Entering the Magical Land of 5 Dog Books in Midtown Reno

On the outskirts of Midtown on Holcomb Ave is a muted yellow house with an abundance of arugula. The small off-white flowers cascade down the walkway. Like many homes in Midtown, this one has been converted into a shop. 

I sat down with the owner of the bookstore, Manuel Simpson. His home is what you would expect of a well-traveled collector — beautiful rugs and paintings sit on the walls, books and DVDs are stacked neatly.  Simpson is in his late 70s. I met him while working as a barista.

He is a little eccentric and very well-read. Every once in a while he would bring me a book or two while I worked and tell me which chapters to look forward to.  Simpson says he opened his bookstore in 1980, with rare books including on Nevada and local Native history.

He explained his sales tactics. “I’ve found and it may not be true anymore that the only way to get somebody to buy books was to make them feel guilty so when broaching a certain subject like Nevada Indians or the history of Pyramid Lake i would say … ‘you don't know this’ and they would buy the book. I couldn't make them feel guilty enough to read William Faulkner… so it’s simply a local reason,” he said.

Over the course of the pandemic, my own values shifted. Like many young adults, I desperately wanted to escape “local.” 2020 was supposed to be my year of travel. I intended to celebrate graduating high school with a trip to Guilin in Southern China. Sufficient to say I did not go. Instead I grew up a little, I embraced the sagebrush and landscape that surrounded me. I had become susceptible to his sales tactic.  

“I think other people oughta know what it is that’s going on where you live,” Simpson told me. “Wallace Stevens starts a little poem with the lines ‘I am what it is around me.’ And if we are what it is around us. Then we should know something about what is around us.”

I am admittedly very unfamiliar with Nevada history and our Indigenous culture. While I’ve made an effort to learn more over the past few years, much of it has not stuck. This unfamiliarity is what interested me most about this shop. When I asked to see it, Simpson warned me that it was a little messy. 

We walked between the yard connecting his home to the shop. It was full of arugula that had spread years and years ago. He picked some for me and with bundles of arugula in his hand told me his theory that older cultures must have come up with reincarnation after watching plants spread.  

After his quick tangent, he walked swiftly to the back porch of his store and set down the bundles. He moved a stack of chairs that had been blocking the door. Inside it was dusty. Bookshelves were full and numerous paintings, photographs and prints had been stacked upon them. 

The artwork caught my eye immediately. Dozens of sand paintings were scattered across the rooms, some no bigger than a palm and others the size of laptops. The sand paintings on display are art objects that have been created by placing colored sand on top of smooth uncolored sand to create designs. 

“They started doing sand paintings on boxes and other things,” Simpson explained unprompted. “But, I was told that the sand paintings in frames were sold by art galleries. The sand paintings without frames were sold by Indians themselves on a blanket on the street mostly in Arizona … Sand painting is basically a Navajo art that's where they were. These are mostly Yei,… the females have oblong faces and the males have round faces. These things used to be done on the ground. They would do sand paintings and it was used as a healing process for somebody who was sick and when the patient recovered they would destroy the sand painting.”

Simpson also showed me his collection of hand woven Seri baskets. He also has one small Paiute basket, handwoven out of fallen pine needles.

“I first started collecting baskets when I was [visiting] with a group of Indians in Northern Mexico called Seri Indians. They have been called by many people the wildest people on earth and I met some women accidentally and we made fun of one another for about five hours on a blanket. Then they decided to take me home with them which was two hours north on a dirt road and I started going down there,” he remembers. “I must have gone down there half a dozen different times and I would take them clothes and they would make me baskets and I loved it.”

The baskets are beautiful and intricate. Red, tan, and black fibers are woven to provide structure for their tapered shape. They are spaced out evenly and not crowded, so patrons and Manuel can appreciate their craftsmanship. 5 Dog Books is a special world onto its own, full of treasures with a curator unlike any other in Reno.

Our Town Reno Citizen’s Forum Contribution by Ariel Smith

County Clerk Candidacy Sparks Renewed Concerns

Whenever Kenji Otto has his hat in the ring for an elected or appointed local position, members of the community want others to know about his past racist Tweets they verify with previous screengrabs, some directed to Nevada alum and civil rights leader Colin Kaepernick, his overall aggressive political tactics and why he should not be chosen.

One resident wrote us: “I am a super worried resident in Washoe County that has been scared to speak up in fear of retaliation. However Kenji Otto is running for county clerk and this scares so many people. When he was on the North Valleys CAB, old tweets of his were brought to light and they are absolutely awful.”

We reached out to Otto and his campaign but didn’t hear back. His campaign website says he has “a History as a “Fixer” of government brokeness [sic].” His detractors point to a past of bullying and outrageous social media.

Two other Republicans have filed for the County Clerk position Randy Amestoy and current office holder Jan Galassini. Amestoy doesn’t have a website we could find, but Galassini has one which seems much more detailed per the nature of the clerk position. “Goals for the future include technological improvements, continuing to preserve historical records for future generations, creating document filing efficiencies, and improving digital access to all Clerk’s Office records,” is an example of her stated goals.

We emailed Galassini for comment on the Otto situation but didn’t hear back.

When he was on the North Valleys Citizen Advisory Board other community members pleaded for his removal for months, saying it was impossible to find any common ground with him.

At a June 2020 Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting, Jeanne Herman defended him, while also announcing his resignation. Herman is also on the Operation Sunlight right wing list of “Nevada candidates to support.”

“I found this gentleman to be extremely American,” Herman said of Otto at the time. “He is a half Japanese person and I never experienced any racist attitudes about him. He’s worked hard in doing what he did. He’s worked so hard that he had a stroke and now has resigned from the CAB and I think he’ll be a great loss and we’ll miss him.”

Another Republican on the Board Bob Lucey struck a different tone. Commissioner Lucey said there should be a way to remove appointed people from boards if it’s verified they have posted “things of intolerance on social media.” Democrats on the Commission Board backed Lucey in their own comments.

A recent post on the Say No to Creating an Unincorporated Town of Cold Springs on Facebook indicates: “Just a heads up, the main person that pushed to turn Cold Springs into an unincorporated town is now running for county clerk.  Those that have had a history with Kenji can vouch for why this is so alarming.  He is once again bringing up forming the unincorporated town out here on nextdoor, even after it failed miserably in Red Rock.  Please, for the sake of our county, Do not vote for Otto.”

Minutes from a July 2021 Washoe County meeting indicate: “Mr. Kenji Otto displayed a document, a copy of which was placed on file with the Clerk. He opined that Nevada had been taken over by the Marxist government. He believed the Nevada Democratic Party intended to replace elected officials with Marxists.”

He’s also been involved in efforts to turn Cold Springs into an unincorporated town, according to members of the community, repeatedly going door to door in this endeavor.

There were also public community comments in September 2020 when Otto had been put forward by the Herman camp to be on the Washoe County Board of Adjustment District 5, which has “responsibility for reviewing and approving variances and special use permits for the unincorporated portions of the county.”

In public comments, his intimidating conduct and racist social media were brought up again as his application was removed. With the backing of Operation Sunlight and the mobilization which was seen for Herman’s attempt to change local voting rules, seen by many as discriminatory, residents fear Otto might have a chance to win the clerk position at the ballot box.

Our Town Reno reporting, April 2022

Protesting Companies in Our Area Still Doing Business As Usual With Russia

Last week the Yale School of Management lists 131 companies in 28 countries which continue doing business as usual with Russia (https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-400-companies-have-withdrawn-russia-some-remain).  Of these at least 29 companies operate in the United States as the table below shows. Our objective is to let the companies know that continuing doing business with Russia will have a negative impact on their US business.

Among companies, which do business as usual with Russia (even with curtailed activity as explained in editor’s note below top photo) are Acer, Lenovo, Asus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Acer, Lenovo, Asus, Xiaomi and Huawei products are sold through major retailers’ stores in the US including Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Office Depot and Staples. Toyota and Mitsubishi sell their cars through their dealerships in the US. The hope is that protesting these retailers’ local stores and the local car dealerships in question would encourage them to put pressure on Acer, Lenovo, Asus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Toyota and Mitsubishi to end doing business with Russia.

Another aim of the protests is to raise awareness in our communities of the plight of the Ukrainian people and their struggle for democracy and freedom.

The proposal is to conduct protests by people displaying signs. The protests, lasting about 40 minutes each, would be held in front of Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, Office Depot and Staples stores as well as the Toyota and Mitsubishi dealerships in Reno/Sparks. Additional goal of the protests is to attract the attention of the local media, thus amplifying the protests’ message.

Hopefully, such protests would be replicated all across the country.

If you can help achieve this goal or have ideas on this matter, please contact VictoryToUkraine1@gmail.com

 Slava Ukraini!  (Glory to Ukraine!) 

Our Town Reno Citizen’s Forum Contibution from Joseph Hoshen, Sparks, Nevada, April 10, 2022

Repeated Concerns over the Treatment of Reno's Unhoused and Lack of Affordability in Pandemic Survey

In terms of personal changes, several people who responded to our survey said they were still working from home and for the most part enjoying it.  One respondent said they were less career oriented, with “lower risk, higher reward positions” making more sense. 

Some learned new skills and developed new hobbies, like stock trading or baking bread.  Others focused more on creative pursuits, such as music or taking longer walks with their dog.  Several said they became more selective in who they choose to spend time with, getting better at saying no to toxic relationships.  Several also said they had kids, and refocused their lives around their families and a healthier lifestyle. 

In terms of acute difficulties, members of our community reported worrisome debt,  stress and isolation, forced separation from family members, increased anxiety and taking anti-depressants.

Those working for tips reported lower wages, while those who had businesses said they were trying their best to keep going, despite short staffing, supply chain problems and inflation. 

Higher and higher rent  was largely the biggest complaint.  One respondent said they made an offer for a dream home at the very start of COVID but with the down payment equalling their entire nest egg, they pulled out due to uncertainty. “Now our rent keeps going up as does housing prices, becoming a homeowner no longer seems possible.”  The dream house was then bought by a landlord, they wrote.

