Denise's case also highlighted something important about standing up for your rights. She wasn't a lawyer. She wasn't a professional activist. She was a state employee with a gym membership who recognized discrimination when she saw it and refused to accept it. She used the resources available to her, the authority of her position, and the weight of state law, and she held people accountable.
That's how change happens: not always through viral videos and public outrage, but sometimes through quiet determination and working within the system.
The former members who joined the class action lawsuit mostly moved on with their lives. Some used the settlement money for education, for bills, for savings; a few donated portions to civil rights organizations. One woman, who had been kicked out of Power Zone for "aggressive behavior" that security footage showed was just her doing an intense workout, used her $48,000 settlement to open a small personal training business. She specifically marketed to communities that had been excluded from mainstream gyms. Last anyone heard, her business was thriving.
David Kirkland declared bankruptcy two years after the judgment. The $840,000 settlement combined with the lost revenue from the gym closure destroyed him financially. He blamed Denise. He blamed the state. He blamed everyone except himself.
In an interview with a local podcast, Kirkland said the whole thing was blown out of proportion. He said he wasn't racist; he just wanted to "maintain a certain atmosphere" at his gym. He said people were too sensitive now, that businesses should have the right to serve whoever they want. He never understood. Even after losing everything, he never got it.
That's the real tragedy: not that he lost his business—he deserved that—the tragedy is that he went through an entire legal process, saw the evidence of systematic discrimination, heard testimony from people who had been hurt by his policies, and still couldn't see that he'd done anything wrong. Some people never learn. They go to their graves believing they were persecuted for having "standards," never recognizing that their standards were just bias dressed up in professional language.
Scott Hargreaves, the manager who had sent all those discriminatory texts, tried to find work after his conviction. He applied to several other gyms and fitness centers; none would hire him. His criminal record for civil rights violations made him unemployable in the industry. He eventually moved out of state and found work in retail management. He kept a low profile, avoided social media, and tried to rebuild his life. But people who worked with him said he still didn't seem to understand what he'd done wrong; he'd complain about cancel culture and political correctness without ever acknowledging the actual discrimination he'd participated in.
Daniel Crowley, the security guard, had a harder time. With a discrimination judgment against him and no other marketable skills, he struggled to find any work. He bounced between low-wage jobs, never staying anywhere long. He tried to get back into security work a few times, but background checks kept revealing the Power Zone case. Eventually, he left the area entirely, moving to a different state where fewer people knew about what happened.
Neither Scott nor Daniel ever apologized to Denise or any of the other people they discriminated against. Neither one ever publicly acknowledged that what they did was wrong. That's the thing about discrimination: the people who perpetrate it often don't see themselves as doing anything wrong. They see themselves as maintaining standards, protecting their business, doing their job. They don't see the harm they cause because they've convinced themselves their actions are justified.
Denise retired from the athletic commission last year after 19 years of service. She received a commendation for developing anti-discrimination inspection protocols that had been adopted by 23 states. At her retirement ceremony, she was asked what advice she'd give to people who face discrimination. She said this: "Document everything. Know your rights. Use the resources available to you. And don't walk away just because standing up is uncomfortable. Change doesn't happen when we stay quiet."