Housing activists protest U.S. Conference of Mayors in Reno
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A group of about a dozen protesters chanted outside the downtown Reno National Bowling Stadium Saturday evening. They screamed at mayors and their staff arriving by the busload to a disco party hosted by the city.
“Just like Reno, disco and music have evolved over the decades,” the conference agenda noted. “Lose yourself to the music in the Silent Disco, sample custom-crafted cuisine, and specialty cocktails, and take a new headshot in the neon glow.”
The two dozen protestors outside the event had a different message.
“End the war on the poor!” they yelled as hundreds disembarked tour buses into the stadium. “We can’t pay rent with NFTs.”
The latter statement was in reference to Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve’s getting the City Plaza Space Whale sculpture turned into an NFT, or non-fungible token.
One sign at the downtown Reno protest read, “enjoy your schmooze-fest, assholes.”
The demonstrators demanded accountability and support for the working poor and homeless in the Reno area. They cited the more than 55 homeless and indigent people who died last year, a year-to-year increase in homeless deaths in the region.
Reno mayoral candidate William Mantle was one of the demonstrators.
“Reno has the highest rent of any mid-sized city,” he said. “We’re trying to bring awareness to that and not have parties while people are dying.”
