Story by Jeri Davis | Images by Eric Marks and Jeri Davis
Black Lives Matter protesters gathered on Wednesday afternoon at the corner of First and North Virginia streets in front of Reno City Hall, chanting and calling for the resignations of officials ranging from Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve to Reno Police Chief and acting City Manager Jason Soto.
The protest began in the early afternoon and proceeded into Wednesday evening. Law enforcement officers on scene said the protest was a peaceful one, save for one arrest made during the course of the evening.
Nonetheless, it was the third protest in five days. And, among those present, both protesters and police reported having been on the streets since Saturday’s riots.
Among the protesters at Wednesday evening’s event was Diante Swartzfager. He said he wasn’t an organizer but nonetheless led the crowd in its chants. Throughout the evening the size of the gathering fluctuated from between a few dozen to about 100.
Protesters remained in front of City Hall until about 10 p.m., chanting slogans like “All lives matter when black lives matter,” “Hillary Schieve, step down,” “Fund schools, not cops,” and “The cops should have a bake sale.” Later, they played music over a speaker and sang along to N.W.A.’s “Fuck Tha Police.”
Other than one minor and brief verbal confrontation with the protestors, the police were generally inactive throughout the evening, with a handful of them on foot and bicycles and remaining across the street from the crowd, between it and City Hall. The protesters dispersed without incident of their own volition.