One person said they lived in a motel and were just “waiting to get evicted like everyone else.” Another respondent said they moved three times over the span of the pandemic with rising rents and renovations affecting their decisions. Another had to “move and downsize as well as change roommates twice.”

In our section of how Reno and Washoe County are now helping the unhoused with millions of dollars of federal money at their disposal, responses showed alarm.

One respondent said the lack of better help was “almost criminal.”  Another called the Cares Campus “a kind of ‘passive’ genocide. Putting vulnerable people (many disabled) in a warehouse with wave after wave of communicable disease is not mere incompetence.”  Another called it “a no win situation,” while one respondent said there was “no care.”  Many said they had heard of problems or “major issues” at the Cares Campus and several said they wanted ongoing sweeps to stop. 

Some expressed frustration there were resources available but many weren’t seeking or getting help. 

“I could write a novel the length of Moby Dick about how frustrated I have become with the treatment of unhoused individuals. Not just by local government, but by the public as well,” another wrote. 

One person said they believed the pandemic had amplified the number of houseless.  One said “Reno used to be a kinder place a long time ago. But now it has a targeted aggressive plan to get rid of as many of the homeless as it can.”  

In terms of ideas to make Reno better, answers included housing for all, rent caps on apartments, higher local wages, a new highway for the Spanish Springs, Pyramid Lake area, safe camps, designated safe parking, “a more tolerable view of those in need,” universal basic income, better public transportation with expanded routes, as well as promoting cooperative ownership models.

Many stated expanding affordable housing as what should be the main focus, including for the elderly rather than “words and sell-out to developers.” 

To also help the unhoused, one respondent said there should be several more “fully equipped, safe and staffed shelters for the houseless,” as well as a mobile street mental health crisis team and “removal of anti human architecture and spaces.”

Our Town Reno Survey, March 2022

Mutual Aid Groups Prevented from Helping Outside Cares Campus

It seems volunteer donation and mutual aid groups are no longer allowed to serve around the Cares Campus.

We've received several reports of people being shooed away and told they weren't allowed there anymore.

We wrote to Washoe County officials, and got this message back from spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale: "We were receiving numerous calls from REMSA and RPD about the congested entryway blocking their ability to access the Cares Campus. So vehicles are no longer allowed to stop or park there. Volunteers could move elsewhere, but would need to check with City of Reno on where they are allowed to set up."

We wrote Reno Direct which told us to contact their media line. We've had no response there.

Any thoughts, or your own recent experiences you can share? #helpeachother #helpourneighbors #renomutualaid #renocarescampus

Wednesday, March 16th, after the above initial post was released, Reno’s media office indicated we need to leave voice mails in the future rather than text messages. They also included their own update: "To help protect pedestrians from traffic and ensure emergency vehicles can access the campus in the event of an emergency, the street in front of the Cares Campus must remain clear. Volunteers are permitted to assist inside the campus. Here is a link to the Washoe County website which provides volunteer opportunities at the Cares Campus and contact for food, clothing, and other donations: https://www.washoecounty.gov/homeless/Cares-Campus/community-engagement.php "

Current volunteer opportunities seem to be just lunch right now under official supervision within the 10:45-1 pm time frame. Any thoughts from mutual aid groups?

Our Town Reno Citizen’s Forum, March 2022

Reno’s Hostile Architectural Takeover

Around the country there are constant conversations of cities integrating what is known as “hostile architecture,” and Reno is no exception. Hostile architecture is an urban-design strategy used to purposely restrict behavior and often targets those that use public spaces more often than others, specifically the unhoused.

Many cities use hostile architecture as a way to drive the homeless from sleeping on benches or sitting in certain areas.

There are many forms of hostile architecture around the country from spikes to segmented benches and so much more. Reno specifically, really likes segmented or uncomfortable benches which can be found throughout downtown.

What people often seem to forget is that the homeless community within cities are still people. Real human beings who sometimes have no choice.

People often forget all it takes is one layoff, one increase in rent, one landlord to let you go before you find yourself homeless as well.

Research says over 50% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. That just shows how fragile things can be in our lives. Instead of spending money on hostile, blatantly obvious creations to deter the homeless we should be investing resources into how to help them. 

These people are mothers, fathers, people with degrees, family members - all who live complex lives. Deterring these people from existing in certain places to try to keep a certain “aesthetic” within the city should be questioned.

Photo Essay by Carly Olson shared with Our Town Reno

What is it like to cover the Unhoused Community in Reno? A 2021 Look Back by Richard Bednarski

As a longtime resident of Reno, I have been keenly aware of the unhoused ever since I first served food with Food Not Bombs nearly two decades ago. About 18 months ago, I began listening to their stories and in that time, not only has the amount of people living on the streets increased dramatically, but resources have dried up, affordable housing has gone by the wayside and covering the stories of the unhoused has become more difficult. 

In the past four years the population of the unhoused has increased by nearly 1000% according to official statistics (although their accuracy is always uncertain) while developers like Jacobs Entertainment have bought up and demolished many motels. These lodgings, though in poor shape, were often the last affordable place to live or the first for many people with bad credit and no savings. The motels have since been replaced with fenced empty lots and promises of an entertainment district.

This past year, local officials also proudly opened up the $17 million CARES Campus, a massive tent-like structure nestled against the freeway interchange on Fourth street, capable of holding nearly 800 people. The compound also included a strip of asphalt for about 40 tents, what was known as a safe camp. 

This massive undertaking was made possible by emergency pandemic relief money from the federal government as well as the owner of an RV storage who accepted an offer on his lot nearly $2 million dollars greater than market value. Officials touted the ability to provide space for pets and couples, something not available at the former $20 million Record Street shelter. Some officials said the CARES Campus would help to eventually eliminate homelessness and blight altogether. 

As a reporter for Our Town Reno I have tried relentlessly to get inside and show the community what this shelter looked like. Within weeks of opening reports began to surface from inhabitants and local advocates about moldy food and lack of cots. During July, which was officially the hottest month ever recorded globally, reports came out about no cooling stations and lack of water for hydration. As more and more of these stories began to surface, I wanted to get a firsthand experience of this to report back to the community.

The City of Reno has since transferred operations and management of the compound to Washoe County, which is reportedly in the process of injecting another $38 million dollars into the project. With this kind of public money behind a project, I reached out to County Commissioner and chair of the Community Housing CHAB, Alexis Hill about the take over. This podcast and interview was informative as she laid out plans the county has to reach zero people living on the streets. This includes the goal of building “a comprehensive real-time, by-name list of all single adults experiencing homelessness in our community.”

“It’s also working with our nonprofit partners to ensure that they use the same system,” Hill said.  “We don't currently have a database where everyone is using the same system. So that's our next step is getting everyone  incentivized to get on that same system.”

Hill also said she could help me get a tour inside to learn more about the shelter. As a photographer, I began thinking of a visual narrative that would tell the story and help educate the public about conditions inside the CARES Campus. The challenge would be to illustrate this story while protecting the privacy of people living there. From the beginning I was clear about not taking any photographs of inhabitants, but rather focus on the employees who run the shelter. 

Hill directed me to Bethany Drysdale, the media and communications manager for Washoe County. Initially, she welcomed the idea of a photo story about working conditions and the CARES Campus. But after several weeks and a buried email, the tone changed to no photos and moving the interview off site. Some of the concern was to protect the privacy of the inhabitants as well as prevent COVID. This was also during a time when images of moldy food and broken showers were surfacing on social media from inside the campus. Drysdale said the concern came from Volunteers of America (VOA), who operate the shelter. 

As winter returns, the city and county have been scrambling to provide enough shelter and refuge for the unhoused.

This lack of planning by local officials is dumbfounding and it seems to happen every year. They wait until the week of a cold snap to scramble and provide emergency shelter for the unhoused. This year the City of Reno has been distracted purchasing a dilapidated glass whale and bringing electric scooters to town instead of addressing the unhoused crisis. 

While the CARES Campus does provide resources for many in need and a place to stay, there are members of unhoused community members who still avoid it out of fear of losing their possessions and the general atmosphere inside. I’ve heard numerous times the risk of theft is not worth staying in what they call a prison-like shelter. These possessions most often include paperwork and items needed to help continue the process of finding a job and housing. This is also one of the issues with sweeps, these items are thrown away by officials leaving many to start the housing hunt all over. 

As winter has arrived, the local governments continue to apply a band-aid to a problem that is not being addressed. Affordable housing is non-existent in Reno. Recently, the City of Reno called the police on community members at a city council meeting when they arrived to provide public comment about the lack of affordable housing. Mayor Hillary Schieve called this protocol yet it might have been the first time a police presence was requested at a public meeting. 

My reporting of the unhoused and affordable housing crisis has built a strong foundation of empathy and compassion in my journalism. It has also shown me the injustice the city is dolling out by providing tax breaks to out-of-state developers who promise so much while so far delivering very little but local problems. 

As I branch out in my career, I cannot help but wonder, where is Reno headed and what will it become when we prioritize ephemeral entertainment development projects over supporting people who live and work in this community?

Farewell Essay by reporter Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

A Call for a Local Rent Cap Based on Lived Experiences

Helping out with Gas

Nevada residents need a legislative rent cap as soon as possible. Without it, our homeless population will continue to grow, along with poverty. It is unnecessary suffering amongst Washoe County residents.

I was driving down Longley Blvd today, in a hurry to get home after a root canal. Shortly past the Nevada Humane Society, on the opposite side of the road, I saw a disabled woman standing behind her large red van and an older woman sitting inside. It appeared that she must’ve had a recent stroke as her right arm was nuzzled outside her jacket and her left leg was supporting most of her body weight. It’s 44 degrees; the van was turned off; and this woman was holding a homemade cardboard sign that said, “Need gas.” I couldn’t help but drive a bit further up and turn around. I asked her if her van could make it across the street to the gas station, and she teared up replying, “Yes.” Up to this point, this seems like a heartwarming story, but I did not expect what happened next. 

