Owner bans cops, military from joining gym
An Atlanta gym owner is defending his policy of not allowing police officers or military personnel to join his gym.
Posted — UpdatedA sign recently posted on the door of EAV Barbell Club in East Atlanta Village read "No Cops."
Gym owner Jim Chambers says police intimidate his clientele, which he calls mostly minority. He does not allow active military personnel either.
According to the gym's website, the gym is radically aligned and left-friendly:
"We require no one to agree with any set of politics, but if you are hostile to the fringe, you ought to look elsewhere," the site reads. "We wanted to create a gym that wouldn't be prohibitive due to cost, or overly aggressive, exclusionary jock culture. We want elite athletes and total newbs, anyone looking to pick up a bar. Meatheads welcome, too, so long as tolerance abounds."
The sign has since been taken down. Still, it has generated a huge backlash on social media. Hundreds of people have posted messages on the gym's Facebook page in support of police officers and members of the armed forces.
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