Health

Man Racially Profiled During Planet Fitness Visit

Published

11 years ago

June 17, 2015

Oakland Post

Chris Edmonds (Courtesy Photo)

By Ashley Johnson
Special to the NNPA from the New Pittsburgh Courier

A Wilkins Township man who has dedicated himself to fitness and helping others, claims that a local gym that advertises a “No Judgment Zone” unjustly kicked him out of their facility and racially profiled him.

Chris Edmonds, owner of Athletic Trauma Unit, a nonprofit that offers free workouts to the community, said a normal trip to the gym with friends turned into a situation unlike any other he has faced in his adulthood.

Edmonds said that after visiting Planet Fitness in Penn Hills on June 8-9 as a guest to work out with his two friends, members Regis Sauers and Tayon Mitchell and without any incidents occurring either day; he received a call hours later from Mitchell informing him that the gym’s general manager said he was no longer welcome at the establishment. The group was accused of working out in a “boot camp” training style, which is viewed as intimidating to other members and prohibited by the gym.

To “clear-up” the situation and restore the reputation of his friends, Edmonds said he and Sauers, the one whose guest pass Edmonds was using, met with Planet Fitness General Manager Sam Travino. According to Edmonds and Sauers, Travino told them that there had been several complaints made to gym staff on both days about their “training” style and that he had also watched footage. When asked why nothing was said to Edmonds, both said they were told it was because the staff “was afraid of him,” that he “intimidating” and seemed “unapproachable.”

Both claim Travino, who is White, said it was because of the way Edmonds looked— a big, bald, bearded, Black man with tattoos. Edmonds and Sauers, who is also White, said what made matters worse, was that they were then complimented by Travino for “being such gentleman” through the whole meeting. They felt it was a slap in the face.

“Your job is to make this a judgment free zone so people feel comfortable, but now I’m uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable because I walked in here, not knowing that everyone looked at me like the big Black dude who’s working out,” Edmonds said. “For the first time in a long I felt uncomfortable at the gym. Even at LA Fitness (where he is a member and visited after the incident), I felt like, is this what people think about me? Is this how people see me? …I’m thinking to myself, ‘should I shave my beard, wear longer sleeves to cover my tattoos,’ all this is going through my mind as I’m sitting in Planet Fitness.”

Edmonds said he dealt with stereotypes as a youth—living in a certain neighborhood and being judged for the clothes he wore or his haircut—but “now I’m 37 years old and dealing with gym discrimination.”

He went on to say that the whole incident is “really disappointing.”

“I haven’t had to deal with this in a long time,” he said. “It’s bad that they perceive me as intimidating. And to be called that to my face and to tell me it was because I’m big and black and bald with tattoos— All things I can’t change. I can’t change that I’m Black.”

The New Pittsburgh Courier reached out to Travino for comment. He did not return the call, but a statement was sent from Planet Fitness Public Relations Manager Becky Brown. It stated, “To ensure the safety of all members, it is Planet Fitness policy that personal training instruction not provided by certified company instructors is prohibited.”

It went on to say, “At the Penn Hills Planet Fitness, a guest of a Planet Fitness member from another location was part of a group leading training sessions over multiple days. These sessions generated complaints from other members. Planet Fitness managers contacted the group to make them aware of the complaints and club policy, reiterating they all are welcome to work out at Planet Fitness at any time. Planet Fitness is the proud home of the Judgement Free Zone, and we are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all people.”Both, Edmonds and Sauers, maintain that they were not involved in a training session and that it was a workout with friends. The two define training as someone telling someone else what to do and said they barely even interacted. Sauers, who had recently transferred to the Penn Hills location from the Edgewood one, also pointed out that he, Mitchell and another friend worked out together in the same fashion the week before and were never approached by staff about complaints.

He and Edmonds said if there were complaints, which they have not seen proof of; management should have handled the situation better. The statement said that the group was contacted, but both say that it was only Mitchell who was contacted, even though they had Edmonds’ information from him signing in both days as Sauers’ guest.

“If you have kids and your kid brings someone home. You’re not gonna go (talk to someone else), you’re gonna talk to the person that brought them,” Sauers said.

