WORDS MATTER. AND HURT.
This audiotape and all information included herein comes from documents acquired through a California Public Records Act request (aka public records request). The Instagram photos were available through a counselor’s public account. He has since changed his account to private.
We share the above audiotape because preventable deaths of children should be teachable moments for adults. Those responsible for Roxie’s death had a responsibility to honor her by imparting the truth about the circumstances. These teachable moments are critical for understanding how catastrophic but preventable outcomes can be avoided. Accountability is a core component of our foundation’s mission.
We would ordinarily refrain from sharing such information were it not a case where children are in harm’s way. Words matter, especially if they are used to eclipse the truth and eviscerate the innocent at all costs. But actions matter just as much. Parents who continue to send their children to Summerkids are sending them to an illegal camp that killed a child, covered up the facts and the circumstances and are therefore systematically misleading communities.
As previously mentioned, documents prove that Summerkids camp owners and their counselors have misled the greater Los Angeles community about their roles in Roxie’s death. The owners also continued to defy state agencies that determined the camp is and has been operating without the proper child care licensing.
Sadly, the owners are not alone in efforts to dishonor Roxie and disregard the truth about her barbaric death. A few months after Roxie’s death, a homicide detective interviewed Alison, mother of Roxie’s buddy counselor who neglected her to death. She is a public relations professional for the University of Southern California and wife of Los Angeles Times writer Jim. Their son admitted to failing to pay attention to Roxie. Also, according to a homicide report, he disparagingly referred to Roxie as “athletically incompetent,” as if they is a reason to drown under his supervision.
Roxie was removed from life support on a Saturday, one day after she drowned. That same Saturday, he was out and about Pasadena actively Instagramming friends.
Only a couple weeks later, he proudly shared another Instagram post of his buddies and himself urinating on a well-known black-owned Silver Lake restaurant. Doing so is a crime.
His Twitter account banner was a montage of his fake drivers license and those of his friends. Whether real or Photoshopped, the takeaway is the same. Why? This juvenile lack of character and remorse is irrefutable.
His mother Alison told the detective she was frustrated that she had to apologize to her son who had to make his account private, even though her son proudly urinated on the restaurant. She said her son was the victim at the pool when Roxie died. She said she believes that her son’s role as a lifeguard was to be “the fun one in the pool,” not the person who should pay constant attention to vulnerable children. She said that it was “unfortunate” that he had to be in the pool with Roxie and the fact that Roxie had to be there in the first place.
Alison actually laughs multiple times during the call. She also said that:
Her son and other “kids,” meaning counselors, in the pool were “trying to save the life of a little girl.” In fact, according to documents and audio from the homicide detectives, those counselors admitted to being distracted. This same documentation and audio proved that a counselor 30-45 feet outside of the pool saw Roxie “floating dead man,” meaning not one of the 4-5 counselors at the pool noticed Roxie floating dead.
Her son was not responsible for Roxie’s safety or her death. Yet, he was the lone lifeguard in the pool and was Roxie’s buddy counselor.
He was the victim who was being targeted. Roxie died on his watch due to his admitted neglect. (She said this twice.)
He was “totally blameless.” By stating this, she effectively blamed the other counselors.
It was "bad luck" that he had to be there with “that girl.” She is blaming Roxie for her own death.
He “wasn’t the one even watching.” By stating this, she admits to her son’s neglect.
She also said we, the parents, essentially had unreasonable expectations of her son to watch Roxie.
This behavior should not be normalized. Our foundation will work tirelessly with adults to help them understand how words and actions matter, and how to understand our accountability and behavior during times of despair.