Lauren and Megha, High Schoolers Sharing the Warmth

From Blankets to Sustainable Help

When Lauren Adajar, now 15, was challenged two years ago in eighth grade by her teacher Ashley Ingle to come up with a project to make a difference, she came up with a blanket drive. 

“The topic I looked into was the housing crisis,” she remembers.  “I ended up doing some research and eventually what I came up with was a blanket drive, which looking back seems like a simplified version of trying to make a change. It’s very short term and not super sustainable but I saw a need and wanted to try and fill it,” she said. 

Adajar distributed the blankets she had collected, along with clothing and hygiene items, through a RISE event on 2nd Street.  “That was the first time I looked poverty in the eye,” she told Our Town Reno during a recent interview. “I spent several hours talking to this line of people that stretched well beyond the end of the block. I heard their stories. I was able to make connections. I was feeling completely overwhelmed. After the distribution, I sat in my room crying for an hour because I couldn’t handle what I had seen. I think that experience was important because it was the first exposition to this topic and these people. Poverty in general is a very hidden issue. I made the realization I wanted to do more. It shook me to my core.” 

Adajar has now teamed up with a school mate at Davidson Academy, Megha Tenneti, 14, who is a 9th grader.  Both had older siblings at the prestigious school for highly gifted students.  

Together they have created a Davidson Academy chapter of MEDLIFE, an international organization with roots in Peru, which provides medicine, education and development for low income families around the world.  Adajar’s sister is part of the UNR chapter.  

Tenneti’s personal drive to help the poor started in India where she visited her family as a child.  “You go on the streets and there’s just rows of homeless people. It was really heartbreaking to see.  I thought I couldn’t do anything,” she said. 

Now she does her research and makes frequent presentations.  “We have Powerpoints and lectures to educate people on the plethora of issues surrounding the cycle of poverty and that way everyone has an idea of how we can volunteer the best we can. We plan on becoming more action based after the pandemic starts going down a little,” Tenneti said. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our interview was done over Zoom.

Inspired by Others, Seeking to Create a Youth Movement

Tenneti was also inspired by another school mate who started an organization to combat menstrual  inequalities called Red Equity.  In Reno, she also volunteers with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and RISE.

“Society treats [the poor] like they are … trash. It’s disgusting. They’re just normal people with experiences and we want to connect with them,” Tenneti said during our Zoom interview. “I wanted to focus on getting rid of those stigmas so that people can be comfortable and not have stigmas against a population. They are people and we can’t dehumanize them. We can’t treat them as less than.  We need to help them to create an environment of equality and equity. We need to look at ourselves as a community rather than ignoring them.” 

Moving forward, the two teenage students want to turn their initiative into a movement using social media and in person events.  Adajar has been using the #spreadthewarmth hashtag.

They want to unite students their age, “high schoolers who maybe don’t know the realities that some people are forced to face but want to know what lies beyond their bubble of privilege” Adajar said. 

“A lot of people are scared to reach out to local shelters,” Tenneti said of what blocks some high schoolers from also making an effort.

Tenneti is also thinking of reaching out to students struggling locally, even more acutely during the pandemic.

“We’re so privileged to go to this school and have this education that I think our whole goal is to basically educate ourselves, and how people our age, live in motels and don’t have access to proper education, have the resources they need. We’re getting out of our bubble.  We need to break out of it and recognize everyone,” she said. “We should also create safe environments where young students can get the resources they need.”

Right now, they are also organizing a new blanket drive, and even ready to pick up blankets from people wanting to donate directly.  They are open for messages on their Instagram which is called damedlife.

“There’s a long way to go, and we’re not trying to be like know it alls,” Adajar said to conclude our interview.  “We definitely don’t know everything and there’s things we will never know from our place. We’re trying to do the best we can to help people, to provide sustainable support and not make it a one and done situation.”

Our Town Reno Reporting

Sarah Blithe, Addressing Inequality and Enduring Stigma in Brothels and Legal Sex Work

Local Revelations, Academic Interests and Teamwork Lead to Award Winning Book

Sarah Blithe is no stranger to inequality and disparity in the workplace. As an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Nevada, Reno since 2012, her studies often involve how people’s identities can affect how they’re treated by their employer. A major and recent focus of her studies resulted in the release of Sex and Stigma: Stories of Everyday Life in Nevada’s Legal Brothels, which keeps winning her awards and also helps in court cases.

“I thought [brothels] would be a fascinating place to study,” Blithe said in a recent Our Town Reno interview, looking back on her work’s trajectory. “So we called the brothels and did participant observation in many brothels across the state. We did interviews with sex workers, brothel owners and other people who were involved like bartenders and security people. That led us to just this really fascinatingly rich study that has carried on for a few years now.”

Published in January 2019, Sex and Stigma has since received five national and academic book awards. Blithe’s book, co-authored with Anna Wiederhold and Breanna Mohr, was the culmination of a research project that began in 2013. 

The idea for the project started when Blithe attended camel races in Virginia City with her children in 2012. While her kids were up front looking at the camels, Blithe saw a work email with a call for articles on hidden organizations by the Management Communication Quarterly journal.

“I thought, ‘Wow, that's so cool, I wish I had something to study,’” Blithe said. “The announcer was also making really lewd comments about the women riding the camels and I realized that that particular race was sponsored by one of the brothels. I was new to Reno at this point and I thought, ‘Gosh, this is really interesting and maybe I should study the brothels. It fits in with my interest in organizations and gender inequalities.”

Blithe then paired up with Wiederhold, an expert in community organizing who was also at UNR at the time. They started their data collection efforts in 2013 and after a full year of research, an interesting development occurred with the project. 

“I was working with one of my undergraduate students at the time and I asked her if she would be my research assistant because she was just a standout student and a remarkable writer,” Blithe said of when she offered a list of research projects she was looking for help on. “She then said, ‘Well, I really want to work on the brothel one, but you should know that I worked there.’”

Although the first round of data collection happened before the student came on, she was then included as a full co-author on the project. 

“After our student came in, she decided she wanted to do some additional interviews with people who had left the brothels,” Blithe said. “She then facilitated a second round of data collection where we spoke with women who worked [in the brothels], but then left and were doing something else for whatever reason.” An auto ethnographic chapter written by the student was also included in the published book. 

Book Makes Appearances in Recent Court Cases

Since publication, Blithe has been impressed by the different ways her research has been used within the legal sex work industry. 

“Since publication, our book has been used in some of the court hearings about whether or not brothels should have a ‘lock-down’ policy,” Blithe said, referring to the practice of women being unable to leave brothel grounds while under contract. “In the book we argue pretty strongly that lockdown is illegal and a discriminatory practice that some of the brothels do. I feel the best outcome of the book is that now in almost all of the brothels, there is no lockdown policy anymore.”

A key point in disputing traditional lockdown policies is that legal sex workers are independent contractors, not employees. 

“This means that whoever is contracting their services, doesn't get to tell them when or how many hours they work,” Blithe said. “[Workers] can't leave at all for the time that you're on contract, which might be two weeks and for one woman I met, it was three years. They can go outside, they could be on the brothel ground, but they have these rules that restrict their movement and their mobility.”

Another outcome from the book’s publishing was its use as evidence to support that human or sex trafficking isn’t happening in the brothels. 

“Nevada is the only place with legal brothels so this is not just a local concern, but I would say there's a [national] concern that there's trafficking happening in the brothels,” Blithe said. “But our research did not find any evidence of trafficking. It's certainly not widespread or rampant as people who are anti-brothel would suggest.”

Blithe does point out that sex trafficking is a significant problem in our society, but reaffirms that it’s not as prevalent in legal sex work, as opposed to illegal sex work. 

“There’s a bit of a moral panic going on about sex trafficking and it is a real problem,” Blithe said. “But it's just not as associated with legal sex work as it is with illegal sex work. In the illegal [sex work] context, it's a different version of the same occupation, so I would say that was one myth that our research dispelled a bit.”

Long Term Stigma and Complexities

A main finding of the book was revealing the stigma long attached to the women who work in the brothel, while brothel owners are elevated as quasi-mythical figures.

“There are businesses who won't work with [female sex workers], they sometimes have a hard time getting car loans, housing applications approved, that sort of thing,” Blithe said. “At the same time, the brothel owners are kind of like celebrities, they actually enjoy a positive status associated with their role. One of our main findings was looking at the way that stigma isn't applied equally across all people who are associated with brothels.”

Another thing that stood out to Blithe was the variety of transferable skills utilized by the women involved in legal sex work, yet the stigma from their occupation is a barrier if they try to exit the industry.

“Many of the women that have built these incredible skill sets: sales, negotiation and communication,” Blithe said. “They have all kinds of really amazing skills and sometimes that doesn't translate if they want to exit the industry, they find it hard because of the stigma associated with their occupation to describe what they can do in terms of getting another job.”

Another aspect of her research for the book covered the work-life balance of the women.

“Many of the women who work [at brothels] are moms and many of them said that work-life balance is one of the reasons why they've picked this particular occupation,” Blithe said. “So maybe they work a month out of the year and then they don't work for 11 months, which for some of the women really helped them achieve work-life balance and in ways that are kind of creative and outside of the traditional box about work-life balance.”

For Blithe, who did not have much exposure to brothels prior to her research, she found a wide variety and diversity in both the women who worked there, as well as their reasons for working in brothels.

“You see people who are completely outside of what you would have expected in terms of a wide range of ages, all different types of races and ethnicities, different ways that women choose to present their identities,” Blithe said. “There's a lot more diversity in different reasons why women work there. Many of the women who work there are really satisfied with [legal sex work] as a career, they’re doing it as a sales career or because it is satisfying something personal about them and their sexual desires.”

A More Nuanced Picture

Blithe said for many legal sex work is a chosen career women take pride in.

“It's not all just about survival, for many people this is a chosen or selected career that they take great pride in and don't want to bear the stigma of people looking down on them for something as if they were forced to do it when this is, in fact, a career that they enjoy and they're excelling,” Blithe said. 

Blithe suggests that the book has been well received by the community since its release due to its balanced approach to the legal sex work industry. 

“What we're trying to do in the book is paint a more nuanced picture [of the legal sex work industry],”  Blithe said. “We try to provide a variety of evidence and to create a well-rounded picture of what's going on in the brothels rather than a book that was coming out trying to persuade people to go one way or the other. So I think that's why it's been pretty well received by people on all sides of this issue.”

Challenges and Risks of the Pandemic

Blithe also mentioned that women who work at the brothels, much like many workers across the country, have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“That already has been really problematic,” Blithe said of brothels being forced to shut down, mentioning the legal challenges of collecting small business unemployment for many of the women who may not have created an LLC for their contracted services. “I think there are definitely women who have been turning back to illegal sex work, while others are riding it out on their savings and those who are trying to find different occupations and use this as a turning point in their careers, which is also something that the brothel owners are concerned about,” Blithe said.

Blithe is particularly concerned for the women who may have turned to non-sanctioned sex work during the pandemic. 

“It's much more dangerous to perform sex work in hotels or on streets than it is in brothels,” Blithe said. “So that's a concern, not having any income at all is a concern. This pandemic has been very hard on this particular industry because the brothels really see themselves as providing a service to the community. So they have been pushing to try to reopen, without much success right now.”

All things considered, Blithe and her coauthors believe Sex and Stigma is just one step forward in addressing the stereotypes placed on legal sex workers. 

“People tend to get hung up on stereotypes and stigma and there are so many accusations and ugly words that people associate with women who work in the brothels,” Blithe said. “If we could help somehow reduce the stigma and misperceptions that people put out into the world, it would help make this particular occupation less oppressive. Whether you like it or not, this is a legal occupation and it deserves to have the same rights that other occupations are afforded in the state.”

