Usually I like to keep this blog strictly about photography, but I also like to discuss injustice. Unrelated to my story about the incident at the gym I also now run a Youtube called Facebook Police Auditor and I would love to get more people aboard to bring up the failures of Facebook's automated algorithm system that bans or suspends users for unjust reasons.
I'll start this by informing you I was a Gold's Gym member starting from March 2015. Sometime last year the Gym I was a member of changed over to the Max Fitness brand, it's a brand that is slowly growing around the South Eastern United States. I have used this gym to ether work out or clean myself up after my primary job at a car dealership in preparation for my other jobs. I am on the go so often times driving 30 miles back home to just get back to the same location after cleaning up don't make any sense.
May 4th, 2022, didn't seem like anything out the ordinary! I had just got my camper moved to my new residence in Jackson SC and was still wearing my tech uniform I sport at my dealership job where I work in the maintenance department. I am issued the same uniform as a mechanic, and often confused for one, but also get just about as dirty as they do. My intention was to transition from that occupation to Door Dasher and Door dash the North Augusta SC area that evening. But before doing this I needed to clean up and my water at my site was not yet functional thanks to some leaky pipes. So, I went to the Max Fitness location in North Augusta SC, spent some time in the suna, then took my shower and changed my clothes. It's worth noting that I wasn't too picky about my hair or my clothes appearance as I was only looking to make myself comfortable and hardly ever directly interact with customers on deliveries anyway. It may also be worth noting that the vehicle I drove that night was a 1997 Silverado that well, looks like a 25 year old project truck, it has a primered front end and a non-functional driver-side door. This was due in fact to my daily driver, a 2018 Chevy Cruze being down at the time due to it's transmission being damaged by a road blunder from a construction company. Those two factors maybe have been used to stereotype me as a bum or would-be thief.
It's worth noting that I take grave offense to the events that occurred after this because of many factors. In addition to being a photographer I do multiple occupations, what I am accused of here and believed to have done by the accuser is something I would have had absolutely no motive or reason to think of doing. I push myself to make nearly $1,000 a week. I have staved myself through bad financial times very rarely even needing friends to help me. In fact many friends came to me for help recently from 2020 to the present. Anyone who knows me knows this! The people who ran this gym knew me for years and I would've been surprised if they ever took issue with it as it was nothing out the ordinary.
Approximately, 8:30 I exited the gym, nothing seemed a miss, but I decided to call my sister, I called her to discuss the sell of my old Play Station 2 and a few other things, we went off topic and talked for a while to catch up on life and work. Whilst talking on the phone I paced around the parking lot a bit, I could see how maybe this could cause a minor misunderstanding, because I did get carried away not even thinking about how others precieved it, but I think the upcoming reaction was a little excessive. Aside from this it was nothing out the ordinary for me to linger a bit if I was on the phone or even to get out my laptop and knock out some business, so I thought nothing of it as I had done this for years, and nobody had an issue or said anything about it. Then I saw a post on a classic NASCAR page on Facebook and got in conversation about a driver named Dave Marcus, I'm a fan of old style NASCAR so I tend to get involved in conversations and can drag on for a while. during this time I leaned on the right front of my truck.
If my timing recalls correctly I talked to my sister for 45 mins and was chatting on Facebook for maybe 15 when a North Augusta Public Safety Chevy Tahoe pulled in closely to my truck but passed it and pulled up to the gym's front entrance. I kind of knew the Gressey haired movie star looking cop was staring at me. The Karen alarms were ringing but I opted to believe that if he wanted to talk to me it was just a minor misunderstanding and if he came to talk to me it would be smoothed over. Surely gym management didn't call the cops on me and wasn't too scared to talk to me if my actions were upsetting someone right? After 7 years of membership? Also none of this is to take a stab at the police, I understand they got a tough job, one I could never do and have always had respect for anyone who can do that job the right way, and the right way may not be something I always agree with.
The next thing I know two more officers pull up and they confront me. The Gressy haired officer takes my ID and walks to the gym where his Tahoe is while the other two talk to me. The female officer actually knows me, and shes pretty cool, in fact we have a friendly conversation about photography while the Gressy haired officer is discussing with the complainant. I had been reported for peaking in or scoping out cars by some woman and possibly a spouse. It is worth noting that I do not have many enemies except maybe one known, that had a boy friend arrested following an incident in 2020 where I was driving on Lyft and hit a deer, subsequently the police ran his ID and he went to jail for a warrant which was not any my doing, but I get blamed for it anyway. So, if anything weird happens that's my first suspicion is it may be a revenge attempt for that incident. Still the complainant is faceless to me at this time. Management was scared to even talk to me so I don't know.
After about 15 mins the Gressey haired cop approaches me with a piece of paper and my license, and tells me I've been placed on trespassing notice and my membership has been revoked. The management was so scared to communicate with me they'd rather place me on trespassing notice than smooth over a simple misunderstanding, imagine that! I am to this day not even convinced anybody reviewed any camera footage and if they did they likely assumed my intentions judging by my vehicle's and physical appearance at the time. Whatever it was there was no need to call the police, all they had to do if they had an issue with any my activity was tell me about it. By the way this paper work was unprofessional, it didn't even contain the name of the issuing officer. He suggested I call management in the morning before I left if I wanted to smooth things over.
