A gym owner in Atlanta, Ga. has removed an obscene sign outside of his business that said "no f**king cops" after receiving backlash, although he still stands by the sign's message.
Jim Chambers, who took responsibility for the sign, posted it outside of his east side Atlanta gym, EAV Barbell Club, according to NBC affiliate 11Alive News.
The full sign read, "Rules: Do whatever the hell you want, correctly, except CrossFit cultism. No f**king cops."
Military veterans took notice of the sign and reported it to media outlets.
Chambers said that his gym has always had a 'no cop' policy because the presence of law enforcement made minority clients uncomfortable.
"We've had an explicitly stated 'no cop' policy since we opened, and we also don't open membership to active members of the military," Chambers said. "American police are really just an entity that they serve capitalism and they serve white supremacy, and that's the way we see that."
Chambers, a lifelong political activist, said he took down the sign because he "didn't want the other folks there to take the heat that I'm willing to take."
"It was really just that the vulgarity in that sign that seems to bring it out for people," he added.
But Chambers stands by the gym policy and plans to put the sign back up without the foul language.
Chambers said that cops would only be able to enter the gym if they had a warrant but said the gym is not breaking any laws. He made sure to note that he would not need the help of law enforcement in the future.
The Atlanta Police Department would not comment on the policy but said the sign would not stop them from responding to an emergency at the gym.