Post Date: 07/14/2018 6:20 PM

He apologizes and says the City used poor judgement in assessing what happened and then how it reacted to the matter

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today reaffirmed the City’s long-standing policy that all people are welcome at city pools. Purzycki said it was wrong of the City to ask children of the Muslim faith to leave a city pool because of religious-related clothing they were wearing. Purzycki said the City used poor judgement in assessing this entire matter and equally poor judgement in reacting to it.

“We should be held accountable for what happened and how poorly we assessed this incident, said Mayor Purzycki. “I apologize to the children who were directed to leave a city pool because of the religious-required clothing they were wearing,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We also referred to vaguely-worded pool policies to assess and then justify our poor judgement, and that was also wrong.”

The Mayor said he hopes to meet soon with the children’s camp director and with the children who were asked to leave the city pool so he can address their concerns and offer a personal apology. The Mayor also said he wants to assure everyone that religious-related garb is permitted at city pools. The Mayor said the City needs to be better than this, and he hopes that his words today will begin to rectify the situation.

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News and information from the Office of Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki

John Rago

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications

Mobile: (302) 420-7928

Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov

Paul Ford Jr.

Communications Specialist

Mobile: (302) 530-2171

Email: plford@WilmingtonDE.gov



Dan Sanchez

Digital & Social Media Manager

Mobile: (302) 605-0026

Email: dsanchez@WilmingtonDE.gov