He added, “If the staff would have communicated their issues that they had at the time, there would have been no situation. Being that they didn’t say anything the first day, didn’t say anything the second day, and then just reacted on it, it’s beyond me on how that’s appropriate.

“They make me believe now, and this is my personal belief, that Planet Fitness is a set up for people to go that really don’t want the push, but want to spend the money to make themselves (feel good about going to the gym), They don’t want to see people get better, they don’t want to push people. It’s easier to push yourself and get your goals with a friend and they’re telling us that you can’t work out with a friend, which I misunderstood if that is their policy, because at Planet Fitness in Edgewood we never had a problem.”

Sauers said he and Edmonds had worked out at the Edgewood location as well.

“To tell somebody that they’re really not allowed in their establishment because of their looks, no matter what their looks are, it’s just not right. That’s like telling someone they can’t go to the pool because they’re fat.”

Days after the incident, Planet Fitness in Penn Hills posted a statement on their Facebook page, Planet Fitness-Penn Hills, PA, about their policy prohibiting personal training instruction. It sparked comments from many.

James R Cain III posted “Motivation is feeding your clients pizza to keep them coming back because their ‘training Program’ isn’t working. The ‘complaint’ is BS. All they have to do is say that they can’t disclose the source of the complaint when in all reality the complaint was fabricated. This man inspires not instructs. Guess you’re not allowed to have a workout partner. Your spotter might be taken for an uncertified trainer. (peace sign emoji) deuces!”

And Christine A. Broderick posted, “I complained but not about that. I would have loved someone standing beside me motivating me to push it a little harder. I don’t care about the buff people there I aspire to that. The guy who owns the place needs a lesson in people management start there first he’s not very user friendly.”

Edmonds also took to Facebook and posted about the incident. Some commented that they would be cancelling their memberships.

While the statement from Brown said that all parties were welcome back, Edmonds and Sauers said they do not feel comfortable going back to another Planet Fitness location.

When asked if there was anything that Planet Fitness could do to make the situation better, Edmonds said no. “I’ll never feel comfortable going in a place that has that sign on top of the building.”

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Doctors Seeing More Cases of Preventable Childhood Illnesses

OAKLAND POST — Physicians have said vaccine skepticism has expanded beyond childhood immunizations. Doctors also reported growing resistance to other preventive treatments.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Stacy M. Brown

Doctors across the United States say they are treating children for illnesses that routine vaccinations once made increasingly uncommon, raising concerns that years of declining immunization rates are beginning to reverse decades of public health progress.

Pediatricians have described seeing more cases of whooping cough, rotavirus infections, bacterial pneumonia and other potentially life-threatening illnesses that vaccines have long helped suppress. Some physicians reported treating conditions they had rarely encountered during their careers, while others said that growing vaccine hesitancy is changing how emergency rooms and hospitals care for children.

The reports come as measles outbreaks continue to spread across multiple states and vaccination coverage remains below federal public health targets.

Johns Hopkins University’s International Vaccine Access Center reported 2,077 confirmed measles cases nationwide as of May 29. Researchers warned that outbreaks reported across the country have raised concerns about continued transmission, additional hospitalizations and deaths, and the possible loss of the nation’s measles elimination status.

Public health experts have long viewed measles as a warning sign because of its ability to spread rapidly through communities with lower vaccination coverage. The New York Times reported that physicians increasingly fear the resurgence of measles may be followed by the return of other vaccine-preventable diseases.

Doctors say that is already happening.

Dr. Meghan Hofto, a pediatric hospitalist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said she has already treated roughly as many children with rotavirus this year as she saw during the previous decade. Rotavirus once caused tens of thousands of hospitalizations annually before vaccines sharply reduced its spread. None of the children she treated this year had been vaccinated.

Hofto also described caring for infants with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.

“It’s hard to know when they’re safe to go home,” Hofto told The Times.

The rise in whooping cough cases has been particularly striking. More than 28,000 cases were reported nationwide last year, compared with approximately 7,000 in 2023, according to figures cited by The Times. Many of the affected infants were too young to receive vaccinations themselves and relied on broader community protection to reduce their exposure.

Other doctors described similarly troubling cases.

