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Veteran says he was turned away at Tiki Bar & Grill

A man told Sebastian Daily that management from the Tiki Bar & Grill in Sebastian asked him to remove his vest because they violate their No Colors policy.

 

“So yesterday I was asked to take off my vest at the Tiki Bar in Sebastian. Apparently, they do not support Veterans or Values. Do not support this Business. God Bless America,” Jeff Gage told Sebastian Daily.

In August 2017, several Sebastian bars banned motorcycle colors and vests following an incident at Earl’s Hideaway Lounge with an individual and a biker gang. Since then, there’s been a controversy on whether Veterans can wear their vests, which most say does not break the rule.

Gage and others say there are no colors or gang-related patches on their vests. Gage wears a large “American Legion Riders Sebastian Chapter 189” patch, which is not a violent gang.

“You know us. The people who volunteer for nearly every event that goes on in the City of Sebastian. Show me one thing on this Vest that offends you or makes you feel uneasy. I’m really pissed. You haven’t heard the last of this story,” Gage said.

Sebastian Daily then reached out and spoke with the management at Tiki Bar & Grill. The management said they have a No Colors policy and that other bars in town have the same restrictions. Management said they spoke with Gage and explained this to him. The Tiki Bar & Grill fully supports the American Legion.

“We can’t ban one club from wearing a vest and allow another. Nobody is being discriminated against or refused service,” the management said in a statement.

The management also said they didn’t ask Gage to leave, but asked him to turn the vest inside out or leave it elsewhere.

Jeff Gage's American Legion vest.

Jeff Gage’s American Legion vest.

But Gage and several others say his vest has nothing to do with a biker gang.

Most veterans wear a leather vest to pay tribute to fallen comrades. The vests are usually covered in patches to display their service in the military. These vests do not make them a gang or dangerous to society.

When a local restaurant or bar tells a veteran that they are wearing colors, it becomes offensive because they are not in a violent gang.

According to several veterans, they feel insulted to be associated in any way with biker gangs or colors. Their vests are about service for their country.