Of Castaways and Heroes
Reporting on the disappearance of motels such as the aptly named Castaway Inn keeps creating essential conversations to our present and future as a Biggest Little City.
“Throwing people to the elements in order to have a demolition party and render "seedy" and "icky" architecturally significant Mid-Century Modern Googie motels into empty dirt lots surrounded by fences is a crime,” Greg Allen wrote on our Facebook. We’ve written before that the mounting rubble on Fourth Street reminds us of an economic war zone.
“This is crazy! Are there any small motels left? Back in 2007 I unfortunately was in a hard way and had to live in a few of these small weekly hotels that offered reasonable weekly rates. It wasn’t fun, and far from ideal but if not I would have been on the street. I feel for all these people being displaced,” casse775 wrote on Instagram.
The reporting goes on from purchase to displacing people with few other options to boarded up to bulldozed to fenced off empty lots or unused parking. Next up will be Jacobs being offered plates of Tax Increment Financing to feast on, with councilwoman and mayoral hopeful Jenny Brekhus possibly the lone opposition on City Council. Important information and warnings will be derided by officials at Council and on social media. The 2022 election will be another step in this process, and we will be tracking donations closely, but ultimately it will be up to voters to decide who they want our city and county to be led by and for what purposes.
Our Thanksgiving Day podcast episode is with Bill Sims, one of the heroes of Reno we like to elevate. His own father was unhoused. That’s who we report about: the castaways, those who for whatever reason are no longer in the collective rat race, some of them going through trauma-induced tough times, and the heroes who try to help them and make our society more caring, more fair, more equitable.
What’s so great about the rat race anyway, and its polluting producing nature destroying isolating ways? Can’t we do better is a question we go back to? Is everything stuck in an inevitable spiral of gentrification and growing inequalities, or can we collectively reimagine better ways?
Another hero we reported about is Cowboy Tom who had his busiest giving Thanksgiving on record, and promises even more for next year.
We also had a series on our TikTok about local shopping opportunities and an article on UNR students enjoying thrift shopping at a local Savers.
Another UNR student experienced helping the outreach Reno Burrito Project for the first time, in video below: