He barred police and military from the gym. Now the death threats are rolling in

There’s one rule at the gym: no police or military allowed.

Jim Chambers, who owns EAV Barbell Club in Atlanta, has received death threats and hate mail but refuses to change his policy.

A sign he posted outside the club reading “Rules: Do whatever the (expletive) you want, correctly, except Crossfit cultism. No (expletive) cops” generated outrage this week when local television station WXIA reported on it.

“We are indicting systems,” Chambers told the Huffington Post. “We are not indicting individuals.”

Since the gym opened a year and a half ago, law enforcement officers and active military members were barred from joining.

Chambers, a political activist, said many of the people who belong to his gym don’t feel comfortable around police because of their race or sexual orientation.

The Barbell Club is also used as a meeting place for local activists.

Chambers took down the sign after the initial backlash, but said he plans to put it back up after removing the cuss words.

The Atlanta Police Department declined to comment on the gym’s policy, but told WXIA the sign “would not stop us from lawfully doing our job” if there was an emergency at the club.

Lawyers told WXIA that although the policy is unusual, it likely isn’t illegal because law enforcement is not a protected class under anti-discrimination laws.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 1:49 PM with the headline "He barred police and military from the gym. Now the death threats are rolling in."