I was kicked out after submitting a petition signed by 75 members to re-open the stretching room
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
June 14th, 2003: SMB Gym in Fremont shut down the last stretching room in the gym in order to use it to store it's junk equipment.
June 23rd, 2003: I submitted five comment cards from five different people suggesting that the room be cleared of equipment and reserved as a stretching room.
June 24th, 2003: I received a phone call from Victoria Aldrich a co-owner. She said the room will remain full of equipment and that members could either stretch in the Yoga room or in the hallway upstairs. Unfortunately the Yoga room always has classes during peak gym hours and the hallway is, uh... a hallway.
June 25th, 2003: the room had three more large pieces of equipment in it.
June 25th, 2003: I began a petition to have the room cleared of junk equipment and converted back into a stretching room.
June 25th, 2003: I am expelled from SMB for gathering Seventy three members signatures for The Member's Petition for a Stretching Room.
Co-owners Richard Harrington and Dennis Rose approached me before I had a chance to submit this petition.
Richard: "Is that a petition? Well,...it's not gonna happen!" Richard used the phrase "It's not gonna happen!" nine times in the course of a four minute conversation.
Richard: "I'll give you to the count of ten to either take a refund to your membership [at this gym] or stop your petition [to have a dedicated stretching room]."
I wanted to finish my work out so I told Richard what he wanted to hear. Ten minutes later I saw Victoria Aldrich in the gym and made an attempt at a rational and professional conversation concerning the voice of seventy-three of it's members.
Victoria: "You need to find something better to do with your time."
Victoria: "I don't want to have anything to do with you."
Victoria: "This is not a democracy"
Victoria: "Get your stuff and get out."