A white woman implicated in a melee at a community swimming pool in McKinney, Texas, is now denying that she used racial slurs against black teens.
The Dallas Morning News reports Tracey Carver is speaking out against claims made by 19-year-old Tatyana Rhodes on Youtube. Rhodes, who hosted a party with her brother at a community pool in the Craig Ranch neighborhood, alleged that Carver verbally attacked her and caused an altercation that eventually snowballed into a public dispute with local police.
As a result of Rhode’s allegations, Carver has been suspended from her job at Bank of America and has relocated to California due to threats to her and her family.
Check out video coverage from her news conference below:
Carver maintains it was the black teens in her area who were the aggressors. “It was nearly impossible to exit the gate because it was lined three rows deep with dozens of what appeared to be disrespectful, unruly and violent teens and young adults,” Carver said.
She also claims it was the children in attendance were throwing racial slurs at her and not the other way around. She alleges a young woman even grabbed her by the hair, which is the point, in a video recorded by a bystander, that shows Carver and another white woman struggling with a younger black woman.
“My kids were screaming and traumatized,” Carver said. “I walked out to defuse the fight and did just that. I didn’t beat anyone nor use racial slurs of any kind.”
She has now hired high-profile attorney Gloria Allred to represent her in connection with the incident.
“I am very concerned that the movement for racial equality suffers a serious setback when innocent individuals are wrongly accused of making racist statements based on false rumors and find themselves and their children being threatened that they will be raped and murdered,” Allred said.
A black friend of Carver’s also spoke up in her defense at a news conference organized by Allred.
“While I was not at the incident that took place, I heard the story from Tracey and because I know the type of character she has, I am positive that she didn’t make any racist comments or start an altercation,” said friend Aaron C. Clark, who has known Carver’s husband for 27 years.
Tracey Carver and her attorney both believe she is owed an apology by her accusers.