If you have a membership with a particular corporation, it pays to know where your money goes. Recently, a leaked memo went viral concerning what Crunch Fitness employees are supposed to do when ICE arrives at one of their facilities. What one Texas man heard about the business he gave his money to didn’t sit well with him. He decided to take matters into his own hands and cancel his membership as a way to boycott the company.
With ICE involvement throughout the U.S., many companies are taking a stand either in support of or against immigration enforcement. As a result, people are putting their money where their mouth is. In some cases, this means boycotting a company they’ve been loyal to for many years. TikToker Emi (@emichavez) shared a video of himself cancelling his Crunch Fitness gym membership in Texas. Why? A memo was leaked showing that employees at Crunch should comply with law enforcement officials under any circumstances. As the memo states, “Follow orders” when it comes to ICE raiding Crunch facilities.
In a statement made by Crunch, the company claims not to be in ‘partnership’ with immigration officials. They stated, “Our intent was preparedness and safety, not partnership or participation.” However, the wording sounded suspicious to many, including Emi. Therefore, he decided to take action on his own.
In Emi’s video, he approaches the front desk. He says, “I heard ya’ll support ICE.” Eli tells them he no longer wants his membership. The employee tells him, “We don’t partner with ICE; we’re not a whole corporation.” However, Emi says he saw the leaks and believes the company supports the raids. He moves forward with canceling his membership. When he leaves and walks through the parking lot, he says, “It’s so sad because I really did love that gym.” Though that specific Irving, Texas, location doesn’t support ICE, Emi remains iffy about the company, saying they don’t support ICE even as they want workers to comply with the organization. That’s enough for him to cancel and put his money toward companies that outwardly reject ICE.
One commenter pointed out, “In that leak, Crunch specified to NOT hide even their own employees during an ICE raid. They don’t care about nobody, not even the people bringing them in money. I hope more people see this video and feel inspired to do the same!” Another commenter said, “Love seeing companies get what they voted for.” Others pointed out that the YMCA or having your own home gym are other options, so there’s no lack of exercise for those in need of a new workout situation.