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Aric Coward, A Victim of Alleged Pepper Spray Attack by Guard at Homeless Shelter in Reno

Coward says the alleged attack took place two days ago, Monday morning around 7:30 a.m., when he was told to wake up, and when he didn’t immediately move he said, after words were exchanged, a guard from the Allied Universal company, which has a multitude of local security contracts, pepper sprayed him in the face. Coward says his eyes still burn two days later, his face still feels heat and that his already poor vision has gotten blurrier and hurts when he looks at the bright sky too long.

“Hopefully, I’m going to be ok,” he said, though still feeling traumatized at what allegedly happened.

Our Town Reno contacted Volunteers of America which coordinates the shelter’s operations, but their phone number does not answer and says their voice mail is unattended to.

Our Town Reno then received an email from Linda Grace, the VOA Regional Development Officer, stating the accused security guard would no longer work at the site.

“VOA’s top priority is the health and safety of our guests, residents, and staff The incident that occurred early on December 21, 2020, at the shelter on 4th street was immediately brought to the attention of VOA management,” Grace wrote in her statement.

”VOA immediately reported the incident through proper channels to the City of Reno, as they oversee both VOA’s contract and Allied Security. The police were called, and VOA asked that the security guard involved in the incident be immediately removed from service at the shelter, and any other VOA locations. VOA has been assured that the security guard in question will not be returning to our program site. Volunteers of America-NCNN serves close to 1,000 individuals every day through a variety of programs VOA cares for people who feel abandoned, who have given up all hope. We care for men struggling with homelessness, veterans, low-income seniors, the working poor, families, and individuals suffering from mental health issues. Our first priority is the health and safety of our guests.”

Later Wednesday, the Corporate PR Manager for Allied Universal Security Services, Vanessa Showalter, based in Santa Cruz, also sent us an email saying the accused guard had been suspended. “ We are aware of an incident that occurred between one of our security professionals and an individual,” the emailed statement said. “The security professional involved was suspended pending an investigation. Our security professionals complete on-going training to help ensure that we uphold top security standards in order to serve, secure and care for the people and businesses of our communities. Since this is an on-going investigation, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Coward said the same security guard had harassed him the previous day before the alleged pepper spray attack, and when seeing him again still in bed Monday morning, allegedly said “Oh, it’s you again.” Coward says he can barely move, having suffered three massive strokes over the past 15 years, and so it’s impossible for him to react quickly. “First he was being nasty and aggressive, and then next thing you know I get pepper sprayed in the face,” he remembers.

Coward said he’s had a very difficult 2020 already, with his Social Security benefits having stopped for several months, until he got help from a friend and a lawyer. He says he started getting his $800 a month again recently but that it’s not enough to afford stable shelter.

A former truck driver, Coward says he’s been more or less homeless since he suffered his first stroke over a decade ago, and that he’s been unable to return to work since.

“I’m scared to even walk out in the streets,” he said, when we asked if we could meet him in person. He didn’t know what he would do after leaving the Sands, but said “as sure as hell, I won’t be going back to that shelter.”

“I don’t understand what the hell is going on,” he added. “I’m at a complete loss. I want that man arrested.”

Coward said a complaint had been filed at the shelter, but he didn’t know what will follow. He says he’s extremely thankful for the whistleblower and the advocate who are helping him. “It’s nice to know there are still people like that out there,” he said.

Of being offered a night at the Sands, he said “I slept comfortably. I didn’t feel someone was going to attack me.” Of future nights up ahead, when he will avoid the shelter? “I’m leaving that to the man upstairs,” he said.

Our Town Reno reporting on December 23rd, 2020

Darius, Struggling without an ID and Local Recovery Programs

New Tent Daytime Services Welcome

“I typically come here to take a shower and I eat here. I come here [for] lunch and dinner,” Darius said of the new big tent shelter area on East 4th street.  “Currently, I'm homeless. I got my own little camping set up, but here they got places for people to sleep, shower, and food.”

He said he’s thankful for this new sleeping option, with added benefits of daytime use for meals, shade, bathrooms and showers.

“It's a good thing that they are here. It's a lot of people homeless. It's a lot of people who [aren’t] in the right mental state or whatever. And some of them don't know how to take care of themselves. Some of them will sleep anywhere. “

He said he’s found ways to get early morning day labor without needing an ID, which he says was recently stolen.

“My plans is to keep working at this one job that I'm working in. My ID was recently stolen. I just could go there by five in the morning. That's what I'm doing. It's the only place I can work right now because of my ID situation. “

“Reno isn't bad at all. There’s plenty of jobs here. There's helpful resources here that I know of so far,” Darius said of his overall situation, even if he did point out some frustrations with how a recovery program he thought about is seemingly set up.

“Hell to Get a new ID” and Housing

“It's been hard, especially during this COVID-19,” Darius said of trying to get a new ID to replace his stolen one. “The DMV is shut down. When I had a few hundred dollars a few weeks ago that I had saved up and I was online actually trying to figure it out, how I can order my ID for my driver's license from Arizona. And it was just terrible, the website is not user friendly and you know, I'm stuck out here. I can't really do much without my ID, so it's terrible.”

He says he’s been thankful for getting some work, but that' it’s not enough to get his own housing.
”[This guy] paid me on a little debit card thing or whatever, you know, it's been getting me by, but it ain't life changing, it’s not getting me off the streets, but it's money in my pocket. You know what I mean? Yeah. So it's better than nothing.”

He says he’s also tried to get into a sobriety program by the downtown shelter but that he disagrees with the way it appears to be set up.

“ I tried to get in there because I just got tired of living in my tent. I drank a lot. I want to quit drinking. I'm only 27. This is ain't my life. This ain't me at all. So I walked in them doors and I asked, ‘Hey ma'am do you guys have any open beds? How can I get in the program? She said, ‘yeah, man, just fill out an application and we'll get back with you.’ But then she told me you have to work 40 hours a week and you don't get paid for that. That basically pays your housing. And I find that kind of weird and it doesn't really make sense that you guys have worked a contract to send people to work 40 hours a week where they don't get paid, but right next door and the buildings are literally connected, right next door, it’s a homeless shelter where people need work and they don't have contracts for work. And I find that a problem right there. I find that kind of weird. And it's like, it's proof that we live in a backwards ass society. Excuse my language.” 

Often, city and county officials will talk about “aid-resistant” citizens, or people on social media will say people living in tents refuse services. But what if the services are unclear or don’t feel fair to those thinking about getting them?

Food aid is easily accessible, but many people on the streets such as Darius complain about the complexity or the rules of local recovery programs.

Why not Day Labor Jobs Offered at Homeless Shelters?

“Right next door, these guys got jobs, but they're telling people that the only way you can live here, if you work for 40 hours a week. That's slavery, if you asked me, so that's the only issue,” Darius told us of why he isn’t too sure about signing up yet for the local recovery program he says he thought about getting into.

“I don't even know. It's a bunch of little things just in that same category. If you ask me that’s not really trying to help people out the situation, but it is just basically using them and getting government grants. I mean, I don't know for sure,  but I'm pretty sure.  I would like to see a lot of places that have day labor jobs and stuff like that. I would like to see a lot of their contracts go to the homeless shelter. At the homeless shelter where  there’s a lot of able bodied, men and women that's in the right state of mind, they just need work and they don't have contracts,” he told us as a way of a simple solution.

“People just only want to keep getting richer. They don’t want to help figure out how to really fix the problem,” he said as we concluded our interview.

Reporting and Photography by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Anonymous Under 21 Stripper Speaks Her Mind on Still Pending Lawsuit Against Reno

One of the strippers in the lawsuit felt that her well-being and the other women were not part of the conversation when Reno placed the new restrictions on strip clubs. “Seriously, I had a stable living, I was receiving a steady paycheck, but Reno thinks I’m gonna be better off unemployed. Like they actually think I’m gonna be safer without money.”

The lawyer in the case Mark Thierman told Our Town Reno the case is still ongoing but proceeding very slowly due to COVID-19.

In her interview, the stripper said she learned how to take care of herself at a very young age, and stripping was a way for her to maintain a sense of consistency in her life. 

She is aware that her career choice may not earn everyone’s approval, but she says no one has the right to judge her. “I feel like the law was placed on us because people have their religious morals and feel the need to convert anyone they disapprove of, but I’m not like embarrassed by what I do.”

She says the choice to become a stripper was her choice and that if you disapprove of her lifestyle, then ignore it. “The dictating of moral code is my main f***** issue,” she said.

She said she does not feel protected by the new restrictions; instead, she feels judged. “If they really wanted to protect us, they would regulate the people who come to the club sometimes, like we are seriously being punished for our ‘protection.’”

The city of Reno placed the new regulations on the strippers in April 2019 stating they were performing in an environment where alcohol is served only for those aged 21 and over. The Reno City Council also voted to remove private booths, require brighter lighting and increase the amount of video surveillance in strip clubs, amid ongoing back and forth discussions of the place of strip clubs in the Biggest Little City going forward.

Mark Thierman, the lawyer defending the strippers in the lawsuit, says the new stipulations are infringing on the stripper’s First Amendment rights.

The stripper we interviewed agreed. “When I danced the entire routine was mine, it wasn’t like anyone else’s.”

Reporting by Gracie Gordon for Our Town Reno

Denise Cook, In the Middle of Bed Bugs, Divided Donations and Social Media Firestorms

Raising the Alarm on Donations Not Received

From for profit recovery homes to foster care, to pawn shops and easy loans, from GoFundMe scams to fake panhandlers, the so-called poverty industry is rife with opportunities to take advantage of another’s misery for monetary gain.

Locally and recently, there were accusatory back and forth comments on Facebook about helping or profiting from cancer survivor, Section 8 housed, Medicaid and Social Security assisted, Sparks resident, Denise Cook, who has a blog called Help me! I’ve fallen and can’t get up!

In May, Cook posted a video of bed bugs crawling around her residence at The Lofts Apartments on the Facebook page of the Reno/Sparks mutual aid group.  She said the problem had persisted for over three years, despite regular sprayings. This time, after the community’s shock, a more radical approach was taken. 

“I was out of my apartment for seven weeks and they were supposed to get rid of the bedbugs,” Cook told Our Town Reno in a recent phone interview. “And then they literally gutted the apartment. I mean, there's a lot of stuff that could have been saved, but they just didn't want to bother with it.”

It was election season and incumbents seeking re-election in both Reno and Sparks rushed to help as Cook was put in a temporary apartment.  A challenger in her Sparks ward, Wendy Stolyarov also checked in, helping with support and purchases she needed.  It was a chaotic time as Cook’s cat hid and then likely ran away and much needed items such as her mobility scooter had to be left behind or were left behind unwillingly in all the rush and newfound focus to finally get her apartment rid of bed bugs. 

Previous attempts by Cook to get help through different legal organizations, government offices, her own GoFundMe attempts, media, Nextdoor and social service agencies had been unsuccessful but now it seemed she was finally being helped by caring neighbors and community leaders. They took over directing the help and seeking out donations rather than the mutual aid group.

Cook, who is in her fifties, says she also made new friends. “ [Community support] was amazing. It was just overwhelming with people being nice and helping and people did a lot of stuff to help me. Like I'm a plus-size and it's hard to find clothes in my size and people went and bought clothes for me and stuff. So that was really nice because when I left, I wasn't allowed to take any clothes, just what I absolutely had to have, like meds and stuff and it was incredible.”  

A previous fundraiser Cook organized for herself, using the same visual as on her blog, had not gotten very far, before a post on a mutual aid group did get lots of attention.

Many Setbacks Despite all the Help

The bugs were still a problem though.  “They did a heat treatment. And so you would think that would have gotten rid of the bugs before they moved me back in, but they didn't. So I still have that. It's not as many, but I still have them,” Cook said in our recent interview. “So all of that was done, all this, losing everything I owned or nearly everything I owned. And then I'm back in the same situation where I'm still dealing with bugs and it's incredibly frustrating,” Cook said over the phone.