Meanwhile I didn't know this but a co-worker of mine, who I won't name for the same reason they do not want to show me valid evidence I did this, saw this incident and the BS alarm sounded. I drove back to Jackson full of rage knowing I had to work in the morning, but struggling to sleep with heart palpitations and stress keeping me awake. Never in my life had I ever experienced anything this embarrassing, and for something I didn't even do none then less. Little did I know that while I was trying to sleep and stressing, I had more support than I knew.
I get a call around 7:30 in the morning from my old manager and she was asking if I had went to jail. This of course was false but somehow a rumor was spread that I was arrested! Overnight the one person who had seen it and knew the truth had stirred up a fire storm of support for me. Many believed I was arrested though. I went to work full of rage and only two co-workers talked to me about it and it was revealed they had called the gym in anger on my behalf. Who their names are will not be revealed, since the gym management had no courage to even discuss anything with me or show me any footage.
I reached out to gym manager, who would not return my call. It would've been an ethical conversation but they didn't want it. A former employee who I will not name gave me General Manager's number. He had at least the courage to talk to me via phone. He said he had footage of me doing said deed but did not have the courage to show me what he was talking about. Was he judging me on head direction? I mean what was the grounds? He however was more worried about head hunting the person who gave me his phone number probably to terminate them, than anything but if he's too scared to talk to me about my issue he's not getting that info ever! Retaliation is impossible anyway as they no longer work for him anyway. Totally unprofessional! When you take a management position you shouldn't hide from complaints!
I went out to my favorite hang out and got nothing but support and hugs over the issue, which should be embarrassing to Max Fitness. I also still get asked by gym regulars why I never come and this is why. The North Augusta Gym has regressed so much in quality that they used a photo of another location in their own ad, I'm guessing because it looks better than their real location, when I posted comments on Facebook calling them out over it they opted to block me, a move I take as a sign of their own defeat. To make things even more interesting I know several people who discontinued their membership after hearing what happened to me. They were mortified and did not want to endure the same experience as me. I am hearing other horror stories such as them still taking payments after a member willingly cancels, and other stories similar to mine.
As for me I don't work three jobs to make over $1,000 a week to be disrespected like this as a place I was a loyal customer longer than I held ether my old job at Lifetouch or my current job at the dealership and accused of bumish activities then treated like I'm guilty of those activities.
With this, I add as of 4-10-2023, I got some other juicy news as to where this company's priorities are. The location at Bobby Jones Expressway hired Barry Davis as general manager. Yes I named him by name but his name is already all over the web anyway, many would have to be living under a rock if they lived in the CSRA for long and didn't already hear about his terrible reputation as a Richmond County Deputy following aggressive behavior. So, Max Fitness decided it was a totally good idea to make him the General Manager. Now I'm not against second chances and I believe people can change but let's look at the google and facebook reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/MaxFitnessAugusta/reviews
https://www.google.com/search?q=max+fitness+augusta%5C&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS848US849&sxsrf=APwXEdfq6p1yjWa16m6_5s4JFQ8UAaLyaQ%3A1681100703795&ei=n48zZMvFLtmlptQPyu-ygAs&ved=0ahUKEwiLkZ6SvJ7-AhXZkokEHcq3DLAQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=max+fitness+augusta%5C&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIOCC4QgAQQxwEQrwEQ6gQyBQgAEIAEMgoIABCABBAUEIcCMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yGQguEIAEEMcBEK8BEOoEENwEEN4EEOAEGAE6CAgAEKIEELADOggIABCKBRCRAjoLCC4QrwEQxwEQgAQ6DgguEIoFEMcBEK8BEJECOg4ILhCvARDHARCABBDqBDoZCC4QrwEQxwEQgAQQ6gQQ3AQQ3gQQ4AQYAUoECEEYAVClBVi8EGDLEGgBcAB4AIABrAOIAYMNkgEHMi0xLjMuMZgBAKABAcgBA8ABAdoBBggBEAEYFA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
Look at the reviews, most the negative reviews cite Mr. Davis by name. Readings about his time as a Richmond County Deputy even say he was demoted to jailer. He has one arrest for stabbing someone too. Now I'm not saying he's guilty, but there's a pattern and a history of anger issues with this guy that clearly hasn't been curved.
Here's some readings if you got time.
https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/Grovetown-man-facing-battery-charges-after-altercation-429536153.html
https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/augusta-reporter-revisits-his-2014-arrest/193158/
The article by former WJBF reporter Mike Miller seems to be proven very true about Mr. Davis when you see the reviews citing Mr. Davis as mean and aggressive. Clearly all these people can't be lying about how this man conducts himself.
With that said come visit my FineArtAmerica page and check out my protest T-shirt. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/max-fitness-protest-logo-joseph-johns.html?product=adult-tshirt&fbclid=IwAR16_xQ7XodZqlwLU9W3KhjnjYlrIiT5tmdJLP0V796BQyTnbP5WBIFjAKQ
