Sturgis Police prepare for 81st Rally
By Deb Holland, Black Hills Pioneer Aug 4, 2021
Sturgis Police prepare for 81st Rally
Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater is pictured with a poster that will be placed in each of the bars in the downtown area concerning open container during this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Pioneer photo by Deb Holland

STURGIS — As if the convergence of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts in Sturgis for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally wasn’t enough for Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater to deal with, two additional concerns have been added to the mix this
year – open container and medical marijuana.

“It’s definitely going to be a concern,” VanDewater said of the open container. “The more alcohol that is consumed, the more potential for problems.”

The chief said that upwards of 90% of the time when law enforcement deal with the general public, it involves alcohol.

“We’re making it easier for them (Rallygoers) to consume alcohol, not only in the establishments, but while they are walking around downtown,” he said.

The Sturgis City Council in May approved an open container resolution valid for one year allowing beer and wine to be consumed in an area spanning about 24 blocks in downtown Sturgis.

The open container zone is from the Sturgis Vets Club on the east to the Sturgis Community Center on the west, and from Sherman Street on the south to Dudley Street on the north during nine days of the Rally.

VanDewater said he and his officers have been training for open container, abliet on a smaller scale, throughout the summer during Music on Main in downtown Sturgis. He believes educating the bar owners and patrons on what is allowed in open container
cups and where that can be consumed are critical to the success of the program.

“In a small event like Music on Main, we still had issues where they were not in the proper cups. They were bringing hard liquor out, or they were coming out in non-approved containers and drinking in bottles or cans instead of the event cups,” he
said.

The police have met with bar owners to talk about the upcoming Rally and offered training on selling the event cups. The city has also created point-of-purchase placards which explains the cost of the cup and where the purchaser can consume the contents.

“We’re putting it back on them (bar owners and employees) to be proactive in trying to keep people from leaving their establishments with an open container. Ultimately it is their responsibility to be in compliance with the resolution,” VanDewater
said.

The Rally open container plan consists of allowing an open container, for beer and wine, within the downtown area, provided that consumption be restricted to a city special-event cup (which the city would produce and sell for $10) by an individual whose
ID has been checked and has been provided a wrist band (provided and checked by the city or partners). Per the resolution, open container would be allowed for a nine-day period from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day.

Money collected through the sale of cups would be placed in an endowment by the city. Interest in that fund would annually be donated to the Sturgis Rally Charities Foundation to be distributed among local non-profits.

The city resolution also contains language which allows the Sturgis police chief to make a recommendation to halt the open container should things get out of hand.

Also on the chief’s radar is medical marijuana which is now legal in the state of South Dakota.

An ordinance passed by the city last month clarifies that even if someone has a medical card for marijuana, they cannot consume marijuana in a vehicle or any public space.


“It is still not legal for them to consume it in public,” VanDewater said.

Every year the police department deals with a large amount of drugs during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

“A lot of that is marijuana,” he said. “When you remove parking violations, alcohol and drug offenses seem to be our top arrests.”

VanDewater said it is hard to say if marijuana will be more prevalent at the Rally with the legality of medical cannabis.

“Everything is so new with this medical marijuana that not only are we struggling to learn, but so are the distributors and consumers,” he said.

This year’s Rally also could bring in members of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club. The number 81 a metonym. It stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet which is an H, and the first letter of the alphabet which is an A, HA = Hells Angels.

“They just had their run up in Red Lodge, (Montana), so I assume we will be seeing some,” VanDewater said. “But I’m not sure they have any major events here this year. The clubs are always in the back of our mind.”

The last confrontation among rival motorcycle clubs was in 2011 when a member of the Mongols and member of the Hells Angels were stabbed during a downtown Sturgis fight.

At about 8 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2011, police responded to a call of a fight at the Hells Angels clubhouse on Third Street just behind One-Eyed Jack’s bar.

“I’ve experienced it, but thankfully since I have been chief, it has been pretty calm,” VanDewater said.

The Sturgis police annually hire additional officers for the Rally, but this year realized they needed to raise the wage to fill the ranks.

“Wages have been a concern for years. We have lost people because our wages have not been that high. It’s tough to get anybody to work nowadays, let alone when you don’t pay them sufficiently,” VanDewater said. “It still needs to be more. With
the liabilities that we have. We need to make sure they are well paid while they are here.”

Some estimate that this year’s Rally could be as big as the 75th Rally which drew an estimated 730,000 Rallygoers.

“If it’s as big as the 75th, our numbers in town will be down because it is difficult to get in and out of traffic,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can only fit so many people in this town. We will be gridlocked with 200,000 or 700,000.
Hopefully it will be a good Rally for everyone.”

https://www.bhpioneer.com/local_news/sturgis-police-prepare-for-81st-rally/article_ee31ebf0-f53e-11eb-a236-6f796ed6347a.html

Will this be Superspreader event number 2?

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e1.htm

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-sparks-fears-of-super-spreader-event/

In Aug 2008 a member of the Iron Pigs MC a law enforcement MC shot a Hell's Angel in a bar during the Sturgis rally. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sturgis-bars-staff-sensed-trouble-before-shooting/ https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/
sturgis-bars-staff-sensed-trouble-before-shooting/

https://groups.google.com/g/seattle.general/c/t1TF4oV2FfA the media has lied about the lack of violence at Sturgis in the past most likely because tourists are money.

https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/biker-pleads-no-contest-to-rally-fight-can-avoid-jail-sentence/article_779d4e65-825b-5f70-ae45-7d91c1797f7a.html the Hell's Angel shot by the off-duty Seattle cop and Wild Pigs officer at Sturgis 2008 pleaded no
contest and received a one year suspended sentence. The law enforcement officer Ronald Smith was acquitted on the grounds of self defense he shot Joseph P. McGuire twice including once in the abdomen.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/seattle-police-guild-president-says-he-quit-before-his-board-tried-to-fire-him/ Officer Smith was at one time head of the Seattle Police officers union.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-smith-b930739 he is still a Seattle cop.

Oh wait according to this police website he is actually retired what a liar. https://www.policemag.com/559080/antifa-and-other-protesters-set-up-camp-outside-seattle-police-precinct.

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