CitCo Shuts Down Body 2000 for Failing to Pay Trade License

Body 2000 Gym members were kicked out in the middle of their work-out this evening. City Council personnel and police rolled up at the popular and biggest exercise spot on Coney Drive to shoo out the members and to close down the shutters. So, who’s at fault here? Should management be blamed for the inconvenience or is CITCO being too harsh? Well, from what we saw, the document issued today says that Body 2000 doesn’t have a trade license. The media spoke with two of the gym members who weren’t so happy about the situation.

Geovanni Brackett

Geovanni Brackett, Member, Body 2000

“First time I’ve been adapting to a gym and actually getting use to the gym lifestyle, but I was shocked today when I came here; I got off work a bit early and when I came here I saw a bunch of police officers. I’m not sure if they have guns, but they came really and just frightened the young lady from here with City Council workers to close down the gym. Body 200 mien is not like a bank that makes millions and when I had a brief talk with the owner just before I started and when I heard, the taxation was ridiculous. I’m not sure what are the background details Monica and Andrea; if they have talks to work out something with the gym. I just saw them presenting a letter to the receptionist and she looked spooked after reading the letter…whatever information was told to her and she came upstairs. I saw them looking around. There were about ten people upstairs and a few more downstairs. This gym can probably hold about well over sixty or fifty people if we had people who had their finances to come. But if you notice a lot of young people were here.”

Andrea Polanco

“Mr. Varela; you are a member of the gym, you are always here. Tell us…do you know if any notice or notices to the owner were given before? Do you know anything?”

Omar Varela

Omar Varela, Member, Body 2000

“Well I’m not sure about the legalities given to the owners, but when this happens like every day. When they starts this happens every day for a month; because last year the same thing happen. They come in every day and they are adamant about it; they come in and they kick you out. And they even threaten you…they tell you if you go back, you are committing a crime and they will charge you, which is what they told the receptionist earlier. They told her if you do not get these people out, we will charge you guys. They are rough and tough about it and they don’t give you a chance; they just rush you out and it is a big inconvenience to us that pay our gym fees cause it is not cheap.”

Andrea Polanco

“Did the owners ever express to you guys what’s happening, like what’s the problem?”

Omar Varela

“No, they have never debriefed us on what’s happening in terms of with the City Council or whatever. They just ask us if we can cooperate and stuff like that.”

Andrea Polanco

“Now this has happened before. Would you say that your problem or issue with it is with the management and the ownership and perhaps not with the people who are closing it down?”

Omar Varela

“Well I can’t really say much about that cause I don’t really know what’s going on. I don’t know if it is something on the manager’s part or they are attacking him for unknown reasons. But it is really taking a toll on us because we are considering changing gym and I don’t want to do that because I’ve been here for three years. I am loyal to this gym and I don’t want to just pick up and leave, but if we have to do that, we have to do that because we are wasting our monies.”