I pulled into the gas station behind her and noted the pump number she stopped at. I parked near the front door and thought I might as well get some Aleve and a ginger ale while I was there; I could feel the numbing somewhat wearing off and felt a bit grateful for the mask because my face was a droopy drooling mess. I entered the store and, shortly after I walked in, a man followed in behind me. He made quite an entrance, speaking loudly to get my attention.

“I just gave that lady $10 a bit ago. She pulled in here, got gas, and then went right back out there and put her sign up,” he said. He stiffened further and his volume increased, and it felt as if he expected me to say, ‘Well, screw that lady then. Geez, the audacity of some people!’ Instead, I replied, “That’s a really big van” and shrugged my shoulders. He knew I was insinuating that $10 would barely move the needle in that thing. 

“I don’t care; if you still want to help her, then help her,” he puffed, and he walked out hastily. I paid $20 for her gas and exited the store. I could tell that she was relieved when I walked out and her gas pump turned on. I’m sure it had crossed her mind that I might not be willing to pay for her gas because that man gave her $10. Thoughts began to swirl in my head as I drove home.

Ignorant and Inconsiderate?

I thought to myself, ‘How can someone give $10 in gas and expect that to be enough for such a big vehicle? It’s almost as if they need what they give to be enough.’ Or, how can someone give with any expectations at all? Words I’d heard before also came to mind, like: ‘Well, people shouldn’t drive such large vehicles if they can’t afford the gas.’ My all-time favorite is, ‘People need to take what they’re given and be happy with it.’ And, that lady should’ve drove somewhere else if she was going to keep asking for money.’

I began to recall some comments I had read earlier in the day about the homeless who had been living in the weekly motels that were just knocked down, and ones we hear about all too often. ‘I was once homeless; I struggled; and I had to work so hard to get out of that situation. And I did. People just need to work hard and get a job.’ I found myself irritated by the time I pulled in the driveway. How could people be so ignorant and inconsiderate? How is it that people expect those who need help to live and make it with less that they have?

Obviously, those two women needed help, and they were trying to get somewhere. Sure as hell, excuse my language, they weren’t getting very far with $10 and, if I had the money, I would’ve filled their tank so they could dodge the scrutiny that the angry man was doling out. Ignorance. Yes, let’s force these women to drive to several different gas stations to ask for gas money so, by the time their tank was full, it would be empty again. We are not the ones standing out in the cold, disabled, and asking for gas money. People don’t just do this for fun. The struggle is real. I have experience. 

My Mother’s Example

My mother makes a bit over minimum wage and yet, every time she sees someone asking for money, she gives what she has. As a child, I never understood. I often found myself upset and thinking that if she didn’t give her extra money away, I might’ve had a new pair of shoes for school. In reality, it wouldn’t have made much difference. What my mother was giving me was hope and kindness and what she was giving them was a few singles or change here and there. 

It seems to me that often those who struggle the most, give the most. I think this is because we understand what it feels like to struggle. We just want to make someone feel a little bit better. My mother was in an abusive relationship early in her life and wanted to get away so bad, but money was the deterrent. Well, at one point, it became so bad that she bought a bus ticket from North Dakota to Reno. She was pregnant with twins and had two other toddlers. She was lucky when a woman making the same trip saw her struggle and gave her some money for food along the way. When she arrived in Reno, NV, she was homeless. 

Stay with me because there are some important things that need to be said here. Some things that you won’t expect to hear. People, in general, have this notion of what it means to be homeless and why there is a homeless population. Not to the fault of many because their judgment has most likely been clouded with the ideation of the consensus. There is this looming judgement surrounding homelessness, that they choose to be homeless. They are drug addicts. They don’t work hard enough; and they just want a handout. Maybe this is because people find comfort in not taking a moment to think about how possible it is that, one day, they could be homeless. Or, how easy would it be to make one mistake or to be the mistake of another and end up homeless? Rent struggles only exacerbate these challenges. 

Many Struggling

Often, it seems, the weeklies are the last stop to homelessness. I am not so sure that last stop can always be avoided through just hard work and perseverance. I tend to believe that it is luck of the draw pertaining to one’s circumstances. What circumstances you ask? To name a few: kids, age, race, mental capacity, immigrant status, and public assistance. Let’s talk about public assistance including higher education financial assistance.

The woman at the beginning of this story might’ve been on disability. Disability is around $1700.00 a month, if you’re single with no kids. There are several things one must do to keep that monthly check, like, endless weekly appointments. Not only are these people struggling to pay their rent and bills, but they must figure out transportation to these appointments and how to get food.

What about students who are on financial aid that barely covers the expenses that accompany the high cost of a college degree? Now imagine already struggling in such ways and then rent increases dramatically. Well, your money isn’t increasing and, if you get a second source of income, that’s likely going to be more than that funding allows. When someone is struggling, there isn’t one answer that will fix it all.

Hear Us out on Rent Caps

Now you have invested time in reading this article and might be questioning what any of this has to do with a legislative rent cap, especially, since I said one answer will not fix it all. Let me explain. When prices rise and income doesn’t, then those already struggling suffer the most. Living paycheck to paycheck or week to week in a motel means that one slip up or problem can equal homelessness. With rent prices hiking up so high, it’s almost impossible for those already struggling to keep up. The impact of that one problem is almost provoked by exorbitant rent prices. So many now have no room for any surprises, but life is full of surprises so, when that number is called, well… And, we all know that it is impossible to prepare for every one of life’s challenges. COVID-19 is a good and most recent example. 

From the census bureau 2015-2019, the poverty percentage for Washoe County was 10.7%. This obviously doesn’t include the homeless population, so I imagine the real number is higher. Not counting the homeless, counted were 47,151 people living in poverty in 2019. COVID 19 happened in 2019 and many lost their livelihoods. Those already struggling… well, I think we can imagine the heart-breaking stories. My colleague, April Garcia, gathered narratives from people in our community who are struggling. Don’t let the number be deceiving because these narratives mirror a plethora of stories from throughout Washoe County. Her idea is that this community needs to hear the struggles of those productive citizens who are living on this verge. Hopefully, this will begin to change the common ideas of why people become homeless in the first place, as well as place an emphasis on the importance of rent regulation. 

Huge Chunks Going to Rent

UNR freshman Denise currently lives with her boyfriend at the Greentree Apartments. They pay $1285 in rent for a 1-bed 1-bath that includes a laundry unit. Their biggest stress is money, especially now as they both just started new jobs and only work 35-40 hours a week (one earning $18.50/hour the other $22.00/hour). A huge chunk of their bi-weekly paychecks goes to rent. Most utilities are included except for electricity, and on top of other expenses such as bills, college tuition and food, they have very little money to save for personal expenses, let alone the upcoming holidays. Although home life is okay, Denise and her boyfriend both feel that the amount of rent they pay for a 1-bedroom apartment is suffocating. They struggle to keep food on the table, and there isn’t much left to budget with beyond a looming fear of what the future holds.

Stay-at-home mom, Lucille, lives in Fernley with her parents while her husband works in Reno as a truck driver. Lucille and her husband had originally lived in Reno at the Vineyards at Galleria, where they were paying around $1600 for a 1-bed 1-bath apartment. Although the rent included utilities and amenities, they were unable to renew their lease when she became pregnant because they needed more space and a budget shift. They moved in with her parents to save money and pay off hospital bills. It has been two years and tension has risen between them and Lucille’s parents. Lucille and her husband are desperate to find a place in Reno but the houses for rent are impossibly expensive. They wanted to find a decent house in a decent neighborhood to raise their child. One house that they liked asked for $2295 a month  (2-bed 2-bath; 1,879 sq ft) with no utilities but appliances included. For Lucille, having to rely on her husband’s income has strained their relationship, too, and she wants to go back to work, but the cost of childcare is too high, let alone the cost and time of a regular commute between Reno and Fernley. The couple wish for some form of rent control that makes it possible for them to find a reasonably priced rental in Reno.

A reasonable price for housing in Reno no longer exists. A wide search on Zillow reveals 912 sq. ft. for $1375.00 a 2-bedroom 1 bath. Oh, and let’s not forget that, to move in, it’s first month’s rent, deposit, and $500 per pet if you have any. I guess pets will become a rich person thing. 

We are Protesting

Well, here we find ourselves with a rent crisis that is bound to double the homeless population. What can we do? There is a lot we can do if we, the residents of Washoe County, band together to demand change. April and I have joined forces with another UNR student, Aspen Schuyler, to organize and carry out a demonstration.

We are actively calling out the residents of Washoe County who care to join us at the City Hall, One East First Street, on the 2nd of December at 6pm. 

This is when City Hall representatives convene to discuss new building renovations and their effects on the public. We are the public, and we can speak in these meetings, as well. You can sign up at the City Hall the day of the demonstration or beforehand online. 

Please know that this is not our job as students. It is not something we are assigned to do. This is an idea that we collectively created and are going to follow through with. We are doing this in the little free time we have. We work, raise kids, take classes, have relationships, and take care of personal obligations. But we know how important this is and how much it will continue to affect our community. So, at the end of our days and in the middle of our days, we sit just as exhausted as the next person and think of ways we can make a difference. How can we better our community? Right now, we have a rent crisis and see its effects everywhere.

We are calling out community to action. We can work with each other and for each other and demand that those who work for us take the initiative and implement something that will ease the burden on struggling Washoe County residents. We need our elected officials to enact emergency legislation that will deal with, what should be, a basic human right: housing. When will being human be enough for affordable housing to be important enough… 

Writing by Sasha Osorio with additional reporting by April Garcia and Aspen Schuyler shared with Our Town Reno

Meeting Matt and Mel at a Tent Village Right Behind My Classes at UNR

I am Bailey Shepard, a journalism student at the University of Nevada, Reno. Recently, I visited an unhoused encampment for a story for the Our Town Reno podcast. The encampment is right across the street from the University, right beside some train tracks in a residential neighborhood.

