Will Reno Have a #METOO Moment?
Our Substack has bonus content plus a recap of recent reporting.
As is customary for our weekly Substack, we give insights into our recent articles, methodology and shine a light on comments we are receiving from the community.
Following our reporting about recent public comments at a Washoe County Commissioners meeting, and whether or not to delay new funding for the Grant Denton run Karma Project safe camp at the Cares Campus, we’ve received more testimonies from former colleagues and supervisors concerning his conduct towards vulnerable women, from the homelessness, incarceration and recovery sectors.
Meanwhile, advocates for the unhoused and women’s rights are expressing concern that an announced Washoe County review of the allegations will go nowhere.
We contacted county spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale to find out more about the process and timeline of this investigation and she wrote back very succinctly that “the timeline and process of an investigation will be determined by HR and the DA’s office and will be conducted confidentially as would any personnel matter.”
One woman who spoke out against Denton at Tuesday’s public meeting says she’s yet to be contacted.
In this light, we feel it’s important that Our Town Reno keep looking into this overall situation described by several people as a #metoo Reno moment. Denton’s photo in the montage is a screenshot from the recent Washoe County funded one hour video called “Home: Rebuilding Hope for Washoe’s Homeless,” produced by Sosu.TV. It repeatedly goes back to Denton as a leading expert on helping the unhoused, as have many local and national media outlets.
In his initial response to Our Town Reno, Denton said he isn’t a perfect man but that he denies “false accusations” he is up against, and that he looks “forward to a swift investigation into the allegations, the people who made them, and the people/entities who assisted/encouraged these individuals into making the false allegations.”
Several women pointed out in comments and messages this seemed to them to be a textbook DARVO tactic which stands for “deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender.”
Mike Clark, also pictured in our montage, the only commissioner to seek a delay on an amended county contract for the Karma Box due to the public comments, has said he is willing to be interviewed on this matter, which we will certainly do as a follow up to our initial reporting.
As another commenter suggested, we’d like to state that “if there is anyone else who has been impacted, we encourage you to come forward as well.”
The best way to contact Our Town Reno is through our contact page you can find via the web at https://www.ourtownreno.com/contact. Messages can be sent anonymously.
Our Recent Reporting
Washoe County Says It Will Look into Several Allegations against Grant Denton from Karma Box Project
Disappointment, Departures and a Defensive Posture at the Great Basin Food Co-op
Understanding Local Unhoused Deaths by Fentanyl from a Healthcare Perspective
Next Question, Local Teenagers Going for that High Desert Emo Vibe
