A Seattle gym owner decided to ban a white nationalist leader after discovering he was training at his facility.
Kyle Davis says he recently learned that Greg Johnson was being trained at the Fremont neighborhood gym he co-owns, NW Fitness Project.
"We were tipped off to a website that said this extreme White Nationalist leader is in town. This is where he lives, and this is where he was seen to train, naming us, and that definitely startled us," said Davis. "We felt that his extreme views on his platforms would make others feel very unsafe and uncomfortable."
Davis approached the trainer that had been working with Johnson, and the trainer agreed to sever ties with his client.
"We chose to disallow him from the premises," said Davis.
The Stranger reported the story in February.
Davis says on Tuesday some negative comments and one-star ratings were posted about his business on Yelp and on NW Fitness Project's Facebook page. Davis says he also received 15 calls on his personal cell phone, and some threatening messages were left on his voice mail; however, he has received positive feedback too.
"The community really had a wonderful groundswell of support, and we received about 150 five-star reviews in a 24 hour period from everybody that trains here," said Davis.
Greg Johnson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