 It is a very drastic change to go from the millions of dollars that have been poured into the university, and all of the wealth and hope that you see walking around there, to then walk across a street and see people sleeping in shelters partially dug out of the earth, in tents, and having to constantly battle the elements. But there is a different sense of hope and strength that we see in the unhoused population in Reno, and that is their tenacity for life. It was the coldest day in Reno so far this winter, perhaps around 30 degrees Fahrenheit with the cold wind blowing.

I first spoke with a gentleman who did not want to give an interview but allowed me to chat with him a bit about his background and to greet his dog. He was originally from Texas but sounded like he had lived all over the west. I asked which places he liked the most and he said he liked being near the mountains, to which I wholeheartedly agreed. Not long into our chat a group of middle aged gentlemen sauntered into the encampment. It was in the backyard of an abandoned house, right next to an old abandoned nursing facility. The dog, which had not barked at our presence there, suddenly let out a loud series of barking at their arrival. 

They walked up and immediately informed the people of the encampment that this area would be cleared the following day to make way for the construction of more student housing apartments.   

I was both shocked and somehow not surprised. This was a story I had heard a lot about via my colleagues in the journalism school who report for Our Town Reno, that unhoused people were constantly being moved, and that little cheap motels were constantly being destroyed to make way for bigger more expensive housing units or dirt lots. Units that do go up are too expensive for many current Reno residents.

Here it was, happening right in front of me, the process yet again of corporate housing pushing the unhoused out of the spot they had for the time being.    

After this encounter I sauntered down the railroad tracks with fellow Our Town reporter Richie Bednarski. We saw more shelters set up along the railroad tracks when we saw a couple people gathering around a fire on this cold November day. Richie mentioned that he thought he had interviewed the couple before and that it would be good to go catch up with them. 

The names of the man and woman we talked with were Matt and Mel. These two had been interviewed by Our Town Reno in February when they were being forcefully swept from a Sparks location. We were glad that they were alive and well, and they shared the good news that in a few weeks they would be going into the ReStart program that helps with mental health services among the unhoused and also aids people to get into housing.  

I saw a different kind of hope that day. I saw people living, despite the difficult circumstances. I saw people creating a community with their other unhoused neighbors. There were fires for warmth, and an open flame being used to cook food. People gathered around the flame and chatted, and laughed. The scene is very common around the world. Even though here the fire is illegal. Some neighbors will call the police when they see fires lit, seeing it as a threat to their own properties.

But aren’t these just people living outside, in nature, as humanity started, and surviving despite the current odds. It seems that in America we ostracize the unhoused, we often harass them and keep moving them here and there. Instead of letting them integrate into the community, we try to keep them on the move and out of sight. Progress and change keeps them down as well. 

The cheap motels they used for housing are being destroyed for high rise expensive condos and apartments or other future promised developments. 

The encampments that naturally arise around the city are constantly being raided. If there is danger in some of these encampments it is understandable to want to break them up. But why then does the city not set aside some land for the houseless population to set up camps? Perhaps in smaller parcels if big encampments cause problems? And of course, more cheap housing needs to be built. With housing prices and rent skyrocketing across the country, it is not hard to imagine that it will only increase the homeless population of the U.S. and Reno in particular.   

I felt happy hearing that Matt and Mel had hope for the Restart Program that will hopefully get them back into an apartment. I could sense that they also were looking forward to this occasion.

In the meantime, Matt seemed perfectly content to have a place to settle down. A place to put up his shelter, a fire to keep him warm and to cook with, and a community of people around him to keep him company. The city of Reno, and all of us who live here, should look to be a community more to our unhoused population, prioritize stopping the harassment, and voice our desires for more affordable housing to be built in the city.

1st Person Essay by Bailey Shepard shared with Our Town Reno     

The Value of Thrifting at Savers

Located on the corner of Virginia Street and Kietzke, is my favorite thrift store, Savers. It’s where one can buy clothes, accessories, and a variety of household items. This week I went with Ethan who has yet to take part in the Reno thrifting scene despite living in the city for three years.

As we walk into the store we are greeted by one of the employees who tells us what the color of the day is. Today it’s purple. We head towards the back of the store to the men’s section. Along the back wall are hats of all kinds, bucket hats, baseball caps, and beanies. Right underneath are the winter jackets, small to XXL lined up against the wall. I am looking for a new oversized hoodie for the winter season while Ethan scans the t-shirt section. Our opposite styles and personalities start to show. 

Ever since high school, I have become quite fond of thrifting. You never know what to expect searching through the racks of clothing. In the past, I have found my favorite Jets hoodie and oversized tees looking through the racks of my local Savers thrift store. 

The jacket section, unfortunately, was a bust. A quarter-zip in emerald green caught my eye but it was two sizes too big and had “Reno-Tahoe Airport Security '' along the right side. Clothing with the names of local Reno high schools or casinos, like the Atlantis and Circus Circus imprinted across the front are not uncommon to find at this Savers. This is not the style that I am looking for.  

I was worried at first that Ethan may not have what it takes to be a thrifter, but it seems like he got the hang of it pretty fast. I noticed him sifting through the t-shirts as one of his hands was full of clothes. He showed me some shirts he picked out, one orange with a converse logo, another from a 2008 Reno Toy Run with illustrations of toys and Christmas gifts on the backside. 

We moved to the long sleeve section and I spotted a grey zip-up Disney jacket that had a vintage tag attached to it. The clothing with cloth tags that aren’t imprinted to the back are usually pretty old as many clothing companies/brands started going tagless in the early 2000s. 

I jokingly ask Ethan, “Are you a Disney adult?” 

Turns out he is. 

He grabbed the 1955 Disney Zip-up and added it to his pile of clothes that he intended to purchase. 

Ethan and I make our way back to the front of the store. We pass through the home goods section with blankets, pictures with clowns, kitchenware, and the section of books and records. At the register, Ethan sparks up a conversation with one of the cashiers who is often working. He brags about the vintage Disney jacket he found and how he is excited to bring his roommate the next time he goes. 

The Reno Savers is much different from the ones that I am used to back in Las Vegas. In Reno, the racks have Patagonia, Columbia, and North Face brands and a sweater section like no other. In Vegas, the selection of winter wear is almost non-existent as a result of the lack of cold weather.

On top of the clothes and the abundance of plates and dishes that have turned into my college dorm room kitchen supplies, Reno Savers has also provided me with a lot of memories in some sort of way. 

It brings a sense of consistency to see the same three women working the cash register who never forget to comment on my “great finds.” I enjoy finding the small knick-knacks in the home good section that are older and are attached to a bit of history and making the trip with old and new friends to thrift. 

Reporting by Kayla Crowley and Ethan Morganti for Our Town Reno

Why the Benefit for Washoe County Court Appointed Special Advocates Foundation Matters

The Land of Make Believe was the early childhood refuge of countless kids of my generation, but I imagine Mister Rogers and his neighborhood of invariably kind characters features especially prominently in the childhood memories of we who couldn’t afford cable.

This is patently true in my case. The gentle presence of the indomitable Fred Rogers slipping into his cozy cardigans and opening a window into a kind, fun place for learning was one of few constants in my young life. I looked forward each weekday morning to transcending my chaotic real-world living room in favor of a world characterized by growth, and warmth, and inclusion.

I liked Mister Rogers, and I trusted him. He felt safe. He felt real. He gave me joy. He gave me hope. His influence persists when I find myself approaching a painful situation even to this day. I will always remember what he learned from his own caring adult—his mother—and taught to us;  he said to “Look for the helpers” when the world felt like a scary place.

As a child, I watched for helpers when my life felt scary, and I watch for helpers today when I’m scared for the future of kids who need more than they have.

It would be impossible to over-estimate the importance one caring adult can have on the life of an at-risk child, and the helpers I’d like to draw your attention to are the volunteers of Washoe Court Appointed Special Advocates, who help local foster kids every day.

On the eve of World Kindness Day, a holiday inspired by Mister Rogers himself, RenoStandUp and The Holland Project are hosting a limited-capacity, private evening of comedy, music, dancing, food, and fun benefitting The Washoe CASA Foundation. Enjoy a night of unforgettable fun, and help the helpers who are doing so much with some of our community’s most vulnerable kids! All proceeds will benefit Washoe County foster kids by helping to fund “Christmas for the Kids” holiday shopping trips with their CASA volunteers. Any remaining proceeds from the event will be directed to the Washoe CASA ComfortCases program to provide suitcase kits filled with personalized items clothing, personal care, and activities for individual foster kids served by Washoe CASA.

On any given day this year in the state of Nevada, more than 4000 children will reside in foster care. Each of these kids enters the system as a result of unsustainable hardships in their own homes and families, and every one enters the system while consumed to varying degrees by the trauma of their previous circumstances.

The adjustment to losing homes, family, normalcy, stability, predictability—everything a kid is accustomed to, for better or worse—is compounded by the lack of consistent guidance and support from a reliable source. Foster kids almost invariably experience the additional confusion, trauma, frustration, and loneliness of getting “lost” in a wildly overworked social service system.

In spite of countless good intentions and the tireless work of social workers, attorneys, counselors, teachers, foster parents, and other support sources, there is more need than there are time or resources.

One of the less visible, but most common consequences of being a ward of the state is shortage of people who are able or willing to spend the time, energy, or resources to help foster kids as individual, unique people, much less assess or fulfill their unique wants or needs; this has incalculable but profound implications for the futures of foster kids.

They are robbed of opportunity and self-esteem by the reality of living in foster care, to say nothing of the trauma that preceded or is interspersed with the “system” experience. Most foster kids fall into patterns they’ve seen modeled or resort to paths that lead to future trauma for themselves and any future progeny of their own.

Many will be in and out of foster care repeatedly. Many will enter the juvenile justice system or be further victimized by others within the system. Many will feel steamrolled by the system that is intended to care for them, and most will be at least partly robbed of their identities and feel diminished in value. The system as it most frequently works does not reliably provide for the stability of foster kids, nor does it typically set foster kids up for promising lives when they age out or are removed from the system, and this is a liability whose implications bode poorly not just for the affected individuals, but for the communities and families who will not benefit from the lost potential of their greatest resource: kids. 

