Tampa Bay Gym Employees Protest Closures With Push-Ups and Squats Outside Courthouse

Storyful
4 年前

Demonstrators including gym employees protested the mandated closure of all gyms and recreation centers in Florida outside the Pinellas County Clerk’s office with exercises on May 11.

This video shows protesters, including the CEO of the local chain Amped Fitness, holding signs like, “Give me gains or give me death,” and “We will not comply,” as well as American flags, as they engaged in squats and push-ups. Organized by a group called Open Tampa Bay, the demonstration called upon officials to reopen the state of Florida, namely gyms, which have remained shut down per Gov Ron DeSantis’s executive order.

Gyms are not scheduled to reopen until the second phase of the governor’s reopening plan.

“This page is dedicated to those who believe enough is enough,” reads the Open Tampa Bay Facebook page. “We must never allow our civil liberties to be encroached upon and we must allow our businesses in the Tampa Bay Area to re-open and give all lawful business owners the right to operate their businesses to provide for their communities, families, employees, and themselves.”

As of May 11, Florida had reported 40,982 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 1,735 deaths. Credit: Jozef Gherman via Storyful