Donation accounts had also been set up to help her, but that set off divisions and allegations of theft of what was intended to help her.

“I never saw it. I have no idea,” Cook told us of some of the donations. “They raised money through Facebook, mostly I know of two donations outside of Facebook that were sent through PayPal.”

She says a well known person in the mutual aid community we tried to interview, but who never got back to us to respond to the allegations, used her own accounts to receive some of the donations. Cook says this woman also kept telling her that her left behind items would be replaced and that new ones would arrive.

Cook says the woman also threatened to sue her for libel after she started writing about these developments, including allegations she only received about half of the more than $5,000 she estimates was raised for her.

“There's no way for anybody other than her to know how much she raised, because it didn't go through a platform. It went directly to her,” Cook told us.

Others in the mutual aid community corroborated these accounts, while some took the side of the accused woman, saying Cook was exaggerating her problems.

“She said it was pro bono and that the funds were supposed to be used to help me,” Cook told Our Town Reno. “Somebody at one point said something about me getting gift cards. And I said I hadn't received any gift cards. And so because sometimes people say something and I don't know if they're just asking or if they're asking because they donated that and they're checking to see if I got it. But it seemed like people had donated gift cards, but I didn't get them,” she said. 

We couldn’t get this accused person’s version so we decided not to publish her name, but it’s unfortunate that a story of a community coming together to help Denise Cook went so sour, that her cat disappeared, that she lost so many possessions in the ordeal, that she feels donations meant for her were never received, that she had to deal with new problems when items disappeared, that people in the mutual aid community got so angry at each other and that bed bugs that set it all off apparently remained.

“I don’t know what to do,” she recently posted on her blog. “I’ve spent everything I had on trying to replace things, and it’s all for nothing. I want to scream, and just shake people who wronged me. I’m not going to DO that, but sure want to.”

She also says her apartment’s management should also be responsible for some of her losses due to the persistent bed bugs. 

After the story was published the mutual aid group released this statement in the comment section: “We would like to clarify the anonymous person referenced in this story is not an admin, moderator, or affiliated with our group, Reno/Sparks Mutual Aid. Further, our group was one of many that assisted with the effort to help but were not spearheading it. The fundraiser on Facebook was not started by us nor did anyone on our moderation or admin team have access to it.

We believe that aftercare is a necessary part of mutual aid, and know that many members of our group became friends with Denise, including our founder. We cannot comment on the person who collected donations. We are heartbroken that Denise is still dealing with the same situation and ask the Reno Housing Authority to act swiftly as promised in many emails sent to Denise over the years.

Finally, those hoping to find Denise’s cat should like Help Bring Mama Cat Home for more information.”

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Cowboy Tom, from Cook in the Air Force to Cookies for Kindness in Reno

From Donated Cookies to Full on Meal Donations

Thomas Hill, the high energy hero of Reno behind Cookies for Kindness, also known as “Cowboy Tom” recently orchestrated the donation of 700 Thanksgiving dinners. These dinners included everything needed to make a full dinner for four people. Hill also included his own cooking tips he has cultivated over the years from his previous time as a cook in the Air Force. 

As a disabled veteran ,severely injured in a car accident, Hill says he understands the importance of helping others.

In a recent interview with Our Town Reno, Hill explained that in 2018 he started selling cookies he made to supplement his income, and that Cookies for Kindness resulted from surplus he wasn’t selling, as he was now handing out free cookies to the homeless and seniors at his low-income housing complex.

“It was so many seniors,'' Hill said from his workspace in the cafeteria of the Bridge Church on Foster Dr.. “[Some were] on oxygen at the time and they couldn’t cook anymore, so I would put out cookies in the lobby.”

His signature recipe is a banana-doodle cookie. His cookies became so popular he soon began to sell out and had over 25 events booked for 2020. His business now included catering, cooking for large scale events and fundraisers. He had plans to replace his beat-up truck, which he spends a lot of time on maintaining, with a van that had his logo on it. He had plans to grow his business to facilitate more donating. Then came the pandemic and with it, Hill lost business and his supplemental income.

Hill is adept at pouring his energy into social media and networking, as well, leading to more meals for organizations.

Helping Even More During the Pandemic

As the pandemic put a halt on paid opportunities, Hill decided to put his skills to helping those in need. Over the course of the year, he estimates he has donated over 8,000 meals along with putting together 150 backpacks with school supplies for local kids in need.

Hill networks with other non-profits knowing that when they combine forces, the impact is far greater than the sum of the parts. He used this network to facilitate his hugely successful Thanksgiving donation. Hill was able to gather turkeys, stuffing, celery, gravy, and other items—all from local grocery stores and sources. He is most proud of organizing the donation of a 53 foot refrigerated trailer from ITS Logistics to help store the food. In addition to these meal kits, Hill also cooked and served 160 hot meals for the homeless on Thanksgiving day.

This year, Hill has also been cooking for the Eddy house, a local safe house and organization that helps at-risk youth develop independence, averaging almost a dozen meals a month, including healthy breakfasts. He also began helping seniors on Indian reservations. “I was able to put together 150 care packages that included things like sanitizer, masks, and whatnot. As well as big bags of food for them. It worked out really well,” he said.

Looking forward, Hill has plans to spend his Christmas cooking for Casa de Vida, which provides support for young pregnant women. He wants to craft a special dinner for them complete with decorations and delicious food. Hill thrives in these settings when he can pour his creativity into cooking and help people in need. He says he enjoys seeing the smiles his food brings them. “I believe if we all just take a deep breath, be kind to one another, we can pull anybody that’s down up and help everybody out in the community.”

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Brandon Deriso, From Concert Promoter to Open Mic Studios and the RenoCast Podcast

Building a Podcast Studio in the Ruins of a Pandemic

With a background as a concert promoter, putting Reno on the map seems to have always come naturally to Brandon Deriso. Also as a small business owner with experience in a variety of industries, he knows what it takes to make things happen in the Biggest Little City. So when the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the country with its subsequent economic fallout for small businesses like Deriso’s, he immediately began looking for his next big project.

“Between concerts and the coffee [shop] and having a street food cart, COVID pretty personally attacked me [economically],” Deriso said during a recent interview with Our Town Reno after he approached us for a possible partnership. “So I was sitting around for a few months trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my time and I thought, ‘Well, I've got some contacts with some rock stars. I've got some contacts with some people that can do some cool things. Maybe I should just talk about that for awhile, while people are sitting at home listening.’”

With that, Open Mic Studios was recently built and launched on East 2nd St. Installed with five microphones and phone-in capabilities, Open Mic Studios was made to adapt to users’ needs by functioning like a live terrestrial radio station or for pre-recorded podcasts. Deriso’s goal is to create a space that suits the needs of the community, a goal resembled by his recently-released local podcast: RenoCast.  The podcast has been producing a steady clip of episodes, but the existing location is now being lost.

“The first thing that the studio put together was called RenoCast,” Deriso said. “I never had any aspirations of being a podcaster. But what was happening is people were coming in to check out what we're doing over here and they'd want to start their own podcast, but sometimes they would need like an active listener so I just started sitting in the seat and backing people up and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be like a thing that has to happen.’”

Being Booted Out

Things were going well for his new studio initially during a turbulent year, as Deriso started bringing people into the studio to be featured on RenoCast, including City Councilwoman Naomi Duerr and Tyre Gray, President of the Nevada Mining Association. 

“So some really cool people just kind of came out and it was just all personality pieces,” Deriso said. “It was like, ‘Who are you in our community? What do you do? What are we doing here? What's it been like to live in Reno?’ So these things came out pretty cool with these personalities.”

All of that changed, however, when Deriso was notified by Basin Street Properties that he would have to vacate the studio space in favor of a gym being built in the same space. Open Mic Studio has existed for nearly six months under a licensing agreement, not a lease, which means the building is legally able to make Deriso vacate the space. Nonetheless, the notice came as a shock to Deriso, who had paid his rents in full and ahead of time despite the pandemic, as he intended to utilize the space for years to come. 

“I was shocked, to be honest,” Deriso wrote in a subsequent email correspondence with Our Town Reno. “Up until this, the building and staff have been somewhat supportive of our efforts. This however, is just such a slap in the face. I let [Basin Street Properties] know up front that I was going to pay ahead and weather the pandemic storm in the hopes that after it was over, we could discern if any concessions were needed and warranted.”

The decision by Basin Street Properties to make him vacate in favor of a gym, Deriso says, will lead to him moving his coffee shop out of the building as well. 

“I might understand if they were doing something meaningful with the space, but they’re going to destroy this already iconic radio studio, evict a paying tenant, and lose another lease in the process, all to build a gym for the building. I don’t even think gyms can be open during all this, can they?” Deriso wrote.

“Secondarily, most of the tenants in the building have already vacated as well. The offices upstairs, which outside pandemic would have hundreds of people there daily, are almost completely vacant. I attempted to open the coffee shop and it was more costly to keep it open than closed. So I paid all that rent knowing I’d be closed, just to keep my relationship strong with the landlord, only to be pushed out of the one space that actually was functional.” 

While staying local, Open Mic Studios is increasingly looking to online, remote possibilities due to the pandemic, but is also thinking of reviving the in person vibe.

Thinking of Live Podcast Recording

Now, Deriso is exploring his options on where to take his studio next. One idea has been to transition to a live-podcast format. 

“We’ve been toying with the live format for a while now and this will give us a good reason to follow through with that,” Deriso wrote. “Reno can expect to enjoy podcasts recorded with a live audience hosted by Virginia Street Brewhouse very soon. We haven’t even announced the move yet and already we have a couple of options for a new location. We have a lot of art in that little 200 sq. ft. space and wherever we go next needs to be prepared to become as Reno-famous as the Awful Awful.”

Despite these recent challenges in having to change locations, Deriso aims to have the studio utilized the same way a record label functions with musicians. A platform like this is particularly important now, Deriso says, considering how much the city is changing not only on the ground-level, but also in the eyes of the world.  

“Reno is starting to really show its influence on the outside world,” Deriso said. “This town has so much character, so much personality that when people come here, you can't help but fall in love with the charm. That's why I think it's a little dangerous when we start projecting to the outside world to move here, because you can really destroy that little shining thing in the center that makes us what we are, [represented by] that little star that sits on top of the arch. That [star] is not there by accident, that's what the heart of this city looks like.”

Deriso is having to move his whole setup, but he is used to change while remaining set on Reno’s potential.

Making Amends with the Past

Deriso knows the value of the small-town charm Reno offers, particularly because he admits he’s taken it for granted in the past. 

“I really damaged this community before,” Deriso said, in part from his time as an influential concert-promoter. “At some point in my life, I was really wreaking havoc on my relationships and the people who cared about me and I didn't know what I was doing. [Today, I] look back and go, ‘Wow, you were the villain in your own story,’ and I've gotten to this place where I can accept that.”

Reno is a generational town, Deriso says, which is represented by his own family roots, as both of his parents grew up and lived in the Biggest Little City. Therefore, when you fracture relationships in a town like this, it takes time to redeem them, he explained. 

For Deriso, his roller-coaster experience with Reno began when his father was murdered, when Deriso was in his early 20s. At the time, Deriso had a good-paying job and was a member of a local band.  in 2005, a Sparks man was found guilty of first-degree murder with willful intent of walking into the house of his father, Miles Deriso, and shooting him.

“So this major thing happened and suddenly I became aware of just the normalcy of the office and how that functioned and how people were, and that just wasn’t for me,” Deriso said. “So I quit that job and I went to work at Club Underground and I was in there all the time.”

Deriso became the manager, in part because of the number of people his band was drawing in. Seeing the potential in Reno’s live-music scene, Deriso shifted Club Underground’s direction away from a nightclub vibe, to one more geared toward live music. Inadvertently, Deriso’s career as a concert promoter then began when he made an offer for the heavy-metal band Mushroomhead, to play at the club in early 2004.

