KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center posted to Facebook, saying the two people at the center of a confrontation have met again in person. The business says both people "regret what transpired." The Facebook post is the latest statement from the fitness center after one of its members said another member made racially charged comments towards him.
Fort Sanders' full post about the two men meeting in person is below.
Update 2/19/2020:
An investigation has been launched to find out what happened to a scientist who said he was discriminated against at the Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center on Wednesday night.
In a new statement released on Monday the center said it is in the process of speaking to everyone involved.
"Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center is continuing our internal inquiry related to a recent incident between two members of our facility.
We have asked Dr. Vinit Sharma to meet in person for further discussion as a follow-up to our initial meeting with him. We have also talked directly with the other member involved and we have interviewed several witnesses.
As we work to conclude our investigation, maintaining a welcoming environment for all our patrons, guests and team members remains our top priority."
In an interview with 10News, Sharma said community members made the petition on his behalf, but he wanted people to know that it was not just about him -- it was about all people who have ever been discriminated against.
"Humanity is the larger ground, this will help cover that this is not for me this is for everyone who looks different," he said. "Treat people the way you want to be treated."
Original Story:
Dr. Vinit Sharma said he was working out at the Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center in Knoxville when a man threw his things on the ground, and launched racial tirades at him.
The subsequent response from Fort Sanders Health and Fitness, he said, was inadequate and disappointing.
A petition was then launched on the website change.org.
“I just want them to explain to people what happened and that it is not okay," Dr. Sharma told 10News in a statement.
In the petition, Dr. Sharma is seeking a statement from the health club condemning the February 12 incident. He is also requesting the club include language in their new membership contract, which stipulates that discrimination at the facility will not be tolerated.
"I said something because I don't want it to happen to anybody else," Dr. Sharma told 10News over the phone. "There were some people who saw it happen who were in the locker room too."
The petition originally called for 2,500 signatures, but soon surpassed that goal. It now has space for 5,000 signatures, and has been signed by 2,910 people.
"YOU KNOW YOU ARE A MINORITY"
Dr. Vinit Sharma said the discrimination he experienced at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center was unlike anything he had seen after eight years of living in the United States.
In the change.org petition, Sharma said he entered the health club that evening to begin his routine workout and kept a few belongings on a bench.
A man was sitting on the other side of that bench and, Sharma wrote, became aggressive.
"As soon as I placed my belongings on one corner of the bench, this person threw my phone, keys and other stuff on the floor," Sharma said.
Upon seeing his things on the ground, Dr. Sharma said he tried to engage the person in conversation, to try and see what motivated him to do that.
He found the man in the locker room where, Sharma said, the situation escalated.
"As soon as he saw me, he started saying, 'I did that to you. you people deserve that.' He started abusing me; mother *******, sand n*****, son of a ***** and calling me names," Sharma said in the petition. "His remark was 'you know you are a minority.' He was so angry that could have harmed me."
The man then began approaching him, at which point Sharma said he left to find a facility manager.
According to the change.org petition, Dr. Sharma contacted the front desk and reported the incident to a shift supervisor, who called security.
"As the group searching for the man circled back to the lobby, people who witnessed the incident told the supervisor about this guy," Dr. Sharma said in the change.org petition. "The supervisor confirmed that she had identified that person."
Dr. Sharma said he then left his contact information with that supervisor and said someone would get back to him.
Accoridng to the petition after having worked in the United States for nearly a decade as a mentor, teacher and researcher to diverse populations, the encounter crushed him.
"I left, but couldn't control my emotions. I felt like crying - actually I did cry - and came home," Sharma wrote.
Sharma said after a sleepless night, he returned to the health club the next morning seeking answers about what happened.
On top of the discrimination he faced at the facility just 24 hours prior, the health club's response further shocked and saddened him.
"ARE YOU PLANNING TO COME BACK?"
Dr. Sharma said he explained the incident to a facility manager that next day, explaining that he did not feel like returning to the health club after the incident.
As he turned to leave, Dr. Sharma said the manager then asked him a question.
"He asked, 'Are you planning to come back?' I was surprised with these questions, and when I understood his concerns I told him, 'If you see his as a solution I will stop coming here, but I will let other people know about this."
The manager's response, he wrote, was biting.
"'We have 11,000 people," he said. "All I wanted was for them to issue a strong statement condemning the incident but that request was falling on deaf ears," Sharma wrote.
At the time of publication, the Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Club did issue the following statement to 10News. That statement was shared on the Fort Sanders website, Facebook, and a spokesperson confirmed it will be sent to all members.
Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center strives to provide a safe, inclusive and positive environment for those who use our facilities and services, and we work to maintain a welcoming space for all patrons and guests.
Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center does not tolerate racist, hateful, abusive or threatening language or behavior, or threats of physical violence. We take very seriously any allegations or reports of behaviors that do not follow this policy. We have launched an internal inquiry regarding the report of a recent incident involving two members at our facility.
Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex. If any member or guest believes they have experienced discrimination or has felt unsafe in our facility, we ask them to report it so that we can investigate their concerns.
My name is Dr. Vinit Sharma and I am a Computational Scientist at UT/ORNL Joint Institute for Computational Sciences, Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, TN.
It’s been over 8 years since I moved to the United States. For all these years, I kept growing my awareness and appreciation of cross-cultural, cross-continental understanding continually . As a student, researcher, mentor, teacher, collaborator, I worked with a diverse population and learnt to be accepting of others and respect not only individuals but also the views of each and every individual regardless of race, gender, disability. I believe that working/interacting with diverse individuals is helpful not only for the individual, but for the institution and for overall society.
Knoxville prides itself on having a diverse population from more than 100 countries and I never ever thought I would experience what I recently did.
On Wednesday (Feb. 12th, 2020), for the first time in my 8 years of living in the United states I was the victim of a hate incident at a place which also entertains a diverse population a “Health and fitness club”. The name of the facility is Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center in Knoxville, TN.
I believe a fitness club is the place where you can find diversity in all aspects. Moreover, It’s the place where most of the visitors spent at least 1-2 hours on a daily basis.
That evening as always I entered the health club and before starting my routine work out, I kept my few belongings on a bench. A gentleman was already sitting on the same bench. As soon as I placed my belongings on one corner of the bench, this person threw my phone, keys and other stuff on the floor. When I saw my stuff on the floor, I tried to talk to him. My intention was to know why he did this. I found this person in locker room. As soon as he saw me, he started saying, “I did that to you. you people deserve that” he started abusing me; mother *******, sand n*****, son of a ***** and calling me names. His remark was “you know you are minority”. He was so angry that could have harmed me. As He started approaching me I was concerned for my safety and at that point I asked him that we talk to the facility manager.
I immediately contacted the front desk and reported this incident to the shift supervisor. The Supervisor called the security. Security went to look for this guy with me in the locker room, but he was not there. When we came back to lobby, people who witnessed this incident told the supervisor about this guy. The supervisor confirmed that she had identified the person. She asked me to leave my contact information and said someone will get back to me. I left but couldn’t control my emotions. I felt like crying (actually I did cry) and came home.
Honestly, I couldn’t sleep that night. Next day, first thing in the morning I went to the health club to report this incidence to the manager. The response I got from him was shocking at the same time is was very disappointing. I explained the incident to him and mentioned that honestly, after this incident I don’t feel like coming here again. He said he is sorry about the incident and will get back to me by evening or within 24 hours. Finally, when I was leaving, he asked “Are you planning to come back?”. I was surprised with this question and when I understood his concerns, I told him “If you see this as a solution I will stop coming here, but I will let other people know about this”. “We have 11,000 members”, he said. By this time, I was at the door of his office, I turned around and came back. All I wanted was for them to issue a strong statement condemning the incident. But that request was falling on deaf ears.
It’s been almost 48 hours, since this incident occurred and I am still shaking inside & out.
This is serious, not because this happened to me. But this can happen to anyone who looks different. To feel the threat, you don’t need to experience it most of the times, just watching such situations unfold can do the damage. Specially in a place where individuals of all age groups including old people, kids, pregnant ladies are present. These kinds of incidents can be traumatizing for everyone.
I used to read about similar incidents and used to think “the world is full of nice, humble, caring people” why one should care about these people. You encounter them once in a while, most of the time for not more than 5-10 minutes. Compare to good people around you these are very few in count. But a personal encounter to the situation was a different experience all together. Now I know how it feels. These 5 -10 minutes can make a big difference. It’s very difficult to find the words to express my emotions. I am asking that you join me to call of action. Through this entire incidence what has been the most discouraging is the way the management at the fitness center have handled the situation.
My requests to the Fort Sanders management are as follows:
* Issue a strong statement condemning the incident that occurred on Wednesday February 12 at the health club. Statement to be circulated to the entire membership to assure all members that the health club welcomes all individuals irrespective of their ethnicity, race, culture, sexual orientation or religion.
* Include language in their new membership contract that any acts of discrimination based on ethnicity, race, culture, sexual orientation or religion will not be tolerated at the health club and serious actions will be taken against any individual exhibiting discriminatory behavior towards other members.
Please make your voices heard by signing this petition so the management team at Fort Sanders Heath and Fitness club hears us loud and clear that acts as such will not be tolerated in our community.