A Small Business Begins Protest After Governor Ever’s Safer at Home Order Extended

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The newly owned business 6th Gear protested Governor Evers’ extended Safer at Home Order by opening the restaurant and bar in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Over 100 motorcyclists started the protest by gathering at 6th Gear, then continued by joy riding around the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Over 100 motorcyclists came back into 6th Gear after riding around Wisconsin’s State Capital in Madison, WI.

6th Gear opened in January 2020 and is owned by Joel Posthuma. The main reason for the reopening of the bar and restaurant, despite the state orders, is because they believe as a small business it is against their constitutional rights to be closed for this amount of time.

Around 200 individuals from Beaver Dam and Dodge County gathered at 6th Gear to not only protest but celebrate a social atmosphere again. Many of the individuals were happy to finally be out of the house and they were ready to take a stand against the the government. The restaurant and bar has received no federal or state funding through this pandemic. This has resulted in no income for 6th Gear or its employees.

Photo of sister Jeanine Krueger and Janet Fulwilar

“I’ve gone eight weeks with no employment and this is my only source of income,” said manager Christopher Schmidt. “The owner can’t afford to pay our wage right now because we are trying to keep the business surviving during this shut down.”

Schmidt spoke on why the business decided to reopen today, saying they want the government to finally acknowledge that small business are struggling through this pandemic.

Many small businesses within Wisconsin have either closed or shut down for the time being because of the pandemic. This made protestors at 6th gear furious because big business such as Walmart and Menards are still open to the public.

The motorcyclists arrived at 6th Gear and lined up purposefully along the highway so drivers would see the social gathering taking place.

“We are here today because we want to support Joel and other small businesses that are struggling,” said protestor and motorcyclist Anthony Soblewski. “If the big stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Menards are open, there is no reason people can’t come here, keep their distance, and have a drink.”

Many of the protestors spoke on the mental health of individuals during COVID-19. They want small businesses to start slowly opening up again because people need social and human connection.

Citizens of Beaver Dam and Dodge County attended the 6th Gear Event.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt came to 6th Gear around 12 p.m. to investigate the situation. After Schmidt left, manager Christopher Schmidt said “The police aren’t shutting us down, but we need to practice social distancing.” Something notable is when people arrived to 6th Gear, an employee gave hand sanitizer to every individual who came in and out of the restaurant and bar.

The owner of the 6th Gear gear Joel Posthuma made his final statement at the event and said, “I hope our event sends a message to the government, and they start to open small business back up.”