“[Mushroomhead] accepted my offer and it was not really a large offer, which was the best part because suddenly we had this massive turnout with a fairly high ticket price and the bar ring was huge,” Deriso said.  

Going National and Having Problems at Home

Then in 2005, Deriso booked a co-headline show with Shiny Toy Guns and The Rapture, which also turned out to be a hot ticket in Reno. At the same time, however, he was also contacted by a band called Clutch. When Deriso was told if he was going to book Clutch at Club Underground, that he’d have to make the deal on his own, Deriso took a gamble and went forward with the deal anyway. 

“I took the Clutch show myself and you have to understand how stupid that actually was, because I had no money that I was guaranteeing these guys,” Deriso said. “But I put the tickets on sale the day I confirmed [the booking] and the tickets sold out in 37 minutes.”

Just like that his career as a successful concert promoter was launched as he went on to organize over 300 shows a year in various markets. Deriso soon found himself involved in 2,800 live productions in 44 cities across the country over the next few years. In 2012, he even booked and oversaw Andre Nickatina’s nationwide Where’s My Money Tour, featuring Prof. 

These high-profile commitments, however, in turn led to the fracturing of some of his relationships at home in Reno.  “What starts to happen is this: this nice young kid is getting all this attention and people want stuff from him and he wants stuff from them and so it sort of was this like moving a needle [away] from being a good guy,” Deriso said. 

People would often reach out to him, looking to hang out or grab a lunch someplace. When Deriso started passing on these opportunities and taking old friends for granted, he says he felt like that’s when things really took a turn.

“That little dismissal of a relationship is the catalyst for all of it,” Deriso said. “That extends far and wide when you do things that harm relationships. That's the part that people struggle with the most because when you're damaging a relationship, like if I smack you in the face, it's a pretty clear response of what happens. But if I'm like, ‘I'm over you, why don't you go ahead and go now.’ What do you even do with that?’”

Shortly thereafter, then, Deriso says he hit a low point. But it was also a time that he met his wife, found his faith and has been working to make amends with the city of Reno ever since. He says he’s only able to do so today because of his understanding of what’s already been done. 

“I was in a lot of pain because most of these relationship damages were done amongst people at home, people that were investing money into my company or people that were trying to be my friend, so that's still a struggle,” Deriso said. “The first way to overcome that, when you're so painfully fully aware of who you were, that there’s only one option for who you can be and where you can go. That [understanding is] helpful because this town has been a little forgiving and it's also been a little unforgiving.”

Deriso is behind a wide range of initiatives locally, working to keep culture and the entrepreneurial spirit alive in the Biggest Little City.

Paying it Forward

After his concert promotion success, Deriso went on to own local a women’s fitness studio and his perspectives changed even more. Now, he says, he doesn’t see employees as working for him, but working with him. He wants to find a way to pay it forward, in a sense, by creating opportunities like having university students and other community members at his new Open Mic Studios. 

Now that he’s eight years removed from that low-point in his life, he says he just wants what’s best for the city of Reno, particularly as it continues to change and evolve. Sometimes that brings him into the foray of city politics, where he admits being vocal in this most recent election cycle. He wrote an opinion piece which was published on This is Reno last year, criticizing Mayor Hillary Schieve and a now disappeared Reno centric Facebook page. Although change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Deriso hopes Reno can maintain the core of the character it’s always had. 

“Over the years, thinking back to the mid-to-late 90s to now, even that evolution is very noticeable and you find yourself as an old-Reno type trying to fight for what looks like old Reno, against people who are saying, ‘This is progress,’” Deriso said.

“I think ‘progress’ is sometimes a deceptive word, just because it's moving doesn't mean it's progressing and I think that's something that we really have to look at when you start talking about the development. Development is key here in how we develop and why and where,” Deriso said of a changing Reno.

Wary of Some of the Change We are Getting

When the city revealed a plan for a ‘New Reno’ back in 2014, Deriso was very supportive of it. In the six years since then, however, he feels Reno’s been duped by bringing in development projects that aren’t true to Reno’s character and is instead trying to be like everywhere else. 

“Reno was a town really and truly run by the people of the town,” Deriso said. “There's a funny dynamic that happens with Reno because you get people who have this incredible, authentic, artistic sense of self, but then they want to use that to mimic the outside world a little bit and I think that's where Reno hits its glass ceiling frequently.”

So Deriso would like to see opportunities for other industries as well as a focus on the arts, while also making housing available for those who are already living in Reno, as opposed to courting those from outside the city to come live here. 

“When Reno outgrows the self-aggrandized piece of its personality, it just changes things,” Deriso said. “I want to show what Reno is and what I am and what this is, because that's what's going to spread the right kind of message and love.”

Spreading the right message specifically for Reno will be an element of his new Open Mic Studios, where he aims to host a number of ongoing, locally-focused projects. One such project that’s being discussed right now is having someone who will run a Q&A podcast where people can write in questions on how to navigate local government systems at the state, county and city level. These podcasts will cover a range of topics from how to get a marriage license to navigating the foster care system. 

By providing a platform for those in the city of Reno to share their voice as well, particularly on local matters, Deriso hopes to bring back the small-town relationship element that has always been inherent to the Biggest Little City.

“Relationships and how we relate with one another is everything,” Deriso said. “We have to do everything we can to be able to look at a person that you think is a scumbag and wonder why they're not. That's what makes Reno, Reno. We're all a little bit scumbag, a little bit high-class. We're all a little bit Pabst and we're all a little bit champagne. So I think if anything, we've got to abandon the notions of the things that are breaking us apart in the moment.” 

It’s that small-town relationship element, after all, that Deriso understands and now appreciates all too well. So although the location of his new Open Mic Studio will have to change, he says his mission to provide a platform for voices in an evolving Reno will continue.

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Abbey Nyberg, Combating "Hostile Architecture" at UNR

Seeking a Ban on Hostile Benches

Abbey Nyberg, who is pursuing a dual program for Secondary Education and English, has teamed up with two other students, Matthew Graham and Elliot Bailey, to present a proposal combating “hostile architecture” on campus.

“We all got together because we are all passionate about stopping [this],” she said.

With the presentation now part of a non fiction English class assignment, she aims to soon get support from ASUN [The Associated Students of the University of Nevada] and “take our persuasive letter to [UNR] President Brian Sandoval and then from there we are hoping to hear back from him on a potential ban on this that could be written into the bylaws of the university or something like that to basically ban all future hostile architecture with an emphasis in those anti-homeless benches.”

“Obviously homelessness is just skyrocketing in the Reno-Sparks area, with our current housing market. I’ve just seen it increasing it drastically in my lifetime,” the Northern Nevada native said.

In our interview she referred to a recent study indicating a third of all university students in the US are housing insecure at some point during their higher learning experience, with 18% having actually experienced homelessness at some point during their studies. 

Specific statistics are hard to come by, with local reporting often relying on the use of Pack Provisions, the university’s food pantry, to gage the current extent of student and faculty poverty. A recent Nevada Today article indicated the need for food assistance is expected to double among students this academic year.

“The standard looking bench has shorter seat width than normal,” Nyberg said of the ubiquitous green benches seen across campus. “Hostile architecture can be found all over the UNR campus, particularly anti-homeless benches, any kind of benches that have bars in them, or bars at every seat are considered anti-homeless, in addition to benches with sloped bottoms, where you can’t really sit on them or lay on them long term, those are also anti-homeless.”

Without Stable Shelter, and On Campus for Long Hours

As an IT worker at the Knowledge Center, Nyberg says she sees individuals there who are clearly without stable shelter and inside from as early as five a.m. to when she leaves work at five in the afternoon. 

“I’m a little bit concerned about where the individuals I see everyday are going to go on those days that it gets colder,” Nyberg said of reduced hours during the upcoming Wintermester, which will coincide with harsher weather and dorms still closed due to COVID-19.

Why does hostile architecture even exist?

“I think a lot of it has to do with the belief that homeless people are somehow dangerous or that they’re dirty or representing the community in a way that’s not desirable if that makes sense,” Nyberg answered. “It may not look great to have a homeless individual sitting on the street, but I would rather have them have a safe place to be than having to put themselves in unsafe situations just to find a spot to rest.”

Does she have any other ideas to help students and faculty without stable shelter?

“I think it would be really cool if a university could open up a low income or adjusted housing situation with students having an opportunity to live on a campus and have a place to live on a much more affordable cost than say the dorms,” Nyberg said. “It’s pretty ridiculous to live in the dorms with a higher cost than some rent they could pay off campus. Something like that would be really nice to see, to help out those students even if it’s something where they can come and go based on their needs, that would be really awesome.” 

Our Town Reno reporting in December 2020

Troy, Living in a Tent in Reno, with a Bad Back and Going Blind

I wasn't able to work anymore because of back problems. So, I mean, pretty much, you know, one thing after another, just sitting there, you end up out here

Once you come out here, you're out here and I mean, it gets easier and harder every day. I realized that it's a lot harder to do this life than it is to go out and get a job nine to five and pay your bills and whatever. But I mean, right now with the way my back is, there's no way I can do it and I'm going blind too. So, I mean, it's kind of tough for me. I got no choice.

There's a lot of good people in Reno. They bring us food out, you know, there's somebody different everyday that comes out here and brings some food and they just bring blankets. I mean, the people bring it here. And then of course there's Record Street and you know, and all that, but I don't really do much down there. I don't like it down there.

I just don't like the people that are there. I don't want to be under their thumb, be told when to get up when to go to bed. When you know, I'm a grown man. I don't need all that, but I mean, obviously I need some kind of help because I'm here. So I don't know.

Most of the time, I'm surprised we're still here. We've been here for like four months without a cop telling us to leave. And that's unheard of.

I've been out here like three years, so I mean they've [previously] told me to move 100 times, you know what I mean? So, and they're not very nice about ot.

The last time I was told to move, we were down here on this wall, this wall here, and, a police officer came in at four o'clock in the morning. So we packed our stuff in a cart and we walked off the river. We went to a friend's house for a little while and then found another spot to go to.

[The Governor’s Bowl plan?] We'll see what it looks like when they build it? I mean, if it's feasible. Yeah, sure. I mean, I've got a girl, so we're not going to be separated. That's a big part of the shelter too, is they want to separate us, you know, put us in different areas and not let us be together. And it just doesn't work for us. So that's why we're still out here in a tent because we prefer to be together

I’m thankful that I woke up breathing this morning. I mean I don't have much to be grateful for right now, but I mean, I'm happy as happy as I could possibly be, you know, that's all right. I'm grateful my girl's home.

{I’m also grateful for] this dog Squeaker who kind of adopted me. She's been hanging out with me, but she's really good. I don't like little dogs, but this one's kind of cool. She doesn't bark too much. She just came in and stayed. She's got an owner, but I'm not sure where he is. I don't care. I'll feed her and take care of her. She's a good dog.

Out here, we get high or whatever, and that's a big part of my problem too. You know what I mean? So if I were to get off that, then I’m sure that I could get my stuff taken care of and get myself back together, but it's just hasn't happened yet.

My eye sight is more detrimental right now [than my bad back]. And that is like a five month waiting period just to get into the surgeon. I’m going blind soon. I have to make a new appointment because something happened last time and I wasn't able to make the appointment. I didn't have a ride. Didn't have anybody to come with me.

The pandemic hasn't been dissipated and it's harder to do things, you know? So I don't know, but I don't want to talk about politics.

First Person Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Scott King, An Our Town Reno Reporter Bids Farewell

From Peace Corps in Grenada to Our Town Reno

RB: Scott, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with Our Town Reno?

SK: So I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and what originally brought me to Our Town Reno is I'm a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, which led me to working for the Our Town Reno street reporting collective which Nico Colombant coordinates.

