Tense confrontation between CorePower Yoga staff and customers in Minneapolis goes viral after they removed anti-ICE signs

The patrons repeatedly pressed the employees to explain why the company had not publicly condemned ICE’s presence in the city, particularly questioning why an anti-ICE sign in the studio’s window had been removed.

“Give us answers, let’s go … let’s hear it — why are you being silent?” Anderson says from behind the camera, which focuses on a visibly flustered staffer.

As the video continues, Anderson raises her voice and demands a response, saying the company should have been prepared with “well-rehearsed corporate action and words.”

“Let’s hear it, Delaney, loud and proud,” Anderson said to the blonde employee, punctuating her remarks with profanity as other customers snapped their fingers in apparent support.

The staff member appears to struggle to respond amid the pressure, while another person in the crowd adds, “The silence is deafening.”

A CorePower Yoga spokesperson told The Independent that the two employees behind the desk were not corporate staff, but a studio manager and a regional director who were on site to support the local team, help ensure staff felt safe following recent tragic events in Minneapolis, and avoid class cancellations.

As the visibly stressed “Delaney” tries to pause the exchange, Anderson doesn’t allow it, demanding her to “be loud with CorePower corporate’s answers,” accusing the two women of coming to the studio “to silence teachers.”

“Let’s f****** go! What do you gotta say? Louder, Delaney!” Anderson urges, before shifting her attention to the other woman behind the desk.

“Person in the glasses, you have a good answer? Delaney can’t seem to cough it up,” she added.

“Well, I mean, we’re being berated right now,” the other woman replies, further angering Anderson.

“You’re not being berated — you’re being asked hard questions … berating is what our neighbors are living through,” Anderson yells, before demanding to know whether the employees are going to “put the ICE sign back on the front door.”

“Is that the ask?” an employee responds, sending another patron into an emotional speech.

An unidentified customer, who accused CorePower of being complicit by staying silent on events in Minneapolis, angrily condemned the company’s actions as unacceptable and declared the group can take their business elsewhere, drawing applause from the crowd.

A CorePower Yoga spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that the original anti-ICE sign was removed and replaced with one that includes standardized signage across that is consistent across all of its studios, stating that law enforcement and ICE may only enter with a valid judicial warrant.

In response to the viral incident, CorePower temporarily paused the memberships of attendees as a precaution. More than half of the affected students have since had their memberships reinstated following one-on-one conversations, with others still pending contact.

Anderson was the only individual whose membership was fully terminated, the spokesperson said.

In a statement to The Independent, a company spokesperson said, “CorePower Yoga studios are meant to be safe, welcoming spaces that foster mindfulness, belonging, and respect for all who wish to practice yoga. We do not condone the violent ICE raids, and we have distributed signage across our studios. We respect peaceful activism and individuals’ rights to expression.”

“Over the weekend, an incident occurred at one of our Twin Cities studios. We have a responsibility to protect the safety of our teachers and students. We recognize that this impacted some students who did not engage, and we have since spoken directly with those students and reversed those decisions. We are committed to finding ways to best support our communities during this devastating time,” the statement concluded.

As for Anderson, she said she does not regret how she handled the now-infamous interaction.

“What I said in that video landed,” Anderson told the Post. “When that happens and the other party doesn’t want to engage with a learning stance — there’s a self-preservation stance — then they just dismiss you. They have more power than me, they have a corporation behind them — I am easy to swat away.”