Citizen's Forum: Man Trespassed at Reno Rodeo Demands Refund, Clarity and Justice

The Reno Rodeo did not end well for one family, with one woman’s partner being handcuffed and led outside the rodeo grounds, and then sat down and interrogated inside a fenced off area, with screenshots from two videos shared by her with Our Town Reno.

As he is being walked away, a male law enforcement officer is heard saying “every gang associate, every gang member, every gang affiliate …” as a woman disputes that he is related to any gang.

They say this all happened in front of of their children, after they had all gotten tickets, had their wristbands and had entered the rodeo grounds without any issue until then. 

“After we had already entered the event and walked through the grounds, we were approached by members of the Gang Unit,” the trespassed man indicated today in a message relayed to Our Town Reno sent prior to the videos.

“I immediately informed the officers that I would comply with their instructions and leave. I respectfully asked why I was being required to leave after being admitted into the event. I was told that the Reno Rodeo was a private event and that I was trespassing. I questioned how I could be trespassing after legally purchasing admission, being allowed to enter, and already complying with their order to leave.

While I was in the process of leaving, one of the officers grabbed me, placed me in handcuffs, and escorted me to an area where I was detained and questioned before ultimately being released. Throughout the encounter, I repeatedly stated that I was already leaving as instructed and that I had not violated any laws or any rules of the event. I am a free citizen. I am not on parole or probation. Any mistakes I made in my past have already been addressed through the legal system, and I have completed my sentence. Today, I work seven days a week, support my family, and strive to live as a productive member of the community,” he writes.

“During this encounter, officers photographed my tattoos and documented me as a gang affiliate based on information from my youth. From my perspective, I was treated differently because of a historical gang classification rather than because of any conduct at the event. I also witnessed another individual, who was attending with his young daughter, being removed from the event under similar circumstances.

After being forced to leave, I requested a refund for the admission fees and wristbands that my family had purchased. My request was denied,” he added.

“I believe the Reno Rodeo should review the manner in which these removals were handled. If individuals are going to be denied entry based on predetermined criteria, those policies should be clearly disclosed before people purchase tickets and enter the event. Allowing families to pay for admission, enter the event, and then removing them without prior notice is, in my opinion, unfair and causes unnecessary embarrassment and financial loss.

I encourage anyone who experienced a similar situation to come forward and file a complaint with the Reno Rodeo. At a minimum, individuals who were required to leave after purchasing admission should be refunded. While private events may establish their own policies, those policies should be communicated openly and consistently before attendees pay for entry so families can make informed decisions.”

When asked if he was considering a lawsuit, he wrote back:  “We definitely want to … it was extremely humiliating, people were laughing, not knowing what was even happening. We’re hoping with more members of the community stepping up we can come together and get some justice for what happened.“

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