What originally brought me here was that I was a Peace Corps volunteer serving as a literacy teacher on the Island of Grenada. I decided to go back to school to pursue a graduate degree in digital media. I chose to go to the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Peace Corps has this Coverdell fellowship, for returned Peace Corps volunteers, to find ways to help fund their graduate education. So I became a Coverdell fellow and as part of that requirement, I had to fulfill an obligation to work with an underserved community. And that's kind of where Our Town Reno just kind of naturally fit the mold because we're doing a street reporting collective regarding, you know, homelessness and the affordable housing crisis that Reno's experienced. And so it just kind of naturally fell into place from there.

RB: What has it been like being a reporter for Our Town Reno?

SK: Man, that's a, that's a big question. You know, it's just been an absolutely humbling and incredible experience. It was a little intimidating at first to be perfectly honest to, you know, walk up to somebody that is, you know, at their camp or at their tent or even in the shelters, you know, these people don't have a whole lot. And you know, one thing that they do have is their time, especially in the modern media environment that we're in today, that can be pretty divisive and pretty hostile, and people can be pretty leery of you. You know, it could be a little intimidating at first, but very quickly I realized that in my personal experience, a vast majority of the people that are on the streets are open and they want to talk because they're kind of left on the fringes of society and you know, they're ignored on the side of the road.

People don't really pay much attention to them and I don't know if it's because people kind of just feel bad for the situation that these individuals have found themselves in. So they don't know exactly how to approach it. So for myself, as I started meeting with them more and more, the stories that they had, and the experiences that they shared with me; and their willingness to share that with me was pretty powerful. The fact that they would trust me with their message, their voice, their image, and to be able to provide that platform for them as an Our Town Reno reporter and doing something that not a whole lot of media groups are really doing across the country. Our Town Reno is a very unique, niche media type of platform and to devote a whole platform to something like this, where you're giving a voice to a vulnerable community that is often ignored and neglected and disregarded by society, it's been a pretty powerful experience. 

A screengrab from Scott’s blog https://scottwilliamking.blog/ where he’s written about his experiences from Peace Corps in Grenada to visiting national parks in the west.

From a Fishing Village to the Biggest Little City

RB:How do you think your experience in the Peace Corps augmented your experience with Our Town Reno?

SK: So that's a really good question. I think the unique thing about the Peace Corps experience, you know, you really become integrated in the communities, your host communities that you live in and work in. So in my case, I was in this little fishing town and on the Island of Grenada, you get exposed to a completely different way of life, a completely different culture. And that's just totally different from what I experienced growing up in the United States. That's certainly not saying like, that's a bad thing. It's just a completely different way of life. And I fell in love with it. And a lot of people say that you, if you speak to a lot of returned Peace Corps volunteers, a common theme that you'll hear is that it's harder coming back to the United States and reintegrating into American life than it was to initially integrate into your host country or your host community.

And I found that to be very reflective of my own personal experience. When I first came to Reno, I left my home in Cleveland, spent two years in Grenada in this town of Gouyave, a little fishing capital of the Island. I fell in love with my life down there. I fell in love with my job, everything that I was doing, my community, my friends that I made down there. To leave, that was very difficult because you literally built this life for yourself from the ground up. Then all of a sudden, it just feels like it's swept. The rug is swept underneath you and then I landed in Reno. 

When I first came to Reno, I felt kind of lost, you know, I was just coming back to school. I wasn't sure how, like I really felt about that. Reno just kind of welcomed me with open arms because it's got that kind of character. It's got that personality of like, it's almost kind of hard to describe other than like people are just so in touch with themselves that they're not afraid to be themselves. And, you know, someone might be doing things this way, other people doing things that way and like, it's okay, you do you, right? That kind of culture, I really appreciated about Reno and that also I found to be the same way in my experiences with speaking with the homeless community, becoming involved in the homeless community, by going to these camps, going to these individuals. And in my experience in the shelters, that was also like my first time going into my community in Grenada, you know, a totally different environment, totally different culture, totally different experience than from what I'm used to.

But once again, I found a community that was open for the most part and welcoming and warm and friendly. And these people really gave me an appreciation and a respect simply because I went forward and asked them a question. I learned their name. I had a discussion with them and about their experiences and wanting to share that. So that level of trust that welcoming and that openness, I think is a parallel between my two experiences. From a personal growth standpoint, it was definitely something I needed, to find myself in an environment with a group of people and within a culture that I was unfamiliar with, but then kind of just fell into the groove with, and their openness, their willingness to speak with me and to trust me, they did things that I wasn't expecting them to, and that I may not have done if I were, if a stranger just happened to approach me, you know, once again, I found myself in an environment that was unfamiliar to me and you know, I was welcomed with open arms and a trusting voice. And man, just the generosity of these people. It's incredible.

Scott interviews Rose which resulted in this story: http://www.ourtownreno.com/our-stories-1/2020/10/12/rose-unable-to-hear-or-to-access-housing-after-being-evicted

Evolving Perceptions

RB: In what ways has working for Our Town Reno changed your perception of the city?

SK: When I first made the decision to come back to school and go to UNR I knew absolutely nothing about Reno, Nevada, and I think maybe all I knew was the television show, Reno 9–1-1 of which I admittedly haven't really seen a whole lot of. That was the really cool thing about working for Our Town Reno was I felt that I got to learn about the city of Reno, like the real city of Reno, just by being on the streets. I had to orient myself pretty quick, walking the streets downtown, like figuring out where's, you know, where is where. And luckily it is the Biggest Little City, so it's not like downtown is really that big.

Orienting myself from a geographic standpoint didn't take too long, but then kind of going back to the personality and the culture of Reno, I think I learned that pretty quick in terms of the things that are going on on the ground. So what's happening at the shelters, what's happening on the streets, what's happening in city government. During my time with Our Town Reno, I've interviewed half of the Reno city council. And there were some times I was interviewing these individuals and I didn't even know that they were city council members. They're at different community events that I just happened to be reporting on. And then of course there are other events where it was particularly focused on what city council is doing for the homeless community and trying to address the affordable housing crisis. You know, it's easy when you're in a city to just kind of stay in your bubble, so to speak, stay in your home, like stay in your suburb, whatever, and not really see what life is like on the ground.

It's kind of a privileged not to get involved in city politics or in your communities politics, to understand from that perspective, the things that are going on, what city council is doing, what the county is doing to try and support this community enabled me to kind of really see the core of what the city of Reno was all about. The affordable housing crisis itself is a super complex issue. I think they have it in their best interests to support this community. It's just, there's not really such an easy solution that can be a snap of the fingers and solve this, right? There's a myriad of factors that play into why people are homeless, why they might not want to stay at the shelters. There's a myriad of different ways to try and find ways to support them too.

One of the people Scott remembers best during his reporting is Angela above who was barefoot in the cold when he first met her. Her story here: http://www.ourtownreno.com/our-stories-1/2019/10/15/angela-gets-robbed-and-harassed-in-reno-after-walking-here-from-california

Remembering Angela and Her Progression

RB: And as you look back on your time reporting for Our Town Reno, is there a particular story that you really enjoy?

SK: There's couple of moments that kind of stand out to me, for sure. I'll mention, I'll start with, with one of my first stories ever done by myself and Lucia Starbuck who used to report with Our Town Reno. We were going around doing street reporting and we were at Barbara Bennett park and it was late October. So like, it was starting to get really cold at night. We went out to those tennis courts at Barbara Bennett park and there was a woman there. Her name was Angela and, you know, she had absolutely nothing. She was just sitting on the court, cross-legged. She had nothing, maybe sweat pants and a coat, but nothing else, no shoes and mind you, it was freezing and there was frost on the grass. And meanwhile, there's these guys over on the next court over, playing tennis. And so that was just the dichotomy of that. The contrast really kind of has stuck with me. 

She shared her story. She had walked over from California with her husband. Things didn't work out between the two of them when they got here, but then she was robbed, lost her ID, lost everything. And then that's kinda when I first learned about the system and how difficult that is to get out of it, say, because in order to get a new ID, you need to provide a birth certificate. But if you don't have the documents for your birth certificate, you have to go through a whole application process. This can take weeks to months to figure out, right. You know, she was very willing to speak with us and you know, shared her story. A couple weeks later, I was at Pickett Park for a donation drive, she was pretty much alone when we first met her, but she had found some camaraderie and some people to look out for her and support her when she was at Pickett Park.

When we saw her there she had a fresh pair of boots. She had some gear. She had made significant progress since that time we last saw her. So to kind of see that progression has been really cool.

Another interview Scott remembers well is with Melissa (right) from our now COVID-19 suspended share your story session times at the Washoe County downtown library. Story about Melissa here

Share Your Story Sessions at the Washoe County Library

SK: Two other stories that kind of stick out to me, when I spent time, every Monday morning, I was sitting at the Washoe County downtown library here in Reno. Every Monday morning I would sit there and we had a share your story session. So I just had a little platform up there and for people to come up and share their story with me, one woman came up to me, her name was Melissa. And she completely opened up everything that she had bottled up. She was staying with her two children at, you know, at the women's and children's shelter. Her husband was staying at the men's shelter because they couldn't stay together. And so she just opened up about the challenges of that and how she wanted to keep that normalcy for her children. And so she took her children to the men's shelter, just to say goodnight to their father every night, just to kind of keep that routine, keep that normalcy. You know, she, it got to a point she was very emotional and cried and, you know, she said, I've been bottling this up. And I feel like I haven't been able to tell anybody this. And so just kind of be that avenue. That was a powerful experience. 

At that same one share your story session, I had a man come up to me, he was a former meth addict and he was clean for a couple of years. He had custody of his daughter. He welcomed somebody back in a family who also had an addiction problem back into his home. And then he had a relapse. Because of his relapse, he was going to lose custody of his daughter. And he had already gotten clean once, he knew he could do it again. In order to maintain custody of his daughter, he had to check himself into a rehabilitation clinic. But because of the waiting list, he needed to be on that list to get treatment like within two weeks or something, or he'd lose custody of his daughter. The waiting list was like six weeks to two months long.

And so, you know, when he shared that with me, like, that's, when you really see the human side of these are real people who value their family, their relationships, value their friendships, and you see the human element of, of these things. And, you know, the stories behind these people. And those are probably three stories that really kind of resonated with me and have stuck with me to this day.

Working for a Niche, Experimental Platform

RB: So you've been working with Our Town Reno for almost a year and a half. Just about what has it been like to work for a niche media publication?

SK: It's been really cool because journalism and media is changing so much with the digital disruption, the internet, and how things have changed. The industry has been totally flipped on its head. And so a lot of people are trying to figure out different solutions as to how we can do this in a legitimate and respectable manner. So we have a lot of division particularly in slanted media, you have your right side, you have your left side, and we're kind of, because we're looking at things through specific lenses, we're almost, we're starting to lose that objectivity. That was the foundation of journalism from the get-go. So now, in my opinion, I think you might be seeing, going forward, is more locally sourced and niche media publications across platforms. And Our Town Reno kind of fits that mold in that it's entirely local, focused on Reno and Washoe County and, you know, focusing mostly on just one topic, which is homelessness and the affordable housing crisis.

So to have essentially like a beat, like this allows you to really kind of understand and build relationships with those people, those individuals that are involved with it. So I think Our Town Reno, this, and especially with its multimedia element of it, the fact that we can, we can do written stories and then have podcasts with that as well. So that way you can read the story about this individual, and then you can hear their voice in the moment that we spoke to them, whether it's under the bridge or on the side of the road or in the shelter. I think that's powerful, especially with a niche focus, like the affordable housing crisis.

RB: And in what ways has your experience with Our Town Reno shaped you as a journalist?

