San Francisco Gym Owners Angry After Finding Out Government Gyms Have Been Open for Months

(AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

One of the hardest-hit industries during the coronavirus lockdowns has been personal fitness gyms. Many of them have been closed since early April.

In California, there are many gyms that will never reopen. Stimulus loans or not, you can’t stay shuttered for five months and expect to emerge unscathed.

Advertisement

Can you imagine how those business owners feel after finding out that government gyms have been open for months?

Washington Examiner:

“It’s shocking, it’s infuriating,” Daniele Rabkin, of Crossfit Golden Gate, told a local NBC station. “Even though they’re getting exposed, there are no repercussions, no ramifications? It’s shocking.”

The gyms that have been open for government employees include those for police officers, judges, lawyers, bailiffs, and paralegals, according to the report. One such gym, the Hall of Justice gym, has been open since July 1.

“It just demonstrates that there seems to be some kind of a double standard between what city employees are allowed to do and what the residents of San Francisco are allowed to do,” Dave Karraker, owner of MX3 Fitness in the Castro, said.

That there’s a double standard is not a surprise. But it kind of makes the words of politicians ring hollow when they tell us, “We’re all in this together.”

“We have been shut down for so long, not just me, but most of the small businesses, and I just can’t — it’s a feeling — a feeling of being deflated, helpless, and honestly, beaten down,” Kious said.

Yes, the government will do that to you. They will bury you in paperwork, create stupid rules, and treat you like a dog. And if you push back, it gets worse.

Advertisement

And whatever you do, don’t point out the obvious double standards when politicians take advantage of them.

Actually, you might expect the police gym to remain open. But a gym that serves bailiffs and paralegals?

NBC Bay Area:

“What the city has unwillingly done is created this great case study that says that working out indoors is actually safe,” said Karraker. “So at this point, we’re just demanding that they allow us to have the same workout privileges for the citizens of San Francisco that the employees of San Francisco have.”

Good luck with that. Government workers are seen as “essential workers” by the courts so, naturally, they are treated differently. But comparing a doctor or a nurse to a bailiff? Sorry, but I don’t see it. There’s something corrupt about having the power to declare someone “essential” and then declaring yourself essential.

Recommended

Trending on PJ Media Videos

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Advertisement
Advertisement