By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
Last week Jasmine Abhulimen, a North Carolina resident of Glenridge community, posted a video of one of then HOA board member Adam Bloom, who called the local police because he did not believe Abhulimen was a resident with the right to use the community’s private pool.
Because she and her son were the only black people at the pool, and Bloom did not ask anyone else to show their resident ID, Abhulimen believes Bloom’s behavior was a matter of racial profiling.
A statement released by attorney Eric S. Ellison provides further clarification of the July 4th incident, which supports the resident’s claim. According to the statement, several other residents who were at the pool confirmed that Abhulimen is a resident of Glenridge, and they begged Bloom not to call the police.
Woman who recorded viral pool incident in Winston-Salem releases statement
POSTED 10:47 PM, JULY 8, 2018, BY WEB STAFF, UPDATED AT 10:58PM, JULY 8, 2018
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The woman who recorded the viral swimming pool incident in Winston-Salem which involved a man who was allegedly being racist (watch video below) has released a statement.
Jasmine Abhulimen released a statement on Sunday through attorney Eric S. Ellison on the video.
…
It should be noted, that Mr. Adam Bloom immediately “resigned” as a Glenridge HOA Board member and as the HOA pool Director. The day following the incident, the Glenridge Homeowners Association issued a statement declaring that in the “coming days, we will take additional steps to ensure consistent and equitable application of our pool policies and procedures.” In addition to the statements from the Glenridge HOA following the incident, my client wish to also note the efforts of several of the Glenridge community members who witnessed this incident prior to Mr. Bloom calling the police. It should be noted that several residents that were present during the blatant and insensitive behavior of Mr. Bloom pleaded with him not to call the police. Upon noticing that Mr. Bloom had singled-out Mrs. Abhulimen for identification, they stepped up and informed Mr. Bloom that Mrs. Abhulimen was a member of the Glenridge community and offered comfort and support to Mrs. Abhulimen during and after the traumatic incident. To those members of the Glenridge community, the Abhulimen Family extends its sincere gratitude for their support during and after the incident and thank them all for truly being a neighbor.
Read more (video):
https://myfox8.com/2018/07/08/woman-who-recorded-viral-pool-incident-in-winston-salem-releases-statement/
Bloom’s attorney, Jon C. Vermitsky, released an earlier statement that claims Abhulimen provided a non-valid address to Bloom, and that he called police to de-escalate the encounter:
However, having received conflicting information on Ms. Edward’s address, Mr. Bloom politely asked to see Ms. Edwards’ ID to verify the address so the issue could be concluded and everyone could get back to enjoying the Fourth of July.
At this point, Ms. Edwards accused Mr. Bloom of racial profiling. Not wanting a confrontation to escalate, Mr. Bloom called the non-emergency police number to allow a neutral third party to resolve the situation. Once the police arrived, Ms. Edwards began the video that has since gone viral on social media. As a result of the incomplete and misleading video of these events and the
social media frenzy that followed, Mr. Bloom has received death threats, lost his job, and been forced to resign from the homeowner’s association. He has had to leave his home for a safe location for him, his wife, and his three small children.
Bloom’s explanation of his reason for calling the police is, in this writer’s opinion, weak. But Bloom has already paid for his behavior with the loss of his job, possible litigation, and general social disapproval of his actions.
It’s very unfortunate that Bloom is being intimidated by death threats, and that his family feels unsafe in their own home. The bully behavior of some people who disapprove of Bloom’s actions is, quite frankly, no more justifiable.
As my grandmother used to tell me when I was a child, “two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Thank you DG for your comments on this awful incident at the NC HOA – More importantly, although not defending Bloom, you also clearly appealed to those who bullied him after the incident.