ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) - An Escondido CrossFit class got quite a nasty surprise when they went outside for their workout, Wednesday. They found human feces.
The owner of Boombox CrossFit North, Brittani Ramirez, said she was in shock when she heard over the phone, "I didn't believe her; I was like no, we get dogs back there all the time, like I'm sure it was just a stray dog."
When she looked back at their security footage, it showed a man walking up to the back door, wiggling the handle, then walking to the corner of the lot, pulling down his pants and defecating.
The footage showed it was 3:30 p.m., just an hour before class started.
"One of my amazing members Lacey stepped in, she gloved up, got some trash bags, she got some bleach, and Katie, one of my coaches, the two of them handled the business," Ramirez said.
A health concern for everyone involved.
Ramirez said this isn't her first unpleasant experience with homeless, she said they've been stopping in over the three years Boombox has been open.
"They walk in and they see it's obviously very different in here but still a lot of them are mentally ill or on drugs so they don't quite understand," Ramirez said before she bought the building, it was a redevelopment center for homeless and convicts. The former facility was there for more than 30 years.
Ramirez hopes the city can do something to help them. At the gym, she's planning to lock the gate each day to make sure there is no more unwanted surprises.
The Deputy City Manager, William Wolfe, said the city's reunited 50-60 homeless people with their families who are now caring for them. He said he is meeting with local business owners Thursday night to talk about forming a homeless task force. He said the city already has a Quality of Life Team, made up of local leaders to address these issues and seek out solutions. If a business owner has an issue with homeless, Wolfe said they should call him.
Ramirez opened Boombox after rediscovering her love for fitness. She played basketball, volleyball and softball in her youth and after having children she wanted to rekindle that fire. Her gym is named after their empowering music that is often flowing through the open doors.
Ramirez said the gym is a labor of love, adding members helped her paint the gym and build equipment.