SK: Wow, that's incredible because it really has. I never envisioned myself to be a reporter or a journalist, you know, even before I came into this program. I wanted to go to this program. so I was going to journalism school, but I didn't want to be a journalist. And my dad ribs me for this, to this day, a major influence for me, honestly, was working with Lucia Starbuck. She was just so natural. Speaking with these individuals on the street, like they just opened up to her and the questions that she asked were just brilliant and got to like, get to the real heart of things with them. I learned a lot just from watching her and working with her.

I've also learned an incredible amount just through working under Nico the coordinator for Our Town Reno. He has a way of finding your strengths and building on those strengths, knowing what you do well. And he also isn't afraid to put you in an environment or a situation that  you might be uncomfortable with, or you're unfamiliar with so that you can kind of round out your journalism repertoire. So to speak in my personal case street photography, that was something that I never envisioned myself doing. That's something that I've started to do for the Biggest Little Streets Instagram account. It became something to me that I started to enjoy. I don't think that's something that I would have really gotten into or thought to do otherwise. So I think as a journalist, I've grown in the capabilities that I have to tell a story. So between the podcasts, between the written and web stories between the photography, and then even the narrative films that I put together. I put together a narrative film from my night out with Eric Marks, we had a podcast session just like this and afterwards he offered to take me out on the streets to see what it's like to shoot on the streets of Reno at night. And so Lucia and I went with him, we ended up shooting a video like through the whole night, chronicling it. And I was able to turn that into a narrative film. And that was just a really cool experience. So I think Our Town Reno has given me the opportunity to explore different avenues of digital media. I've learned a lot about myself as a journalist, and I've also learned a lot about the field and industry of journalism. That's definitely something that I'm grateful for.

A behind the scenes Our Town Reno documentary by Scott King and Lucia Starbuck about downtown nighttime street photographer Eric Marks.

Telling Stories Across Platforms

RB: Has your experiences with Our Town Reno changed your career goals and objectives?

SK: So I don't think they necessarily changed them because I kind of came in here into this program and into this experience with an open book and just looking to learn to let that kind of mold the direction I want to take this. But originally what got me interested in digital media and journalism in general was when I was abroad with the Peace Corps, I started my own blog and it was just a personal narrative storytelling of my experiences that I could share with my friends and family. And it was very relieving for me. I really enjoyed that experience and to be able to share that story across that platform and then to take that with the Our Town Reno experience where it's not my experience that I'm sharing, but somebody else's, I realized the value in that. And one of my favorite questions that I would always ask and I would always finish pretty much every interview with this question was what would your message be to the community? What do you want the city of Reno to know about your experience?

And man, just, those are some golden nuggets of just, like I'm getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. Just the things that people come up with and the messages that they want to share about their experience is just so powerful that I think going forward in my career, I just love the opportunity to share like those golden nuggets stories like that, those messages that bring these communities together, bring people together and remind us of who we are at our core. That to me is really powerful. And I think that's the story that I want to tell as a journalist for most of my career 

Filming a promo spot with Lucia Starbuck (left). Scott has also done promotional interviews with local media to help build Our Town Reno’s traction.

Reporting During a Pandemic

RB: How has the COVID-19 pandemic change, what you've been doing for Our Town Reno, with the homeless community?

SK: So when COVID-19 hit, obviously we couldn't go on the streets as much as we were before, what's always going to probably stick with me is I went in and shot street photography during that stretch of time. And I've never seen a city and it's particularly Reno, just so empty to see like all the casino lights downtown off and closed was heartbreaking. However, what was even more heartbreaking was the fact that there were still people out and those people were people that didn't have anywhere to go. That was something that stuck out to me because with COVID-19, if you have an infection, you have to isolate yourself, right? You have to self quarantine in order to take care of others and yourself and you have to wear a mask, but there were a lot of people out there that didn't even know it was going on.

Because it's hard to keep up with everyday news and what's going on in the community when you don't have much else. You're not as invested in the everyday happenings of society. Of course, we couldn't necessarily go see people and talk to them on the streets. In my role with Our Town Reno, what that shifted to was interviewing various candidates for city, state, and federal positions, elected positions and for the Biggest Little Streets podcast. So in the springtime, all the primary races I was interviewing pretty much all of them. That's also another way that I've really kind of gotten inadvertently involved in city politics. And that was kind of the initial change experience for me working with Our Town Reno. 

I know Lucia covered the Reno Event Center and, you know, kudos to her man for doing that because there was a whole lot going on during that week, that no one really knew what was happening. And she was out there covering that and getting that story out. So I want to give that necessary props to her. The next part of that was this fall. We resumed our street reporting initiatives and you and I wear masks when we go and approach people, Gracie does as well. Just to kind of give that level of respect because these people maybe don't have access to healthcare. We certainly don't want to transmit COVID-19 to them.

Then we did have the experience where you and I approached a woman on the river by Sutro. Her name was Rose. When we first approached her she couldn't understand us because she was hard of hearing, she’s deaf. So she needed to read lips in order to communicate. I did have to remove my mask at that time, I do know some basic sign language, I was able to kind of communicate with her that way. That was also kind of an opportunity to recognize some people with masks, it's just an added difficulty just because she needed to read lips to communicate. And so to have that understanding that will then, and to work with that, I think was a pretty kind of telling experience, obviously from a personal standpoint, I think we should all be wearing masks. I think that's just the reasonable and human oriented thing to do. It's just the respectful thing to do honestly. It's really not that big of a deal in that experience. I think COVID-19 has certainly shown flaws within our society. But I think it's also kind of given us an opportunity to recognize these flaws, recognize these things that we can do better so that we can do things better going forward, especially for a vulnerable community like the homeless community.

Scott interviewing Rico for this story here: http://www.ourtownreno.com/our-stories-1/2020/10/2/rico-searching-for-inner-peace-after-the-loss-of-his-brothers

“They’re You and Me”

RB: For our listeners and viewers, we're sad to say that your time with Our Town Reno is coming to an end. We'd like to thank you for all the time and effort that you've put in for our audience sharing these stories. And from a personal level, I'm very grateful to have learned so much from you as a journalist.

SK: So you know I appreciate that. And it's been a pleasure working with you as well. Particularly from the street photography perspective, like what you've put up on the Biggest Little Streets Instagram account, like I think is so cool. So for me what's next, I'll be finishing my graduate degree here, in the next couple of weeks. And after that, I'll be moving back home to Cleveland, Ohio for the time to figure out what my next steps are. I will be looking at a career in multimedia and digital media with a journalism element. Like I said, finding those golden nuggets stories especially those messages to share those powerful messages, to share with the community. I aim to have to be an integral part of what I do going forward. So in what capacity that's going to be in will, you know, time will tell, we'll see how that plays out, but you know, this is this experience and sharing those kinds of golden nuggets to, to bring a community together will definitely be a part of my life and my career going forward.

RB: So in closing here with us, what message would you like to share with Our Town Reno and their audience, our audience?

SK: So, man, speaking of those golden nuggets, I don't know if I have one here. We'll see. So man, what I just want people to know is that I want people to recognize the humanity of these individuals on the street. These are mothers, these are fathers, these are grandparents, these are children, they're you and me. It's so easy to just slap a label on that and just attribute that their struggle is due to, you know, personal decisions. When really, if you just took the time to learn their name and hear their story you'd be amazed at the circumstances that led that, put them in the position that they are today. What I think my message to the city of Reno and people everywhere, particularly as it relates to the homeless community is I want them to take the time to shake their hand, obviously with COVID-19 you may have to change that concept, but when it's safe again, for sure learn their names, that something as simple as learning their name and a handshake goes a very, very long way.

So one of the things that they really talk about a lot is the isolation that they feel the neglect, the out they're just kind of left on the fringes of society quite literally. So something as simple as taking the time to learn their name, introduce yourself, shake their hand, give them that respect that human element of respect and just to hear their story and share that empathy with them. This world has, I think, lost track of it's the value in sharing empathy with one another. And you know, COVID-19 particularly has created an opportunity for us to recognize that and bring that back into our life. And this is a crucial moment in society and history. I think to bring empathy back into the equation and how society functions and operates and, you know, creating a solution for homelessness is like I said, very complex.

It's not going to be done overnight, but if we bring that empathy back into the equation, we recognize these people as people, as humans, with stories, with families, with friends and not as criminals, not as any of these labels or stereotypes that we place on them. I think we can go a long way in supporting each other and bringing empathy and bring love back into the equation. So I would just say, learn their names when it's safe, again, shake their hands and, you know, give them that respect because they deserve that because man, they're just like you and me.

Interview by Richard Bednarski with Scott King for Our Town Reno

Elaine Voigt, Helping Reentry into the Community with My Journey Home

From Personal Pain to Helping Others

Elaine Voigt says her son went to prison for defending her against an abusive husband. He was fifteen years old at the time and, what could have been a charge for juvenile domestic violence instead became eleven years in prison for assault on a police officer, attempted murder of a police officer, and driving without a license.

“I came out of the laundry room with a basket of clothes,” Voigt says, “and my husband was upset that dinner wasn't on the table, and he cold cocked me and broke my nose.” She said that her son, after seeing what happened, fought back and drove his mom to the emergency room. When they arrived, Voigt says her son was arrested on site and his life turned upside down. 

This is the reason why Voigt says she created My Journey Home twelve years ago. Its mission is to provide understanding to those who have been left behind when a loved one goes to prison as well as facilitating reintegration for ex-felons back into the community.   She says she’s been able to help thousands and thousands among the formerly incarcerated, from helping them with resumes to clearing outstanding warrants .

These days, she spends her time in a small office in downtown Reno, continuously helping others. On a recent fall morning, a handful of people milled around, checking emails and eating cookies she provided, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. “If they're locked up for any amount of time they have a mark on their shoulder,” Voigt said. People “don’t want to hire them.” She realizes there are issues with the legal system that do not help ex-felons when they enter back into the community. 

Richard Burton was waiting to use one of the computer’s and brewing coffee. He is grateful and glad there are organizations like My Journey Home to help him reintegrate back into the community.

From Coffee to Resumes, Jobs and Housing

Being the sole employee of My Journey Home, Voigt is able to help many ex-felons with things obtaining identification as well as getting their Social Security cards. Voigt also does not think twice about using her phone number and email address as placeholders allowing ex-felons to navigate through the process of reintegrating into society. 

She says she has helped over 12,000 people and does not take any salary herself. Her organization is primarily funded by a ticket-to-work program which supports Social Security disability beneficiaries. Through this program and funding, she is able to get ex-felons who are trying to get back on their feet including some who are homeless a job. Voight recently helped a woman with MS who had previously been an auditor get a job with a casino and an apartment. Her doctor said her MS immediately got better.

Through her organization, they are sometimes able to jump the hurdles society puts in their way, find work and a home. “They’re paying taxes, they’re paying into the community,” Voigt said of her success stories. “They’re invested in the community, they’re not going to take from it.”

The affordable housing crisis here in Northern Nevada has worsened many people’s plight. “The biggest hurdle we find is that they can’t pay the deposit,” Voigt said. She is working with the City of Reno on a new program where the deposit on an apartment can be waived for a My Journey Home client and the application fees reimbursed if someone has a job and can afford the monthly rent.

She says she helped someone else who had been wrongly denied Section 8 housing due to a DUI, which was more than seven years ago, and wasn’t a drug charge. “Sometimes, they just need someone to step in for them,” Voight said.

She says she works every day to get people who have made mistakes but are now improving themselves, to get back on the right track and become functional members of the community. Previous clients who can now hire people in their jobs now turn to her current clients with offers for drivers or warehouse workers.

“We all make mistakes,” Voigt said, but “if we can get everybody in the community doing positive stuff, it’s going to be a positive community.”

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Colder Weather Makes Businesses More Wary of Nearby Encampments

Fires and More Security

As colder weather descends upon us, business owners are looking to spend more time updating their security and locking up while those without stable shelter look for somewhere warm to spend the nights, and sometimes start their own fires.