CASA helps bridge the gap between the need for individualized, highly-skilled support and advocacy and the shortage of people and resources within the institutions and agencies charged with the care of foster kids.

An advocate is no ordinary volunteer, and the responsibilities they willingly accept are nothing short of heroic. Their work is integral to the well-being of every foster child they serve, and they make a genuine difference in the lives of kids who would likely otherwise remain on the margins of society for generations to come. CASAs interrupt the cycle and help foster kids create new patterns and expectations. Court Appointed Special Advocates are meaningfully changing the world for the better, ONE CARING ADULT and ONE FOSTER KID at a time. Kids need a lot of help with the scary business of growing, learning, developing, healing, and joining society as contributing citizens, and CASAs provide just the help they need.

CASA’s mission is personal to me. Owing to both the genuine smile and official messy bun of the soccer mom set that I typically wear, one might comfortably assume I’m a stereotypical middle-class suburban woman, replete with a wholesome back story.

One might even guess that I’m a professional, well-educated, community-minded, kind-hearted, passably fun person. You wouldn’t be wrong, but there’s a lot you might not guess. I’m a woman who is a mother, a wife, a teacher, a reader, a creator, a doer, and a giver. I can finally and unequivocally declare that I like me a lot, and I love my life.

I’m living passionately and meaningfully, participating in my community to its benefit, and raising healthy, well-adjusted, kind children. I am an exception to a tragic trend so common it’s almost the rule; my very life and my modest contributions to the world defy the predictions of most socioeconomic statistics. I’m not bragging; the credit belongs with an exceptional human named Sue who was the one consistent, caring adult who showed up for me when no one else would or could. 

I was the third of four children born to my teenaged parents. My biological parents were themselves the products of generations of poverty, neglect, abuse, mental illness, substance addiction, and the other myriad traumas that plague the American poor. Lacking the tools to raise children healthier than they were, my parents perpetuated the traumatic cycle by inflicting a similarly challenging childhood on my siblings and I, despite their most loving and highest intentions. Through a series of what can accurately be described as very unfortunate events, my brother, my two sisters, and I ultimately became wards of the State: kids with no legal parents, or more commonly called “foster kids.”

The time I spent as a foster kid in the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services system was tumultuous and traumatic. In spite of the good intentions and tireless effort of countless civil servants tasked with my care, support, guidance, and development., my teen years in the system were almost entirely devoid of predictability or stability, and they were liberally peppered with a variety of dehumanizing and painful experiences that typify the life of a foster kid.

Suffice it to say that being in foster care is probably about as uncomfortable as one would expect. It remains an unfortunate fact that there simply aren’t enough resources within the public social services system to provide personalized care or attention to all of the foster kids who need it, and I was poised to fall through the proverbial cracks when Sue entered my life.

My story is not mine so much as it is “ours,” because without Sue’s dedication, patience, expertise, perseverance, assertiveness, and altruism, my life would not be my life. Sue volunteered countless hours to change my story, and it is with effusive gratitude that I share what I humbly call “our success.” This modern-day heroine was appointed to be my Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and in this role she irrevocably changed my path.

As my volunteer Advocate, Sue represented my personal, unique interests and needs (and only mine) in Family and Criminal Courts, based on taking the time to get to know me as an individual and understanding my unique perspectives and needs, rather than defaulting to generic, impersonal (if efficient) best practices and policies for the rearing of children who find themselves without parents. Sue spent countless unpaid hours becoming a functioning expert on both me as a person and the legal intricacies of several cases requiring my reluctant participation, purely from a desire to help just one kid and in so doing, make a positive difference in her community.

Unlike with caseworkers or attorneys, I had Sue’s undivided attention; she really listened to me, and she amplified my voice. She validated my feelings and my needs. She sought justice and fair treatment for me. She helped me believe I mattered enough to do hard things, to try, to take responsibility for my own choices. She helped me find opportunities to build the life I desired.

She acted on what she learned about me and about my specific case to ensure that I had safe housing and care, was able to graduate with-even at the top of-my high school class, could establish lifelong relationships, and would go on to higher education and a life filled with the promise of better things to come. She helped me believe that the very life I lead today was possible. She invested in my future, and I hope I’ve been a good steward of that investment. 

There are thousands of foster kids in Nevada today in similar straits to those I found myself in all those years ago--lost in the system, each feeling more like a case more than a person--who would benefit immeasurably from the influence of their own personal advocates in the Court system. I hope to pay Sue’s investment forward by training to become a CASA myself, and I would encourage all those with the interest and ability to make a difference in the life a foster kid to follow this link to find out how you can invest in the future of foster kids with The Washoe CASA Foundation. www.washoecasafoundation.com

Because of Sue, I didn’t become a statistic. Because of CASA, more “success stories” are coming. Join us for a night of fun, and help us help the helpers. Mister Rogers would be proud. 

Citizen’s Forum Essay Shared with Our Town Reno by Jessica Sweeten

Fall in Reno 2021, a photo essay

Although Reno is located primarily in the desert, Reno residents are fortunate enough to see the changes in the air as we shift into the fall season. All around Reno you can see leaves begin to change colors and fall from their trees. From down by the river to neighborhoods around the city we are fortunate enough to see fall unraveling before our eyes.

Photos and Text by Carley Olson shared with Our Town Reno

A City of Contrasts, Pushing People Out

One building that you have posted about a lot recently is the RED district. I have passed this project almost every day over that last two years since I work close by. I often asked myself the same question you posed here. “Who is going to live here?” Don’t get me wrong, I love Reno. But the thought of people paying $2,500+ a month to live on the corner of Virginia and Plumb just seemed insane. I had learned about gentrification, but never had I witnessed such an atrocious example right in my own backyard.

I know that developers like those that built the RED district usually don’t do so without confidence they will be able to fill their buildings. So I guess the questions of who will live here will be answered soon. My question is…who won’t live here? Who won’t be able to afford to live in a $2,500+ apartment and what will happen to them? I look at all the other apartment buildings near the RED district and the neighborhoods that surround it and can’t help but wonder if these people will all soon be priced out too. How long til more developers come in? And what happens to the people? They don’t just simply disappear like many wish them too. They need safe and affordable housing.

I took this picture on my way to work this morning. It’s on Grove st bordering the RED district. This person’s former home looks like it’s been marked to be towed. What happened to the person inside? I doubt the RED development group will care.

Submitted on Instagram by gramueljackson

My question is to you Mr. President, Joe Biden, Will you Protect Thacker Pass?

This summer Lake Tahoe and her residents lived off smoke due to the Caldor Fire over the Sierra Nevada mountains. Along with the Dixie megafire us folks in Reno were covered in soot, it seems to be the wild west is the last place to get President Biden’s attention regarding the climate crisis. Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen seems to also be keeping quiet for political reasons, sure does look good when you bring mining jobs back to Nevada, but at what cost?

In January 2021, the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gave Lithium Americas, a Vancouver-based multinational mining company, approval to mine lithium at Thacker Pass. Canadian developer Lithium America released their plans for the open-pit mining operation claiming that it will be carbon-neutral and serve a larger green economy for lithium. In recent decades, the light metal has become an essential element for powering smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage. Lithium is necessary for current renewable energy technologies, although the process of mining lithium has negative environmental impacts which are necessary to weigh against the production of such technology. 

Green technology has an environmental impact and claiming that this mine will be carbon-neutral is not addressing other issues that come from mining. Environmental impacts such as habitat fragmentation, increased truck traffic, increased water usage, antimony pollution, and the long-term effects which would affect local communities such as the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe. Protect Thacker Pass is an organization who are resisting the Thacker Pass lithium mining project and posted this on Instagram:

“Urgent call for support at Protect Thacker Pass. URGENT call for support at Thacker Pass! Disregarding new evidence that human remains of Paiute ancestors massacred by the U.S. Calvary in 1865 can be found in Thacker Pass, the BLM plans to issue an archeological dig permit for the Thacker Pass lithium mine project THIS WEEK. Issuing the permit and conducting the archeological dig will violate the Native American Graves Protection Act. I am asking people to come to camp immediately, and also asking people to call the BLM, Department of the Interior, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to demand they put a halt to this right now.”

The fast tracked mine was done through a similar policy that fast tracked electricity which is cool, but it’s not meant for an entire mining project. Price states in Let’s Not Blow up a mountain and call it green, “Despite the switch in presidential administrations, plans for the Thacker Pass lithium mine seem to be continuing unabated. While President Biden has signed a series of executive orders aimed to halt public lands extraction, last week he signed an order emphasizing the need for the domestic mining of “critical minerals” like lithium.” The irony of a moderate Democrat is when they act like they’re different, but they have their own economic interest that is killing the planet just like the previous administration. Lithium can be recycled fellas, but it’s more cost effective to dig up an entire mountain while disregarding an entire community. Thanks Biden!

Habitat fragmentation can undermine the integrity of an entire ecosystem due to urbanization, agriculture, roads, and transportation emissions. Increased truck traffic and busing traffic would occur due to the opening of the mine because of the jobs that would bring more workers to the area, but they wouldn’t necessarily live in the area. Although Lithium Nevada is working with the local tribes in its environmental impact statement it describes plans to bus operational workers in from Winnemucca which is an hour away from the mine and the population primarily white. Moreover, according to the environmental impact statement the mine will pump 1.7 billion gallons of water annually from an area where water is already over-allocated. Cattle farmers in the area have expressed concern that “a water table drop will turn [the] cattle pastures of Great Basin wild rye into a ‘barren desert’” (Price, 2021).

Does President Biden actually give a f*** about the environment? Or is it all for young voters to mobilize then disappear from our political spaces…

Oped by UNR graduate student Lydia Albrecht

Despite Roadblocks and Broken Promises Advocates for the Unhoused Fight on

Back in June of this year, activists and advocates set up an occupation-style protest at the City Hall Plaza with one main goal: stop the sweeps. "Sweeps" are forceful - often violent - displacements of the homeless, or the destruction of their encampments. June’s protest was a direct response to these sweeps and grew as many different individuals and groups joined or assisted.

