Go to Article
Excerpt from townhall.com
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in New Jersey, made headlines during the pandemic for keeping his doors open despite orders from Gov. Phil Murphy to close all non-essential businesses. Everything the state threw at him—fines, arrests, revoking business licenses, doors closed, bank accounts wiped—none of it worked.
“No government official will ever tell me that I am not able to provide for my family,” he said in 2020. “I do not answer to public servants – no matter what threats or punishments they impose. I am a free man. I do not ask for permission. I do not ask for forgiveness. You work for us. The only way you’ll ever close these doors is when you close my casket.”
It took four years, but Smith has now been cleared of more than 80 charges related to his refusal to close the gym’s doors.
Several of the charges — which included violating a governor’s orders, operating without a mercantile license, creating a public nuisance and disturbing the peace — could have landed the duo in jail for six months, according to their attorney, John McCann of Oakland, New Jersey.
About The Author