This leads to accusations that their fires are causing destruction, financial loss and safety issues.

“ The fire started around 8 am and ran for about 30 minutes, luckily it only took out a few tables and a small shed with nothing in it,” Geddy Fisk said of a recent incident at his warehouse worksite in Sparks near the Wild Island Water Park. “If it hit the shipping container full of gas tanks we would be looking at a bigger loss than a few hundred dollars.” 

Geddy asked for his place of work to remain nameless. It sits next to railroad tracks on more than three acres of land. The fire took place at the farthest corner of the land and only took out a few small items. As the fire department came to put out a few embers glowing, Geddy said he was told it was a homeless camp that caught on fire due to high wind and a small campfire. Cans of Vienna sausages and bottles of Mountain Dew laid among what was left of the fire. 

“We have started locking the cars at night and making sure we have  extra security cameras and alarms set during the colder time of the year,” John Williams a co-worker of Geddy said of extra precautions. “ We've had many times where we jump into a car in the morning to go out on the job and find chip bags, and water bottles that weren’t there the day before.”

The cameras not only are used to protect merchandise within the business but to keep an eye on the street where the employees park. “This street … seems to have had an influx of break-ins and the cameras are more of a precaution to keep our employees safe,” he said.

With colder weather, the Reno Hope bus has gone back to collecting donations and distributing them to those in need.

Perceptions of a Warehouse Owner and a Panhandler

Bryan Gregory a local warehouse owner in a nearby area of Sparks said he’s had his own challenges. “ We had a problem of having spare metals and batteries stolen by people looking to make a quick dollar,” he said.

Gregory said he recently spent a few thousand dollars to put in a 12-foot fence and lined it with barbed wire and a new security system to keep warehouse supplies secure.

“I don’t know who is stealing at the end of the day, but the tents on the other side of the tracks doesn't help the perception of the community that lives in them. It seems easy for people to come to conclusions as they are so close to the businesses at night,” he said.  

Tim Doss, a junk haul entrepreneur, who runs the Reno Hope Bus which hands out gently used clothes to the homeless community in the area, is back to using Facebook to organize donation drives and drop offs.

“I lost my wallet and that made me lose everything, the only thing I own right now is my backpack, this sign, and my sweet bike over there,” Keith said, one of those who could benefit from the Hope Bus initiative.

Keith, who sleeps in a tent in the area, asked for his picture to not be taken. “ I know homeless people get a bad rap for stealing things but I believe I'm being looked after if I do the right thing,” he said. “All I do is take my posts every day and ask for food or money, I never steal and I feel as if this is the only legal thing I can do,” he added on why he panhandles.

Keith carts around his backpack, his green bike, and usually a two-liter bottle of pineapple Fanta.

“ I’m not too worried. I have plenty of clothes back in my tent that I've found or collected, and I always give back when I have too many clothes,” he said of colder weather.

Keith hopes for his life to be back on track as soon as he gets another license. “ As soon as the DMV gets me my license I can start applying for jobs, and get a place to live that's not a small yellow tent on the tracks, and hopefully get started again on life,” he said.

Reporting by Andrew Gardner shared with Our Town Reno

Staying Greener, One Coffee Shop in Reno at a Time

Caught Between Coffee, Saving Our Planet and COVID-19

Staying green should be a priority, especially with how our world is right now.  As a coffee consumer and a person who deeply cares about our environment, I found this topic close to my heart.  As a person who is both an environmentalist and coffee enthusiast, I have found myself feeling guilty and struggling when trying to order a drink that comes in a plastic cup.  So, I decided to head into some of Reno’s most beloved coffee shops around the city to see how my local community was staying green.  From not using plastic to composting, JoStella Coffee Company, Coffeebar Reno and Reno Coffee Company did not disappoint.  

During COVID, a lot has changed.  One of those things being coffee shops.  The American culture that we have created of doing homework, work or hosting a meeting in a coffee shop has come to a halt.  Coffee shops have taken precautions to reduce the spread of the virus in an abundance of different ways, while also keeping in mind the environment.  One coffee shop may eliminate the use of reusable cups for the time being while another may only provide a to-go option. 

 So, how do some of our favorite Reno coffee shops stay green?  And how have they stayed green during the pandemic?

JoStella Coffee Company’s logo on their wall in their Midtown shop.

From Pasta Stirs to Recycling at JoStella Coffee Company 

Located in the heart of Midtown, JoStella Coffee Company is a favorite in the city.  They try their best to stay green in every way that they can.  

Owner Kayla Sisson, explained to me how staying green isn’t always easy, though. “Staying green is hard because it is so expensive, which I wish it wasn’t,” she saod. “A lot of the already recycled cups are super expensive which I feel like they shouldn’t be.”

However, that hasn’t stopped JoStella from trying their absolute best to help out the planet. They stay green in a couple of different ways.  For starters, JoStella tries its best to use minimal plastic.  Since a lot of customers don’t want or need a straw, they ask if someone needs a straw before handing them their drink.  Another cool thing JoStella does, in order to reduce plastic use, is they use pasta stirs.  They even recycle any milk cartons or boxes they get.  

Sisson explains how she’s trying to even further the company’s help of staying green by coming up with more ideas to help out the planet.  One idea she has thought of implementing is lids with no straws.

“To me, it’s important because I want my kids and generations after us to have a planet.  A healthy planet,” Sisson said.

When it comes to COVID, Sisson has found a way to reduce the spread of the virus while also reducing the use of our “throw-away” culture.  

At JoStella, they are still using for here mugs, which is when you can go into the shop and ask to drink your beverage there.  JoStella uses a sanitizer to soak each mug and properly clean the mugs after an individual has used one.  This way they can kill all of the germs and keep the planet healthy.  “To give back to the planet so the planet lives on forever. We just do the best that we can,” Sisson said.  

Coffeebar Reno’s recyclable cup from reCUP.

From Recyclable Cups to Avoiding Plastic

Coffeebar Reno was next on the stop of coffee shops around town.  The Italian style coffee shop has done a lot to make sure they can stay green as well.    Coffeebar Reno uses paper cups, paper straws and they compost.

 “With the awareness of the daily footprint coffee shops leave behind, we do our best to minimize that through sustainable business practices including responsibly sourcing our coffee, partnering with local farms and businesses, and giving back our coffee grounds and food waste to the farms to feed the soil,” the Coffeebar website reads.  

 The Coffeebar’s recyclable cups are very earth friendly.  They use a brand called reCUP that is made with EarthCoating®.  The cup is designed to be recyclable and it uses 40% less plastic than conventional poly-coated cups.  

“It’s sad watching the world wither away, and if there’s something anyone could do, he tries to,” Barista Mickayla said talking about her boss, the Coffeebar’s founder and CEO, Greg Buchheister.

When it comes to COVID, they unfortunately have stopped using their glass cups when customers come in and enjoy a drink in the shop.  However, with their recyclable cups they are still doing their absolute best to make this world a better place. “It takes just little things to make a big difference,” Mickayla said.

Over on Wells Ave., the Reno Coffee Company is right there with the rest of the world while trying to make a difference. 

“We don’t use plastic cups for iced coffees,” said the manager Melissa Jennings. “We don’t use plastic stoppers for the cups, and we also don’t use sleeves.  Those are all pretty crazy for coffee houses, but we just find that they aren’t necessary and just end up right in the ocean or they’re just not recyclable.  The biodegradable cups don’t really degrade so we just stay away from it. So, all of our cups are paper.”

A huge bonus with Reno Coffee Company is that through COVID it has been one of the rare coffee places to figure out how to keep using reusable cups.  

“If you want to use a reusable, we still use it,” Jennings said. “We just don’t let customers give us the lids. They have to take off the lid themself.  Usually, the people who do use reusable cups, sanitize them down before they give it to us.”

This has been a customer relief.  Customers can officially go get their favorite cup of coffee while still knowing they are doing their best to keep the planet green.   

“A lot of the time it is more cost effective,” Jennings said of being planet conscious. “ It is just a small step to do it, for the planet.  Poor thing is dying, and we are trying to do the littlest things we can.”

As a customer and consumer, I have had to try my best to stay green when it comes to coffee shops.  I have felt guilty when grabbing a to-go coffee.  Knowing my local coffee shops are helping in any way, shape or form that they can is very relieving and great to know. 

Reporting by Lauren Turner for Our Town Reno

Charles, Thankful for the Kindness of People and Higher Powers

On a windy day during Thanksgiving week, Charles, in his sixties, is living down by the river under the Wells Avenue overpass. Many tents are lined up along the river and railroad tracks. There’s a communal feel in the air. As the wind whips around us, Charles shares his story.

“I had a partner and stuff like that and then the rents went up,” he said. He says he has bounced back and forth between California and Reno. He has a good friend, a retired Los Angeles police officer, who helps him get his Social Security benefits. Charles says he is also able to get medical care despite his lack of housing. 

The wind continues to spin. Charles says he’s had thoughts of going to Alameda County in the near future but expressed worry about the violence down there. He is starting to think that he may be better off staying here in Reno.

Charles is focused on staying safe from day to day. He is tech savvy and carries a cell phone to help him connect with resources he needs. He says he isn’t too concerned about the growing COVID-19 cases here in Washoe County. He says he is more concerned about the annual flu.

He sees the pandemic as a form of punishment for humans and said “it's not a lack of resources, it’s the misuse of the resources.”

He is a religious man with a background in Buddhism. “You're not going to find material solutions,” he explained. 

When asked about shelters in Reno, he was unaware of the planned ‘super shelter’ for the Governor’s Bowl park.

“The Volunteers of America, they tried to connect me to the place [the homeless shelter],” he said. “They just try to usurp your basic rights because they think you're nobody.”

Charles was adamant that the shelters are not the place for him. He feels shelters tend to create more problems than what you get out of them. He says a police officer recently saved him. “Like she saved my life. I was really sick. They helped me out,” he remembers.

He says is grateful for people who take the time to stop and have a conversation and treat him like a human.

Charles is most thankful he says for “the mercy of the most high goddess and particularly, you know, the kindness of people that come through here.” 

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Ashley, Thankful to Still Be Alive after an Injury, Losing Work, Housing and a Mugging

“I broke my foot at work and I was evicted and fired a week later. So I was forced to be homeless on the streets with a broken foot, nothing to do, like how can I work?

I panhandled, and begged other people to help me because I had no way to work, had a broken foot.

I can come across food, but housing is almost impossible.

I had help through [Northern Nevada] Hopes with housing at one point, but then they were only able to help me that once.

[In Reno], they say they help, but they choose who they want to help. They don't want to help everybody.

To be honest, [I’d like to see] just better resources and less judgment. A lot less judgment. We're not all bad people. There's different circumstances [out here]. We're just trying to survive like everybody else.

[My holiday plans] are to sleep and try to survive every day. Because yeah, I don't know what I'm doing. I have kids and stuff. I don't get to see them. Holidays are tough. Holidays are real tough.

I live oddly enough to be alive, the opportunity that I could still see my kids [again] one day.

You guys [Our Town Reno reporters] have your mask on and I don't have one on and I apologize for that, but, it's just been, to be honest with you, it has been hard.

It's been harder to survive and try to come up on money. There have been a lot of people that come out and help, help give us food all day long.

Yesterday I ate. So you know, I'm grateful for that but it's just hard because how are we supposed to stay safe from this pandemic when we're homeless. I have nowhere to go. So what am I supposed to do? You know? And I'm starting to feel sick now with all the weather changes. So hopefully it's not the COVID.

[My message to others is] just be kind, just be kind and less judgment, you know? Cause you guys, no offense, but anybody could be one step away from where I'm at.

And then how would you feel begging at the mercy of other people? You know, I'm not proud of what I'm doing. I'm not proud of where I'm at, but circumstances happened so you know, just be kind.