During the protest, we provided food, water, shade, medical attention, clothes, and hygiene products. As the protest progressed, many of the unhoused came to recognize the area as a safe place. The days and nights were filled with conversations and interactions between advocates, unhoused folks, and all types of people who were curious about the protest. The divide between the unhoused folks and the downtown community began to close through these interactions.

As an advocate participating in the protest, I learned much about the lived experiences and complex stories behind the people who get lumped into the broad and usually pejorative category ‘homeless.’ A strong sense of community formed as the protest grew and more people took note.

My conversations with the unhoused revealed how traumatizing and harmful the sweeps are. People told us about friends who had gone missing, about having everything they own being thrown into a dumpster or destroyed under a bulldozer, or spending a night at the Parr jail after a sweep. The brutality of these sweeps became increasingly obvious, and therefore, so did our need to push to end them.

After a few days of protest, the protestors and unhoused people were swept from the plaza. The large police presence throughout the protest seemed to disproportionately target the houseless. For example, some of our group witnessed RPD officers on bikes ticket unhoused people for sitting along Virginia Street. One of those who was ticketed was in a motorized wheelchair. We witnessed many unhoused people get cited for open containers while standing next to visibly drunk tourists with beers in their hands.
Throughout the protest, there were discussions with stakeholders, including the unhoused, for solutions and plans for the future regarding the housing crisis the city is facing.

One of the repeated requests from the protesters was to meet with city officials behind the sweeps. Eventually, Mayor Hillary Schieve agreed to a meeting with a select group of advocates. One of the proposals from the activists was for a “Safe Camp” to be developed and run by RISE (Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality). Meanwhile, the protest continued to ensure that officials kept their promise.
On June 8th, at 4:40 am, officers returned to the protest area, singled out, and cited four protesters for being in the park after hours, despite there being many other people present in the park at that time. These four are fighting the citations claiming that their first amendment rights to protest were infringed upon due to the selective nature of the citations.

As Washoe County takes over the northern Nevada regional homeless services, it feels like much of the work between advocates and city officials has been in vain. Washoe County Commissioner and chair of the Community Homelessness Advisory Board Alexis Hill has stated that she is supportive of these destructive and harmful sweeps that sparked the major protests in the first place. Hill will have a more direct role regarding homelessness services as the city transitions the services to the county. Meanwhile, sweeps continue to occur. These traumatic sweeps create instability in unhoused populations, making efforts at transition and assistance more difficult. The many mutual aid groups who serve the unhoused often lose track of people after sweeps. Not only do our friends go missing, their access to life-saving outreach work is effectively cut off.

As the temperatures begin to get colder, the sweeps will only create more danger and misery. If you destroy someone's shelter and throw away their blankets (common practice during sweeps) they are at increased risk of hypothermia and exposure. Officials will often say that those swept from camps can always come to the CARES facility. However, for many people, the facility is a worse option than taking a risk on the streets.

In an extremely short time frame, RISE provided the city with a budget and a suitable location for the proposed safe camp; when they presented it to city officials, the city kept requiring more and more - it eventually became clear that they were stalling the proposal and had no intention of following through with any kind of meaningful action. We have tried to work with the city and county countless times, but they continue to ignore our solutions. Despite the obstacles, obfuscations, corruption, and dishonesty from the powers-that-be, the unhoused community, activists, mutual aid groups, and advocates alike all continue the fight against the sweeps.

Citizen’s Forum Contribution by Jake Maynard shared with Our Town Reno

Leaving My Job After Being Forced To Stay Outside in the Smoke

The smoke during the summers here used to make me excited since maybe band practice would be cancelled but now I dread it every year. Even though wildfires are a necessary part of the ecosystem here in the Sierra Nevada’s it has seemingly gotten much worse these past few years. This current fire named the Dixie fire was supposedly caused by a tree falling into a live power line sparking it. At the second largest fire in California’s history the smoke has filled the sky for hundreds of miles. This causes the air quality to be utterly hazardous to those with underlying conditions and can make a healthy person get a runny nose and teary eyed. Prolonged exposure can cause serious health problems and is not advised at an AQI above 150. Recently the highest we’ve seen is upwards of 319 which means effects of the smoke can be felt almost immediately. 

Due to these conditions I called out of work where I work outside and was met with pushback from my manager. I asked him if we have any respirators to protect us from the conditions and he told me to just stay home. This was obviously not what I was hoping to hear since I need to be working and was worried about my fellow employees getting sick from the smoke. After realizing that I would be expected to work in such hazardous conditions I had to quit. I know most people are not in the position to quit jobs and not have income for a few weeks so I feel privileged to be able to stay healthy in these times and not be forced to work somewhere that could be detrimental to my health. This shouldn’t be a problem that workers have to face and yet even in an area where this is common our businesses can’t deal with it properly.

Anonymous Contribution to Our Town Reno, August 2021

Locomotion Plaza: Public Art and the Individual

“Any thoughts on the new Locomotion Plaza in #Reno where planting is now going on on the sides? Who will be using this space and for what purpose?” Biggest Little Streets (@OurTownReno) tweeted this on June 25. I shot back a zinger about “the collectivization of the psyche produced by art in public spaces,” and BLS invited me to write on the theme for here.

Maybe it’s because I grew up on film noir. What would a noir antihero say about Locomotion Plaza, even in black & white? Nothing. He’d flip his cigarette into the middle of it and turn away. So would the hat-check girl, the corner newspaper guy. I quit smoking forty years ago, but I still feel that way.

Denizens of the noir city were anonymous. City spaces gave privacy. You thought, I am in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles; you didn’t think, We are Chicagoans, New Yorkers, Angelinos. You didn’t say hello to strangers on those streets, even in neighborhoods canopied with elms. Of course the city of film noir was an illusion, an aesthetic antidote served on an industrial scale to citizens overdosed with collective identity by the national mobilization for World War II.

All the same, the noir city was based in everyday experience. We were only partway to where we are now. With exceptions such as ballparks, city spaces dictated privacy, and with it individuality. Not every coffee shop was a Starbucks. Shopping streets were lined with small businesses before row of franchises degraded the sense of place by making here indistinguishable from there. Air travel had only begun to decay our innate sense of location. Then came the interstates. What of the railroads, you ask, hadn’t they done the same? Yes. We’re always midway from one condition to another.

Reno was visibly midway when I first encountered it in 1963. The Biggest Little City was no longer, as its prose-poet laureate Walter Van Tilburg Clark well knew, the 1920s–30s “city of trembling leaves” which I came seeking. Much less was it the Comstock-era shipping and banking hub of its farther past. Not to speak of Truckee Meadows as the shared, contested ground of Paiute and Washeo, and they not its first inhabitants. Now in the age of globalization and the Anthropocene, artificial intelligence and climate change, smart phones and the blue planet, what use is it to bemoan the collectivization of the psyche? I’m whistling into the wind of change. Public art is the least of it.

But public art is a part of it. Setting aside that most of it is mediocre, on one level my reaction is visceral, literally physical as well as psychological. To be in the here and now with body-and-mind is to be located in continuous space, including urban space – by and large buildings are part of continuous space, relatively speaking. But art is not in the same space, art is an image, not reality (don’t quibble, you know what I mean). In public spaces, art intrudes on consciousness and breaks space, forcing us out of ourselves into collective identity.

Art isn’t alone. Billboards have the same effect, both their pictures and writing. Writing is a class of image, and public writing in any form which can’t be assimilated (a stop sign) breaches real space, draining its dimensionality and with it our sense of presence. And again, franchises: if Starbucks is Starbucks is Starbucks, where in reality am I? Who am I?

(As an aside, land art does the same thing to natural or wilderness spaces as public art does to urban spaces. They say there are no longer any “natural” places not impacted by Homo sapiens, and land art makes us constructively aware of it. Land art serves the preservation and restoration of the environment, they say. Maybe.)

I must qualify this diatribe by allowing that not all public art debilitates space and the sense of place. The whales in City Plaza are an exception. They trigger in the viewer an expansion of presence in real space by assimilating the plaza and its air space into the dimensionality of the imaginary water world surrounding mother and calf. It is a space maker. The BELIEVE sculpture, on the other hand, is a space breaker.
Art in and around public buildings largely gets a pass, because we integrate it into our perception of the building. In Reno, if you haven’t already, go see the mural (1930s) by Robert Caples in the Washoe County Courthouse, the lobby mural (1960s) in the Young Federal Building by Richard Guy Walton, and the steel sculpture (1990s) by Michael Heizer on the lawn of the Thompson Federal Building. It is both fitting and ironical that these halls of justice and power all have artworks treating Native American themes.

This brings me to the social and political ramifications of public art. My reply to the tweet from Biggest Little City asked: “Who benefits from the collectivization of the psyche produced by art in public spaces? Are we community or are we customers? Participants or peripherals? Citizens or subjects?” Beautification projects, artistic and otherwise, generally get done in city centers and trendy neighborhoods – your medians with planters, your riverwalks. Whatever good accrues to the private citizen from them, it’s hard not to believe that the powers that be arrange them basically for the financial benefit of – the powers that be. Make the place attractive to corporations, let them be able to recruit executives and middle managers.

“Art is the way you package the city,” Mayor Hillary Schieve said recently. “It’s really about creating more economic development.”

Sure this brings jobs, some. Mainly it brings money to money. In the upshot, cities everywhere come to resemble corporate campuses and each other, physically and functionally. The process only reinforces the homogenization of public spaces and the collectivization of the individual psyche. Did I mention surveillance cameras?

A footnote: Some public art carries a message of resistance. And some becomes a target of resistance, as in the takedown of Confederate generals on their horses.

