On a Reno PD Shooting, Notices, Boulders, Park Rangers, Ordinance Ideas and Zines

Our most commented social media post this week concerned the Nov. 5th shooting of Isaiah Herndon, for which a YouTube redacted and commented bodycam footage video was subsequently released.

The short video is cut into and emphasizes that a gun is pulled out of a door before police officers open fire. As Herndon’s family and friends have made clear though on their own social media, it doesn’t appear from what’s been released that police clearly and repeatedly announce themselves. They have commented that perhaps the person with the gun thought an armed person was returning, and that they might not have known this was police. The fact Sparks police is investigating as is the procedure in northern Nevada is a problem to many who wish for more independent overview on such life and death moments involving local law enforcement. Herndon is fighting for his life at the hospital and has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

We also reported about occupants in a tent village behind UNR given a notice to disband after their location was publicized by local media. This followed photos we also published about boulders being placed near the Nevada Cares Campus where people used to also have tents. Some people we’ve interviewed like to live half on the compound and half on their own, or not on the jam-packed campus at all, but with increased sweeps and criminalization of camping it’s turned into yet another endless round of what commenters call “Whac-A-Mole.” This will only be perpetuated, advocates says, by the city’s recent decision to move forward with adding back two park rangers, with authority well beyond river banks. We tweeted about “a sweeping set of ordinances that permit movable tiny homes as not only accessory dwelling units (ADUs), but also as units that can be placed on a city lot by itself or with other units,” happening in Oakland, as an alternative for ordinance action here as well.

Our zine’s latest drop is at the Walden’s Coffeehouse on South Arlington, where you can grab one for free or read our 2021 recap issue while you enjoy a warm drink. Thank you to local establishments for allowing us to distribute our yearly rundown of some of our most important stories, from highlighting heroes of Reno to giving a platform to those struggling in our community.

Our features this week published throughout our social media were about Rachel, an Our Town Reno reporter establishing their own media initiative to give a voice to the local queer community, and Adam who lives in his car but gives free haircuts and prayers outside the Cares Campus.

We also had a #keeprenorad feature about Jammal Tarkington, a local musician, musing on shifting realities for artists with rising costs.

Our weekly podcast episode is with Seniors in Service and their program to match foster grandparents with school kids in need.