JESUS CHRIST!!! THIS WAS SO FUCKING UNNECESSARY! they drowned in 20 lousy feet of water!
TEACH YOUR DAMN KIDS TO SWIM OR HAVE SOMEONE ELSE DO IT!
they can learn as toddlers. 2 sets of twins drowned in Boston this past month in family pools (http://mockforums.net/showthread.php?tid=3942).
2 little ones in Orlando. 2 more siblings in Jax. fucking dog paddle, show them how to dog paddle if you own a goddamn pool or take them to the local lake! they can learn as soon as they can walk! what is WRONG with these fucking parents? give them a goddamn inner tube or life preserver! it's nothing less than criminal negligence.
SHREVEPORT, La. -- Six teenagers from two families drowned in the Red River in northwest Louisiana after they stepped off a ledge from shallow water into a chasm about 20 feet deep on Monday, fire officials said. A 14-year-old was rescued.
Shreveport Assistant Fire Chief Fred Sanders said he believed the victims, ages 13 to 18, included three brothers in one family and a sister and two brothers in another.
"They were out here with some adults. But unfortunately, neither the children nor the adults could swim," he said.
Their relatives, who couldn't swim either, LOOKED ON HELPLESSLY :fyou: as six struggling teens screamed for help, then vanished and drowned.
DeKendrix Warner, the 15-year-old who was the first to fall in, was rescued by a bystander.
"I stepped and I started drowning," he said from his impoverished, inner-city Shreveport home in a low voice, his eyes staring at the ground.
The large group of family and friends had gathered for an afternoon of swimming and barbecuing in the oppressive heat. The group had only been at the river for about 10 minutes when tragedy struck -- they didn't even have time to set up the barbecue.
Those who drowned were identified as the Warners: 13-year-old Takeitha and her older brothers, 14-year-old JaMarcus and 17-year-old JaTavious. The others were the Stewarts: 18-year-old Litrelle, 17-year-old LaDairus and 15-year-old Latevin.
The mother who watched her two sons and her daughter drown in the Red River on Monday said they had gone to the same area of the river the day before and had no problems.
When Maude Warner heard her children screaming after they stepped into a drop-off, she initially thought they were horsing around -- then realized they were in trouble.
Warner could not swim. THE ONE LIFE JACKET she had was thrown to the teens, but no one could reach it.
I remember watching one of these US programmes, and it was saying that Blacks as a culture don't swim. Didn't say why, and left me rather puzzled by that comment.
(08-04-2010, 12:39 AM)God Wrote: I remember watching one of these US programmes, and it was saying that Blacks as a culture don't swim. Didn't say why, and left me rather puzzled by that comment.
this editorial/blog from NPR Frank James (pictured) is one of several that have addressed that issue.
it's a good editorial but does not address the question of NO FLOTATION DEVICES FOR KIDS WHO CANNOT SWIM, STUPIDITY AND LAZINESS OF PARENTS, AND SHEER NEGLECT. THAT APPLIES TO ANY COLOR NEGLIGENT PARENTS.
Frank James NPR:
If there's sadder news than the story of six teens — three children from one family and three from another — drowning in the Red River in Shreveport, La., it's hard to imagine what it could be.
The youngsters, none of whom could swim, were at a river side picnic at a local park and apparently went wading in the water when some got into trouble as the river bottom dropped away.
Other youngsters who attempted to help them, couldn't swim either, adding immensely to the tragedy.
The story is a reminder of one of the safety related disparities that exist in the U.S.; young blacks are victims of unintentional drowning at significantly higher rates than white of like age.
In 2008, USA Swimming commissioned a study to examine the issue and found that the ability to swim correlated strongly with household income and whether parents themselves could swim.
The study found that nearly 60 percent of black children couldn't swim safely compared with 31 percent of white children.
An Associated Press story on the Shreveport drownings quotes a USA Swimming representative explaining that it's access and exposure to pool time more than anything else that explains why the disparity.
The drowning "confirms that what we are finding, that this continuing cycle of people not knowing how to swim and their children not knowing how to swim and still being around water," said Sue Anderson, USA Swimming's Director of Programs and Services. "It's the continuing lack of awareness of how important it is that children learn how to swim."
The story makes Anderson's point in a later paragraph:
Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the families, told The Times of Shreveport she watched helplessly as the victims went under. She said a large group of family and friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at a sandbar to barbecue and have a good time. They frequent the area and were familiar with the water, Robinson said. DeKendrix said he had been going down to the river all week.
"None of us could swim," Robinson said. "They were yelling 'help me, help me. Somebody please help me.' It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one."
The reality is that even if some of those who watched helplessly had known how to swim, they might not have been able to save any of the victims and might have become victims themselves if the panicking non-swimmers had pulled them down. You have to be taught how to be a rescue swimmer.
Another reality is that virtually anyone can learn how to swim given the time and access to a pool.
There's a persistent misunderstanding which can be readily found on the Internet that blacks can't swim because they're more densely muscled than whites. I've even heard some black people say this.
But that's not based on science. It's not even based on what can be observed since there are plenty of blacks who can swim, just not as many as there should be.
Again, what it comes down to is time, access and parents who make it a point to get a child swimming lessons.
Growing up in New York City where the public pools were as jammed as a rush-hour subway car during summer, and with parents who didn't swim, I didn't learn until I became an adult and paid for lessons.
-------->>But my kids learned how because my wife and I made it a point to make sure they did.<<--------
Perhaps the searing Shreveport tragedy which is getting significant national attention will persuade more adults make the effort to learn to swim themselves and to make sure their children learn, too.
That would be the best outcome possible from such a terrible story.
Some parents are very,very stupid and selfish. Both my kids can swim and one is only 4. It takes time and effort and yes they can learn in a city pool if the parents would just put forth the effort. I am so sick of hearing people blame others for their laziness. The YMCA has courses also. Lazy fuckers! Plain and simple. I am surprized the kids made it into their teens with parents like that.
As I said, as a culture Blacks do not swim.
I have read this morning it used to be a poor Black person's job to fish,
Blacks who thought themselves as superior did not have fishing job, hence did not need to swim.
fwiw I hate using the term Black - what is it? African-American? What if you are talking about Blacks from multiple continents? What's the phrase these days?
did you read a black man's editorial in post above? he should know his "culture".
does culture dictate you can't buy some fucking inner tubes?
to me, it's the same as not teaching them how to safely cross the road. a bit of effort and taking some responsibility. it may save a child's life.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A study shows 69 percent of African-American children have low or no swimming ability.
According to numbers gathered by the USA Swimming Foundation, nearly three out of five black and Hispanic children do not know how to swim -- nearly twice as many as white children.
lazy fucking parents. So their kids were playing in the water and they could not swim. Not just lazy parents but stupid also.
Looks like they will never try out for the Hockey team now.
these locals at our lake care more about their dog than those parents did about their kids!
the dog is a lousy swimmer, but he can probably dog paddle.
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