Above, a photo with permission to use by Kelly Milan, of The Light of Truth Ida B. Wells National Monument, created by famed sculptor Richard Hunt, unveiled in Bronzeville, a neighborhood in Chicago, on June 30, 2021.

Another footnote: Its name aside, the film “noir” city of my nostalgia had precious few Blacks in it. For people of color the urban environment carried a different sense of danger from that which tantalized white audiences.

Citizen’s Forum contribution by Anthony Shafton, an author and independent scholar living in Reno.

Where are the People Supposed to Go?

"They're not in your way, you're in their way," an officer snaps, referring to the enormous dump trucks and bulldozers demolishing people's homes at the end of Commercial Row. He is standing on a raised concrete slab, milling around with some other police officers, and rudely barking down to a housing activist who is frantically trying to help Mary get her belongings out of the bulldozers' way.

Milk crates of stuff, a few bags, coolers, a couple of small carts - Mary has arranged all of her possessions into a small pile in the dirt. She doesn't know where she is going, exactly, but here's the housing activists' van pulling up, despite the officer’s detached, heartless command to get out of the way. Mary, with a little help, manages to throw everything she owns inside the van and escape before the bulldozer turns the tiny little dirt patch she has been living on back to rubble, along with whatever she had not managed to save.

For months, this scene, whose cruelty was surely mitigated by witnesses and advocates, has been playing out over and over again all over Reno and Sparks, as encampments were brutally swept and houseless residents kettled below the Wells overpass.

A few blocks away, the supposed 'solution': the Nevada CARES Campus, a 45,000 square foot tent that can hold up to 900 people. Destroy everyone's individual tent, which at least provides some basic level of privacy and autonomy, and dump them all into one huge, FEMA-style structure.

The Governor's Bowl, an abandoned baseball field next door to the tent, is supposedly being converted into a Safe Camp, a sanctioned encampment of about 50 tents. Insurance, staffing, drainage and a host of other issues have delayed the opening of the Safe Camp, which is now slated to start accepting residents mid-June (we'll see about that).

The tent is allegedly just 'Phase One,' and diagrams of the entire property are full of captions starting with words like 'future' and 'possible' - 'Future Affordable Housing,' 'Possible Future Rehabilitation.' But promises, diagrams, powerpoint presentations, virtual city council meetings (The Community Homelessness Advisory Board cancelled their May 1st meeting, which was to feature, after months of advocating, a Lived Experience presentation to offer feedback and guidance on this escalating disaster) - all words, chatter, air. What's really going on?

Rents and housing prices in Reno skyrocket as the city sees an unprecedented influx of new residents and developments. Downtown, empty lots multiply as residential motels and other low-income housing options are demolished en masse to provide prospective developers a neat and pretty blank canvas - some of these lots have now sat empty for almost five years, with zero repercussions for those who leveled them. The 4th street corridor, for years the site of the existing shelter as well as many of the services that unhoused residents depend on, from food to resource centers, is rapidly transforming into a 'Brewery District,' covered in new paint, gaudy logos, and all the other things that say, 'Get these dirty people out of here. They did their job and made this property nice and cheap - now get them into the tent so they don't scare off the hip, clean clientele.'

The women's and family shelter - OUR Place - is full. The CARES campus tent admits single men and couples only - the numbers fluctuate daily, but as of last count there was no room left for couples and about 30 top bunks left for men (yes, much of the capacity is bunk-bed, prison-style).

Local providers are being turned away and even banned for bringing in prospective residents when they have been told there is no room for them. Meanwhile, the sweeps continue at a brutal pace: some who fled the bulldozers downtown and who have been planning on moving to the Safe Camp were told to relocate to an empty lot a few miles east that would not be swept until the end of the summer.

The lot belongs to the Truckee River Flood Management Authority, whose six-member board features two mayors (Reno and Sparks), two county commissioners, and two city council members - in other words, a group of people who certainly have a stake in the success of the CARES campus and who have professed, time and again in countless meetings, their commitment to treating the unhoused population with dignity and compassion. Three days after setting up camp at the new location, everyone was given notice to be out in four days: the property will be undergoing 'cleaning/maintenance.'

Where are people supposed to go? The shelters are full. The Safe Camp is not open. Everywhere they go, even when they have been told they will be safe there for a little while, harassment and inhumane displacement continues every single day. Trauma piles on top of trauma, trust in agencies and 'outreach' breaks down, people scatter farther and farther out, and the risk of overdoses and other tragic but avoidable outcomes increases as people trade community and any sense of stability for despair and isolation.

Yes, it's a complex issue and there are many factors at play, but as for the deplorable situation on the ground, only local government's negligence is to blame. If the CARES campus is actually meant to succeed beyond being a warehouse to coercively store poor people out of sight and out of mind, the time to change course is now, and local officials are fully empowered to take the action necessary. Local activists have started a petition with the following clear, reasonable demands:

A complete stop to the sweeps until the Nevada CARES Campus Safe Camp is fully open (with promised mental health care, addiction counseling, transportation, and workforce development), and a stop to sweeps again, if the Safe Camp becomes full.

Funded transportation for unsheltered individuals and their belongings to the Nevada CARES Campus for those interested in using both the Shelter and the Safe Camp.

A temporary camping location for unsheltered individuals (i.e. North Edison encampment) until the Nevada Cares Campus Safe Camp is fully open, with facilities for hygiene and medical use, including toilets, sinks, showers, and clinics.

A county-wide prioritization of sustaining and building transitional, affordable, and low-income housing.
The recognition of the Reno Houseless Union as a representative entity with a seat at the table in city and county planning decisions.

An end to the police harassment, and the reallocation of RPD and SPD cleanup funds to support social service, health, outreach, and housing initiatives existing and created for the unsheltered community, and additionally, to pay shelter staff a livable wage and provide employees with necessary training and support.

Citizen’s Forum Op-Ed by Ilya Arbatman shared with Our Town Reno

Should the Truckee River become an American Heritage River?

I’m just starting to reach out to people. We have developers trying to build big buildings on the river in downtown so I am finding ways that might help to require that they proceed with care and sensitivity. I know that I can get the river listed as a protected landscape but I also found a provision for designation as an American Heritage River.

The proposed company city in Storey County comes right down to the river shore too. Like I said, I’m just starting but im hoping to find interest and guidance in the effort. I am contacting all organizations that may have a hope in the health and preservation of our river.

I know this isnt quite your focus but I hope to set this in place for the future.

Barb Giacomini
Daughters Cafe
97 Bell Street
Reno Nevada 89503
775-224-5546

Here’s more information from Wikipedia below on the process to make this a reality:

Criteria for designation

Rivers are selected for designation according to the following criteria:

• The characteristics of the natural, economic, agricultural, scenic, historic, cultural, or recreational resources of the river that render it distinctive or unique;

• The effectiveness with which the community has defined its plan of action and the extent to which the plan addresses, either through planned actions or past accomplishments, all three American Heritage Rivers objectives;

• The strength and diversity of community support for the nomination as evidenced by letters from elected officials; landowners; private citizens; businesses; and especially State, local, and tribal governments. Broad community support is essential to receiving the American Heritage River designation; and

• Willingness and capability of the community to forge partnerships and agreements to implement their plan to meet their goals and objectives.

Race, Reno, and Living with Racism by Don DA

Quiet Insults, Slights and Disrespect

So some advice to those who are Black, or belong to visible ethnic minorities, and about to live in/move to Reno, Nevada. The major takeaway I have and had to learn to live with is to be Black while living in a place where few people are Black or look like me. Also living with quiet insults and slights towards me, yet is about disrespect and finding a way to live with dignity, in a place where Black/African Americans make up 2.8% of the population.

Versus that of Las Vegas where that number is 12.2% and 21.1% in North Las Vegas respectively; and that data has had a tremendous amount of impact on economic, political, and general characters of Reno and Las Vegas respectively.

That is something I am always aware of when I visit Southern Nevada in that issues regarding racism and race are less prominent. Not to say that they are not there. I am mindful that a massive majority of Nevada’s black political leaders hail from Clark County, and in contrast there are NO black members of the Nevada Assembly or Senate from outside Clark County and in Washoe County the only member of color (in state government, there are several in a number of local city council, school boards, and etc.) is my Nevada Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D-Reno).

Likely with that element of representation in consideration, this may have shaped the contours of Reno’s issue on race and racism. As I can only recall of two Black representatives ever being elected in my memory, former State Senators Bernice Mathews (D-Washoe County) and Maurice Washington (R-Sparks)

With that I have unfortunately accepted throughout my life at least as far back as I can fully acknowledge that living in Northern Nevada I've often faced some form of racism, discrimination, and hatred on a daily basis. As I got older I embraced this perverse form of discrimination, by affirming and propagating it at times unwittingly and wittingly. The good news is that overtime this has gone down in frequency but it still occurs. Ironic as I write this letter today, there are rumors of a nationwide White Pride marches, it makes me wonder where in Reno/Northern Nevada will have a demonstration, not IF.

A Tough and Honest Talk on the state of Race Relations

As when I originally penned this letter in the last weekend of February and otherwise known in America as Black History Month, I am reminded at this time last year I was at the White House in Washington D.C. for an event at the East Room attended by Former President Trump, and Former First Lady Melania Trump where he spoke to supporters and praised his Black community political supporters in a Prime Time Speech.

I began to think about my experience with this issue and I thought to myself about that event. In that speech Trump praised supporters, allies, and his political achievements. I heard nothing addressing serious challenges in society besides political promises and pledges on addressing race and race relations. It made me think about this issue and my experience about Black History Month. In that all the focus and energy is on what Black people have done FOR America, Education, Civil Rights, yet there isn’t a tough and honest talk unless you look for it on the state of race relations in America. So here we are on race and thinking about it locally.

Generally Accepted Behaviors in Nevada

Something I've come to terms with about living in Nevada as a person of African descent, to be disrespected, discounted, and disregarded is sadly to be expected. What's particularly unique to Nevada in this is that the prevalence of this behavior is generally accepted. Concurrently with that acceptance is that those who have to endure it typically do it in silence.