I'm waiting for my ID so I can hopefully get a job. My foot's better now and so I can go back to work, but I was mugged, my purse, go figure. And so I'm just waiting for my ID so I can hopefully get back to work. “

In their Own Words Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Interviewing and Photographing our Neighbors Living on the Streets

On a stormy and rainy Wednesday afternoon, we got the chance to meet Sam and Bobby who are currently living on the streets, and walking along 4th street in Reno. We have never reported for Our Town Reno and were interested in trying it out. We also wanted to talk about the United States getting a new president.

Sam poses in front of the Morris Burner Hostel.

Sam, 30, is a friendly man who gladly wanted to have a conversation about politics with us. He told us he once went to the prestigious performing arts Juilliard School in New York City. He likes to bring his cart of blankets and clothes with him wherever he goes, and put on one of his nice jackets for the photo and interview. 

Photo by Linnea Sorensen of Sam showing us the arrangement of blankets that he brings with him everywhere.

Sam said he voted for Joe Biden in the election, after difficulties in figuring out how to vote himself.

“I think it’s important to make everyone be able to vote in this country,” he said.

Photo by Linnea Sorensen of Bobby McCourt who asked to be interviewed because he was interested in talking about politics.

Bobby said he didn’t vote, but that if he would have, he would have picked Biden as well.

“I think the most important topic of politics is to keep peace within the countries,” he said. “I think Biden would do a better job at keeping peace”, he added.

This was the first time we have interviewed those who live on the streets for Our Town Reno and it was a comfortable and safe experience. We had our reservations being two girls walking up to strangers, just like any other interview, but it was clear the people we talked to just enjoyed a good conversation.

It was also humbling to get to know these people we would have otherwise ignored walking down the street.

Our Town Reno is an important way to learn more about people who are struggling without stable housing and it creates a platform for their voices to be heard. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Our Town Reno and to make more voices heard in Reno.

Reporting by Linnea Sorensen and Seanna Simpson shared with Our Town Reno

Adrienne Feemster, Fighting for her Grandmother's Legacy and Positive Change in Our Schools

#IStandWithFeemster Gaining Traction

When the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees voted in May to name a new academy on the site of Hug High School after the late state politician Debbie Smith, Adrianne Feemster decided to motivate the community and galvanize support for her grandmother, Dolores Feemster, instead.

"This has been an inequitable process,” and “this location is not a right fit," Adrienne Feemster keeps saying of the Smith choice.

There are ongoing plans for the high school to be converted to a Career and Technology Education Academy by 2023.  Adrienne thinks it should be named after her grandmother and not Smith as is the current plan.

“My grandmother has inspired me to just be an all around good person,” Adrienne said in a recent Our Town Reno interview, “and to work from your heart outward,” a lesson she shared with many others who saw discrimination all around them, during her 30 plus years as a counselor at Hug High.

Feemster gave birth to 12 children, and there were many other kids who considered her family. She celebrated so-called May Birthdays for the many birthdays that month in her family, an annual event that some community members that were like extended family would participate in. Her grandmother, she remembers, had the capability of bringing together friends and even past foes, who came to at least greatly respect her and appreciate her value to the community.

At Hug High, “she had the opportunity to individually affect life after life after life, as the kids and students came through the school,” Adrienne said of her late grandmother. She was remembered by over 2,000 people at her funeral in June 2018 .

Creating a Refuge for Many in Difficult Times and Becoming a Leader in the Community

Adrienne has heard many stories of former students explaining how they felt like they were Dolores’s own children; that she had a way of connecting with the students and encouraging them to become the best they could.

Adrienne explained that some had no place else to go when they experienced racially motivated attacks in the community, but that Dolores always opened up her home as a place of refuge. Her support did not stop with students.

Adrienne also talked about how her grandmother offered a safe haven for women who experienced domestic violence. “There were quite a few women that would seek her for refuge, which is why there is a shelter shared in her name with a Senator in the Northeast community,” Adrienne said. 

Dolores lived in Reno her entire life and grew up in a time when people of color had to contend with daily racism, segregation and redlining. She called the northeast part of town home for over 50 years and lived alongside the students and youth she mentored. When her own kids could not join organizations like the Campfire Girls, a youth development group, she started Cub Scouts and Bluebirds for her area and children.

“Because she didn't want her children to feel rejected in that way,” Adrienne said, "and that's how her children first had the opportunity to be a part of those programs.”

Known for her patient demeanor, Dolores was also a leader in the local civil rights movement. Serving many roles in the Reno-Sparks Branch of the NAACP, she eventually rose to its presidency in 1981. Dolores was also a founding member of the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society. Dolores received many awards recognizing her tireless efforts to make Reno a stronger community, including Mother of The Year from the Reno Business and Professional Women’s Club and the University of Nevada, Reno, President's medal. Many of her children continued her legacy and served the community though careers in a variety of public service positions. 

A Drawn out Renaming Process

In November of 2019, the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees Board President Katy Simon Holland asked each member which name they preferred. Four of them said they wanted to name the former high school in honor of Dolores Feemster. The audience was also filled with some who wanted the Smith name. Those wanting to honor Smith said it would acknowledge her role as a state senator and pay homage to the bill she drafted and helped pass which increased funding for schools in Washoe County. Many of Dolores’s children were also at this meeting and spoke in favor of honoring their mother. After hearing dozens of these public comments, the trustees agreed to refer the naming process back to the School Naming Committee, suggesting they could consider a joint name that honors both women and appeals to the entire community. 

At the next meeting in December, the community again showed up in support of the Feemster name, along with dozens of online comments supporting the Feemster name. Six people spoke in favor of naming the new academy after Dolores. This time, Adrienne passionately  expressed frustration with the Board of Trustees for their lack of transparency regarding the naming process. She referenced the board’s prior discussion held in November and highlighted their support for the new academy to have her grandmother’s name.

However, at the February 2020 meeting of the School Naming Committee it was voted to recommend just the Smith name to the Board of Trustees. This was done despite another outpouring of community support to honor the late Dolores Feemster. After the meeting, Adrienne filed a formal grievance citing violation of various statutes and policies. The district immediately began an investigation and within a month completed the internal review and found no policy violations. At the May 12th, 2020 Washoe County School District Board of Trustees meeting, which due to the pandemic was broadcast live via YouTube, the trustees voted to rename Hug High after the late politician Debbie Smith. This platform limited community participation which Adrienne believes further marginalized the community due to limited abilities to participate. 

Adrienne started a petition to document the overwhelming support for the new academy to be named after her grandmother. Currently, it has over 1200 signatures and there is an “outpouring of support through the social media platforms,” she said.

A Petition and Events to Raise Awareness

The community has held many events to raise more awareness about the actions the school district has taken. She plans to continue fighting to get the name changed back to Feemster. 

“It’s so important because of the legacy, the story that it tells, which is a part of my grandmother's legacy and it belongs to not just my family, but the community, it belongs to the city,” she said. Dolores was an African-Italian American and Adrienne feels the school district has the opportunity to move the community forward, particularly in a tumultuous year of social injustice and the growing Black Lives Matter movement, by naming the former high school after her grandmother. 

Adrienne feels the school district is disconnected from the community by eliminating the Feemster name altogether. “There’s so many stories that come out of that community,” she said. “I feel like disregarding an opportunity to honor an African-American” shows the “board is out of touch not to understand the purpose.” As a community motivator, Adrienne is urging the board to do more research and consider the decisions they are making. She continues to encourage the community to contact the Board of Trustees with questions and public comments. “They have not answered the call to the community,” she said.

Adrienne will not be deterred. She is encouraging the community to show up at the next Board meeting held this Tuesday to offer public comment and give a face to the petition. She believes the answer no “is not absolute and that oftentimes people feel like their voice, their actions don’t really matter.” Adrienne wants the community to know their individual voices and actions, when organized together, do matter, and that change, even if there are many setbacks, barriers and obstacles, can still happen.

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Stephen Zipkin with Washoe Food Not Bombs: “People should eat”

Volunteering Saturday Mornings to Fill a Void

“Sometimes you can just do things,” Stephen Zipkin said at a recent outdoor community meal on one of a few recent balmy Fall days, “because you think someone ought to be doing them.”

Zipkin is a volunteer who has been serving food with Washoe Food Not Bombs for two years. A student at the University of Reno, Nevada, Zipkin is studying environmental science and stands by the mission of Washoe Food Not Bombs. The group of volunteers meets at Barbara Bennett Park every Saturday at 10 am to serve food to anyone who is hungry. The group has no formal structure, yet they are still able to come out and reliably deliver a hot, healthy meal to those in need.

“I believe that if I’m paying taxes, the government should feed homeless people, or else what am I paying taxes for?” Zipkin asked. He feels that organizations like Washoe Food Not Bombs are essential in urban areas where food insecurity is a major issue and can help fill the cracks tax dollars do not fill. 

About ten volunteers mingled about the two tables set up under a tree when we caught up with Zipkin. The tables were filled with freshly prepared food and a sense of community was in the air. As we spoke, volunteers poured coffee, sliced bread, and scooped freshly made soup into bowls. People came and left with a plate full of food.

Feeling Gratified to Help and Expanding Offerings during the Winter

“I think the act of scooping rice and beans onto a plate is gratifying,” Zipkin said as more people came. Washoe Food Not Bombs has become a staple within the community of Reno. Those without stable shelter or reliable access to healthy food know they will be here and this consistency increases the impact.

“We get food any way we can,” Zipkin said. In weeks past, they have received donations from local bakeries as well as churches. Beyond that, volunteers will cook meals at home. They try to consider food allergies, however, when preparing the food, so more people can have a meal. Zipkin explained they regularly serve about 50 to 60 people.

“We don’t really have something for everyone to do, but it’s great,” he said. “It’s a special environment.” He said he enjoys the social aspect just as much as passing out food. Not only can he connect with like-minded people, but he gets the opportunity to talk with those in need and hear more about how they are doing. 

Not wanting to get shut down by the city, Washoe Food Not Bombs volunteers preemptively began wearing masks and gloves when the pandemic began. They know the homeless are more at risk and do not want to spread Covid-19.

“I had it a couple weeks ago,” Zipkin said. “It was three days of symptoms, and not fun.” He avoided volunteering with Food Not Bombs until he was clear of symptoms but was not daunted and came back out to volunteer.

With occasional snow and colder temperatures now upon us, Zipkin explained that volunteers have started collecting jackets and other warm clothing to pass out in addition to a hot meal. They also try to collect and pass out tarps which can provide valuable shelter during the colder, stormy months.

“We generally get fewer people in the winter,” he said, explaining that it is tough for the homeless to choose between a shelter, which many try to avoid in most situations, or outside where they have to contend with the harsher elements.

Reporting by Richie Bednarski for Our Town Reno

James, a Bike Builder "Fixing to Move" due to a new Police Sweep

“It's bad,” James said of having to repeatedly move due to police sweeps. “Like moving, everybody hates to move. We are still in America, I think,” he said of having the freedom to just be. Sweeps he says usually take place “every couple months or so.”

He calls Reno with all its casinos and its run down centerpiece downtown Virginia Street strange. “It's designed to take from everybody that comes here anyway. That's the way the city was put together,” he said pensively.

Like many who prefer encampments along railroad tracks and the Truckee River, he avoids local shelters, whatever the weather. “Yeah, it don't work for me,” he said. “I don't get along with other people too well.”

How did he end up homeless in Reno, coming from Birmingham, Alabama? “I came out here visiting my daughter that was in Vegas and wound up here,” he said. He moved with her to the Biggest Little City, but he says they had a falling out.

He doesn’t understand why there can’t be legal camping near city areas. “I'm out here because I want to be, “ he said, adding he’s a Baptist who does everything he can to help others in need, including fixing their bike or making one for them.

Reporting by Gracie Gordon for Our Town Reno