the entrances of all the pools a few weeks in advance of the policy to advise seniors that IDs must be available when asked to show them.  In addition, the rover patrols should have been given some sort of sensitivity training when asking seniors to display their IDs,  they would not feel intimidated.  At the very least, if a senior could not produce their ID when requested, all security had to say was, “These are the new rules, so please, the next time you come to the pool bring your ID, thank you so much.” 

I hope the powers to be consider how they deal with this issue before it escalates to something worse.