It’s a type of silence that is similar to that experienced by those who have been victimized both by an attacker, then by the criminal justice system when the attacker/assailant gets away and not justice or conclusion is rendered. Yet the expectation of “moving on” or “life moves on”, is placed on the victim regardless of ability or capacity to endure the injury or recover from the damage. In time it's a type of quiet indifference and ignorance that Reno and Northern Nevada that happens simply because of time passing by, and the transient nature of our community. They both smooth over the injustice of history past, and actions current.

As in most of the parts the country said behavior would naturally be seen as a faux pas, or unacceptable. More importantly a unique feature of living in Reno, Nevada is that it has NEVER really faced a TRUE day or time of reckoning regarding its past and racial discrimination. It's like a quiet secret "Biggest Little City'' never likes to talk about.

From zoning and planning near my old high school near Reno High School, to how the Northern Nevada community reacted in the beginning of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling protest. It was only in 2020 after the controversy died down and passed that students and student leaders started having a conversation about restoring one of UNR's more prolific athletes to the public space. 

Even in the naming of a public school that serves predominantly minority students, the issue of race and representation continues. I must clarify I knew of former State Senator Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) and attended her funeral and understood and saw her passion for education. Yet a contention Ms. Adrienne Feemster, grand-daughter of Former Proctor R. Hug High School administrator/Principal Dolores Feemster, raises is why should a political figure name adorn an institution that will likely serve more students and constituents of color than the legislator served in office. I simply place this debate here not to level a position, to show an element of the fluid challenges here in Northern Nevada and Reno have with race and racial reckoning in the twentieth-first century.

Eating Out / Waiting Tables + Stores and Security

Eating out/waiting tables.....I was a waiter for many years in Reno. That experience has always left the most naked, harsh, and disgusting elements about racism, and bigotry. As it deals with class, race, money, and above all order. I start with this, some the most racist and bigoted statements I would hear from co-workers who would quietly confide after a few drinks after work and tell me or yell at me. "Why is it that Black people tip the worst!?!" Alternatively I would find my waiting experiences often left me less than happy as I observed my server go to other tables with higher levels of frequency before attending to my table. I still tipped 20% (or more) as I remember how hard that job is, but I didn't like doing it. I myself as a waiter in the 2000s found myself propagating that self-affirming bias. It took me being taken to task by a senior waiter and staff member to get me to treat all tables the same, to give everyone the same level of speed and attention irregardless of WHO sat there. 

From time to time I have to calm myself about going out to eat (still) because 50/50 now (used to be a 70/30 ratio unscientific poll) I found myself unhappy, annoyed, disgusted by my eating experience. Yet I swallowed it and didn't complain to the supervisor/manager, leave a complaint, a bad review, or respond as I felt that if I did I would be slighted, or find my complaint dismissed or explained away. As has happened a couple times and I remember my days as a struggling student server, I would be terrified of the thought or worry of that "CUSTOMER" like myself who may demand more than a comped check. My worry of committing an act of waiting malpractice may cost me more than just a tip, but my job. As at that time of my life I was working my way through UNR and I was a complete emotional wreck doing so. So that passing thought becomes an active physical action that drives me out the door in cowed silence. As I assume or feel my voice for something I just paid for has no value.

Stores and Security...This is a new feature I am dealing with in Northern Nevada. As in recent memory when I grew up here we didn’t always have security in stores. Now with the growth, we have an influx of big-box stores, and with that comes theft and loss prevention measures. This has given me the unpleasant “I’m being watched feelings” I now have, in the many stores I visit throughout Reno/Sparks the awkward looking over my shoulder to see a uniformed officer following me or store personnel being a lot more “helpful” than needed when in the General Merchandise, Electronics, and other sections that have moderate theft issues. Versus that when my white friends visit these departments, they often are unable to find a soul around to “help” them until they themselves wander two-three departments over. 

Fairly recently I had a choice encounter at a certain big-box retailer in central Reno where receipts were being checked not for completion/numbers of items, yet I noticed the employee was inconsistently checking those who didn’t walk past the clerk. When it came to my turn, I observed a member of management hurried in great speed to make sure I was checked. When I didn’t have my receipt I was told I wouldn’t be permitted to leave, which seems odd to me as I was observed by others minutes ago walking past. I couldn’t understand why I was being subjected to such scrutiny (even after paying for my items minutes prior). I eventually showed a receipt, yet I asked myself….why did I have to go through that? This I imagine is a common issue for people of color in the Reno area who find themselves in these awkward circumstances. Yet must maintain an air of calm demeanor, respectful tone, and measured actions when every thought and feeling says otherwise.

This is an awkward issue for me because I am trained in some of these tactics and I often see many security guards, loss prevention agents, and store staff do this horribly wrong … let true perpetrators and criminals walk out of their stores with high value goods, etc., time after time. Simply because they followed a person of color not because they had a reasonable suspicion, but because their implicit bias, some prior experiences, led them to think that was a reasonable solution.

My Youth 1990-2000's-One of the things I've always had to be really careful about is embracing my identity. And still in the drive to cover myself in cultural protection, that of mainstream Western/West-Coast Americana. I eschewed anything Black or African American. I was openly contemptuous and ridiculed if not contrarian of anything that was based on that. One of the most critical elements was basically trying to not be ethnocentrically aware or to not be connected ethnocentrically with African American culture. So reinforced by toxic and negative elements throughout my personal, work, and social life. I stuffed thoughts and ideas that bothered me when I saw and heard things I found offensive. Simply smiled and nodded approvingly. Knowing that I was disgusted and repulsed inside.

I openly (to myself admit & accept) whether it's at work, my personal life, in politics, and in the media market as well. A degree of contempt, dismissive perspectives on my talents or abilities, or a mix of all three. I make this abundantly clear to myself. I do not see myself as a victim. I do not say/wish to say "please take pity on me". I just have to find validity and accept that really nobody cares. Sadly it's part of that complex that is accepted. "I'm Black who cares". As I have to impound on myself and I have to drill in my head that I should judge myself on the content of my character and not the color of my skin. (I don't know what I mean) As it would be really easy to adhere to that structure, as it dominated my life. I know because it was well I never expected it to (I don't know what I mean) .

Photo by Trevor Bexon with Amy Klobuchar with permission to use.

 Politics, Public Life, and “Polite Society”

I often felt I was caught in the crossfire of three camps regarding racism in America. Namely that of a young man trying to find his way in the world. who legitimately just didn't understand what these boundaries of color and racism really meant. The son of African immigrants who struggled financially to find their place in the local and economic environment. The only son of college graduates who desired a better life for their family and held their children were to an extremely high and ambitious expectation. That was to go on to college themselves, and not only to go to college but to succeed economically, professionally, and in society.

I was warned as a young man at home by family and friends alike that "you are not an African American, but you are an African in America". Is a means of trying to separate myself from the African-American diaspora. The truth of the matter is to anyone on the outside I look black no matter what I say or do. Yet for many years of my young adult life I internalized this wildly disgusting idea. I am worse off for doing so. I say this openly now because I recognize the harm and has done to me and others. As it has prevented me from helping people who needed my support, denied my humanity and need to connect to another suffering human being, worse off I enabled racism/racist to continue advocating and supporting morally repugnant, reprehensible, and despicable ideas. 

“Why can’t you ALL pull yourself’s out by your bootstraps”, “racism is over right”, and failing to speak up and say what was really on mind probably hurt more than anything I said. I often am reminded that Colin Kaepernick and I shared a common friend who was an ally of his on campus. When he faced criticism for his kneeling protest, my friend stood by Colin. Through and through my friend stood by his friend, ally, and was willing to submit to a New York Times interview. While I criticized Colin and his allies to score cultural and political points, in hindsight of it all from Colin’s photo being removed from the airport to meeting "Peter” at UNR, I shouldn’t have even entered that debate, as the dominant issue wasn’t free speech, it was race and race relations in America. 

My perverse logic led me to live a life that was horribly inconsistent with the values that I actually felt. It led me to tolerate things that were just morally, spiritually, and personally abhorrent. I would endure people hurling racial epithets in front of me or at me as a sign of humor. I would humor people engaging and saying race-baiting conversations to me. I was at an event and then once we were there, there were people in blackface and I was invited, yet I didn’t leave. Repeatedly I was asked to engage in activities in sports not because of my actual physical prowess but that perceived physical prowess that I had. Thankfully I definitely let those down concerning that perceived prowess athletically.

So much so that I turned to alcohol, and other poor coping mechanisms to dull the pain. I'm not saying that it makes people weak to do these things. I'm just saying that's what I did.

So I am being so naked and so candid about my experiences. It's because the time is here to have that conversation. We have come to a point in time where you're having a very long conversation about ourselves. I have found through counseling and therapy that the only way you come to truth is you have to come to terms with things. You have to take an honest look at yourself, and be willing to assess the bones that lie bear. Also because the Asian American community is now in the firing line on racism, racist tropes, physical attacks, and hate crimes. I don’t wish to see another ethnic minority group face a rehash of a cycle of social marginalization or worse in this community. As sadly it has happened before during the 1918-19 Flu Pandemic and subsequent historical event throughout the twentieth century.

What I hope to do with this exchange with you here in Northern Nevada in this community is to have that Exchange. If we don't, if we simply gloss over the problem, we will simply let it fester some more. As a close friend of mine often says let's have a courageous conversation. I'm looking forward to having more of these with you!

I openly say this side note one of the things I will openly say about racism and racists; is I have yet to meet someone who is racist who is smart because inherently built in the concept of racism. Is a concept that someone who is of another different race is less intelligent or capable simply because of pigmentation. Which has no bearing on physical or physiological elements. So inherently and the long and short of racism is stupidity. Therefore simply racists are stupid, I openly say in this statement if you have an issue with that statement in the substance, style, and structure. I am open to hear why, but I challenge you to ask yourself if you have an issue with the premise. I simply ask you to ask yourself why?

####

1st Person Essay by Don DA shared with Our Town Reno