Dr. Jessica Kirk, a pediatric hospitalist in Alabama, recently treated an unvaccinated toddler hospitalized with pneumonia caused by simultaneous infections of Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Vaccines exist to protect against both illnesses. The child required oxygen and antibiotics to recover.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have been tracking vaccination trends nationwide and found continuing signs of vulnerability.

At the same time, vaccine policy has become increasingly contentious in state legislatures.

Johns Hopkins researchers reported that lawmakers across the country continue to introduce bills affecting childhood vaccination requirements, vaccine access and non-medical exemptions. Researchers also noted that state policies governing exemptions remain a significant factor in vaccination coverage and disease transmission risks.

Physicians have said vaccine skepticism has expanded beyond childhood immunizations. Doctors also reported growing resistance to other preventive treatments.

For doctors confronting the return of illnesses that vaccines once pushed to the margins of American medicine, the challenge is becoming increasingly personal.

“It just feels like you’re a tiny little boat with a giant tidal wave coming at you,” Dr. Erin Charles, a regional pediatric hospitalist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, told reporters. “And you might convince one family here and there.”

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Community

Asm. Isaac Bryan’s Environmental Reparations Bill Passes on Assembly Floor

“All this bill does is allocate resources from that repair fund and direct cash assistance to families that have had negative health impacts as a result of living next to that oil field,” said Bryan during remarks on the Assembly floor.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On May 26, the California State Assembly passed legislation to provide direct financial assistance to families harmed by pollution from a major urban oil field in South Los Angeles.

Assembly Bill (AB) 1661, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), cleared the Assembly floor with a 44-10 vote after lawmakers concluded debate on the measure.

The bill would direct money from a community repair fund toward families who suffered negative health effects from living near what Bryan described as the state’s largest toxic urban oil field. The repair fund was created under legislation approved two years ago that shut down the oil field and required polluters to contribute financially to community recovery efforts.

Bryan called the proposal “the largest environmental reparations opportunity for South LA” and told lawmakers the bill had not received opposition during the legislative process.

The legislation is part of California’s broader push to address environmental justice concerns in communities historically exposed to industrial pollution. South Los Angeles residents and environmental advocates have long raised concerns about health risks associated with oil drilling operations near homes, schools and parks.

Supporters say the measure represents a new approach to environmental accountability by ensuring that communities affected by pollution directly benefit from funds collected from responsible companies.

After debate concluded, Assembly leadership opened the roll call vote, and the measure passed with majority support from lawmakers.

AB 1661 now moves to the Senate for further review.

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Activism

Rep. Kamlager-Dove Introduces Bill to Protect Women in Custody After Reports Detailing Miscarriages and Neglect

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

Published

2 months ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) on May 7, reintroduced updated legislation aimed at strengthening protections and healthcare standards for pregnant and postpartum women held in federal custody, including in immigration detention facilities.

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

The legislation builds on a bipartisan version previously passed by the House during the 117th Congress. The updated bill includes new standards for healthcare access, mental health and substance use treatment, high-risk pregnancy care, family unity protections and increased federal oversight.

“Proper pregnancy care is a human right, regardless of your immigration or incarceration status,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody.”

The bill would also limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women, improve data collection on maternal health in custody and require additional staff training and enforcement measures.

Supporters of the measure said the legislation is intended to address long-standing concerns about maternal healthcare and safety in detention settings, particularly for Black women and low-income women who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and health disparities.

“Pregnant women in custody should never be subjected to dangerous and inhumane treatment that threatens their health, dignity, or the well-being of their babies,” said Patrice Willoughby, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the NAACP and a longtime public policy and government affairs strategist, in a statement.

A 2021 report estimated there are about 58,000 admissions of pregnant women into U.S. jails and prisons each year. Kamlager’s statement also cited a recent investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law that identified allegations of severe mistreatment or medical neglect involving at least 54 pregnant women or families in county jails between 2017 and 2024.

Federal policy under the Department of Homeland Security restricts the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants except in extreme cases. However, the agency reported that ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, including 16 recorded miscarriages during that period.

The bill is cosponsored by several House Democrats and backed by organizations including the NAACP and the Vera Institute of Justice.