Backlash to man who allegedly threw autistic boy while in swimming pool illustrates power of social media
Swim club he is president of and social media partner distanced themselves from man
What does a Fraser Valley swim club have in common with a Calgary-based venture capital YouTube channel?
Both quickly distanced themselves from the man that connects them, a man who is being excoriated on social media for allegedly picking up and throwing an autistic boy at a public swimming pool.
On Feb. 7, Alexander Smith was allegedly seen grabbing the young boy by the armpits from a swimming lane at the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre pool and tossing him into the next lane.
“I was in complete shock,” the boy’s father Choi Wontae wrote in a lengthy post on social media. “My eyes widened as I tried to process what I had just witnessed. This was not a minor push or a guiding hand – this man had physically picked up my son and thrown him. I immediately stopped him from continuing his swim by blocking his way and demanded: ‘Did my son do anything wrong to you? Why did you throw my kid like that?’”
Smith did not apologize but said the boy, who is a strong swimmer, was floating and in his way in the “fast lane” for lap swimmers.
It was apparently not a fast lane, something confirmed by a lifeguard. Smith still did not admit wrongdoing or apologize. Meanwhile, the young neurodiverse boy was crying uncontrollably, shaking and traumatized in the corner of the pool.
“His body was trembling, and within minutes, he vomited on the floor,” his father said.
Why the manager of the pool did not intervene is unclear.
“It just made really furious,” Wontae told me. “It could [have been a] little incident with their deep apology.”
The case illustrates the post-modern state of living in the world with CCTV footage, cameras on phones and social media all creating an increased interconnectedness with lightning speed.
These elements of modern society may not always be good, but sometimes a little bit of justice can be seen.
Wontae’s post gained considerable attention on Facebook with dozens of supportive comments, shock and outrage at the behaviour, some of it from people with their own neurodivergent children.
Smith is president of the Stingray Summer Swim Club, something that shocked many commenters.
He was also described by Wontae as a YouTuber with more than 30,000 subscribers. It turns out the YouTube channel is not Smith’s per se, but is a publication called Pinnacle Digest, a channel focused on venture capital and speculative investment opportunities based out of Calgary. The videos on the channel do indeed mostly involve two hosts, one of which is Alex Smith.
I reached out to Pinnacle Digest, specifically to ask if Smith would comment about the allegations from the pool. I sent an email at 3:19 p.m. on Feb. 10 and, somewhat surprisingly, I received a response at 3:56 p.m. signed from “Aaron, Founder, Pinnacle Digest.”
The "Aaron" is presumably Aaron Hoddinott who appears in the YouTube video podcasts with Alex Smith.
“Dear Mr. Henderson,
“Thank you for reaching out. Pinnacle Digest takes all concerns regarding conduct seriously and expects professionalism from anyone associated with our organization.
“This email account does not belong to Alex Smith. While Alex is a contractor with Pinnacle Digest, he is not an owner of the company. We are based in Calgary, Alberta.
“We are aware of the allegations against him. However, we are unable to comment. If formal allegations or investigations are underway, we trust the appropriate authorities to handle them. We are respectful and understand the importance of due diligence in such matters.
“I have forwarded your inquiry to him directly.”
I did not hear from Smith.
Then, before I asked (I assume that Mike V. over at Fraser Valley Today did), the swim club issued a similar missive distancing the club from Smith.
“We are aware of the allegations against an individual, Alex, who is a board member of our organization. We want to make it clear that Alex does not represent the Stingrays Swim Club in this matter, and our club had no participation in nor any connection to the alleged incident.
“The Stingrays Swim Club prioritizes the safety and well-being of all our athletes, and we strongly condemn any form of misconduct, especially involving children. The alleged incident did not occur during our training sessions or under our supervision.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the family affected by this situation. We remain committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all members of our swimming community.”
Within 48 hours Wontae took his post down because while the vast majority of comments were supportive of him and positive, some commenters turned their ire on the swimming club, which he did not want to see happen.
Wontae reported the incident to the RCMP and spoke to them again on Thursday (Feb. 13), but it seems unlikely a charge would be laid. He also said the manager of the Landing Leisure Centre reached out to say they are investigating as well.
One person who has known Smith for years reached out to me to say he doesn't buy the story, and the social media mob mentality seems to have taken over. Wontae told me Thursday afternoon that an RCMP officer said Smith is willing to apologize, which he hopes will happen.
Meanwhile, the damage has been done both to the autistic boy upset about the incident, his protective parents, and to Alex Smith who is receiving the backlash from this unfortunate incident.
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Paul J. Henderson
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