3 workers fired at L.A. Fitness after black men kicked out of NJ gym

SECAUCUS, NJ — Three workers at a New Jersey gym were fired after they kicked two black men out and called police on them Monday night, according to an L.A. Fitness employee.

Tshyrad Oates posted now viral videos of his encounter with employees to Facebook. Oates, who was at the gym using a guest pass with a friend who is a member, said a manager at the gym called Secaucus police.

Both men had checked in when they arrived, but employees apparently harassed them, Oates said. About a half hour after they arrived, an employee came over to Oates and told him he had to leave or pay. He said he’d just signed in with her with the guest pass, and then she said it was his friend who did not pay. His friend is a member and has swiped in with a tag when they arrived.

“He felt racially profiled and embarrassed by the harassment of this La Fitness employee in front of other members at the gym,” Oates wrote on Facebook.

The men continued their workout until two police officers showed up and questioned them about their presence in the gym. Oates and his friend explained the situation to them and the gym rescanned Oates’ friend’s member tag, which showed a current active statues.

They went back to working out, but then a manager came over to tell them to leave, Oata said. Then five police officers showed up telling them to leave.

“This La Fitness manager who refused to give us his reason to kicking us out, and refused to give us his name stated that I was banned from the gym and my friend’s gym membership has been terminated effective immediately,” Oates wrote on Facebook. This is ridiculous and the last video sealed the deal.”

In one video, Oates said he and his friend were the only two black people in the gym.

The incident took place the day before Starbucks announced plans to close stores for racial bias training in the wake of the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks.

PIX11 has reached out to L.A. Fitness for a comment, but has not yet heard back.

via:  http://pix11.com/2018/04/18/3-workers-fired-at-l-a-fitness-after-black-men-kicked-out-of-nj-gym/