The Case for Shutting Down Minocqua's July 4th Parade

And why it should be done in other towns around the country

Hi folks,

I’m writing to you this morning after announcing yesterday that I’m recruiting volunteers to peacefully disturb, delay, or shut down the Town of Minocqua’s upcoming July 4^th parade.

The rest of this piece will explain why I think doing this in Minocqua is a good idea, why I think it's a good idea to do this nationwide, and what I think needs to be done to pull it off (hint hint, need to recruit protesters).

First, why do I feel compelled to disrupt this little town’s July 4^th parade, after a bunch of civic groups and kids of all ages have already built their floats and practiced their marches?

In a word…discomfort.

I will not allow this town to comfortably celebrate its most important event of the year after it:

1. Repeatedly attempted to shut me down for zoning violations that no other business must adhere to.

   1. Forced me to build a parking lot where there was no space for one.

   2. Required me to have a retail permit when no other businesses in that same space were required to have one over the course of 30 years.

   3. Withheld easements needed to comply with county zoning codes so that we would be in non-compliance.

   4. Required parking lot directional arrows in my driveway which no other business is required to have.

2. Threw me in jail for criminal defamation last October, using a statute that shouldn’t exist given that defamation was decriminalized by SCOTUS in 1964 (Garrison v. Louisiana).

3. Arrested and jailed me and five of my patrons last Friday while we were in my beer garden (my property), where I was presenting a politically-infused beer tasting that I do every Friday/Saturday at the same time each week.

I swatted away the town/county’s continued zoning abuse through humor, public ridicule, and legal maneuvering. I ignored the criminal defamation case, knowing it would eventually be thrown out of court. However, after they arrested and jailed my patrons for simply cheering and jeering when I directed their attention towards publisher and local corruption ringleader Gregg Walker (after he "magically" appeared across the street during my planned speech), I decided that this was the last straw.

I saw an English teacher weeping as she was being led to a squad car with her hands zip tied behind her back. I heard she was treated similarly to me, which meant she was strip searched and forced to squat and cough so that they could discern whether she was hiding drugs in her rear end.

That image of her being so roughly treated after simply being a guest at my taproom was seared permanently into my brain, and I hurt knowing the trauma that she must now have to process.

I have written to the town board and county board chairman and have demanded the following two conditions be met before I cancel our July 4^th protest.

1. They must stop harassing my company and allow me to peacefully do business like every other business in town.

2. Sheriff Grady Hartmann must apologize to my customers who he illegally jailed and harassed.

But why protest the July 4^th parade instead of just sue in court?

1. Because the judges in Oneida County, the Scott Walker-appointed judges in Wisconsin’s 3^rd District Court of Appeals, the judges in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, and the judges in Wisconsin’s Western District Federal Court, have all shown that they are not capable of meeting this moment in American history, either through partisanship or a lack of courage. I no longer believe that my rights and the rights of my customers will be protected by judges in Wisconsin.

2. Because every leader in this town who has harassed my company and allowed my customers to be jailed will be marching in that parade; as well as Tom Tiffany, our Congressman who just voted to kick millions of Americans off of Medicaid and kids off of welfare; and our state legislators Rob Swearingen and Mary Felzkowski, who advocated to reduce state aid for childcare, public schools, and the university system. All of them must be forced to feel uncomfortable for what they’ve done.

Although I haven’t planned all the particulars of our protest, I’m envisioning that hundreds of us will simply form a circle around each of these politicians and local policemen, which will stop the parade, and ask them a few questions.

1. For the local politicians, we will ask why they’ve singled my company out for zoning violations which they’ve never used against other local businesses.

2. For the local policemen, we will asked them why they jailed innocent bystanders on my property.

3. For the state and federal politicians, we will ask why they think taking benefits away from the working class--benefits some need to survive—is necessary in order to make the wealthy even wealthier.

After we’ve peacefully encircled these three different groups of politicians and cops, we’ll sing a patriotic song to them—reminding them of what the 4^th of July is really all about.

Now, why do I think that what we plan to do in Minocqua should be repeated in other July 4^th parades around the country?

Because our Republican politicians refuse to hold town hall meetings and address the concerns of their constituencies. Why should they be allowed to walk in parades, comfortably waive to their voters, and puff out their chests in false patriotism when they hide from those who have every right to ask them tough questions?

I don’t think any of these local politicians, local policemen, or sate/federal politicians should feel comfortable this July 4^th.

Now, to pull this off, I’m gonna need some help, as you can imagine.

My statewide political organizer is helping me, but she'll need a few captains.

1. We need someone to map out the logistics of this parade. What is the route, where/when will the politicians/policemen be marching, and where should our protesters go so we can peacefully and safely protest?

2. We need someone to help figure out how to avoid getting arrested but still peacefully and safely stop the parade and make politicians/policemen uncomfortable. This person would probably be a lawyer.

3. If the police are heavy handed and arrest us, we’ll need someone to organize bail and help get us out of jail (our Super PAC will post bail for all protesters involved, so don’t worry about that).

4. We need volunteers to assist my statewide political organizer in giving direction to our protesters, and doing all the little things that she’ll figure out that I haven’t yet.

If you want to protest with us, please sign up by using this link so we can contact you.

That’s all I have for now.

I’ll be at the Minocqua Taproom later today to talk to potential protesters in person and answer any questions.

This is all very fluid, and if the town/county/police show any leadership skills whatsoever, or a modicum of human decency, then they’ll come to the table and talk with me—and hopefully we can protest in a less disruptive way.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company. Together, we have to fight for our rights, and that means we have to make the people infringing on our rights feel uncomfortable.

Kirk Bangstad
Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company
Founder, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC