A “Hold Mark Amodei Accountable!” protest is being held in Reno today starting at 10:30 a.m. at South Virginia and West Peckham Lane.
Here’s a statement from one of the organizers sent to Our Town Reno:
“Today we have invited the citizens of Nevada’s second district to gather near a fundraiser for our congressional representative, Mark Amodei, and other members of his party.
Rep. Amodei has not held an open town hall for constituents since his re-election. He recently explained his reluctance to do so in profane terms, saying that town halls are just an excuse to “bully the shit out of somebody in public.”*
Rep. Amodei has consistently voted to support the goals of President Trump and Project 2025. These goals would see the nation’s democracy replaced by an authoritarian regime based on bias – bias against anyone who does not fit the administration’s visions of a mythic America which never existed. To this end, the administration has disrupted the global economy, kidnapped legal residents off the street in the style of a fascist regime, decimated funding for medical and scientific research, and extorted universities and law firms. In fact, the word “bullying” applies to these and many other actions of the administration, just as it does to President Trump’s well-known employment of schoolyard tactics such as name-calling and using slurs for those who threaten him.
As Americans who respect the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech and of the right of the people to gather to petition the government for redress of grievances, we believe that we understand Rep. Amodei’s reluctance to meet his constituents. We understand the difficulty of representing a district with diverse politics and viewpoints, and that doing so requires a certain amount of courage, tenacity, and indeed, toughness in the face of criticism. We hope that Rep. Amodei will soon find these qualities within himself and meet with constituents outside the safe space of a fundraising event.
But in order to reassure him as well as others who share his need for a safe space, we have deliberately arranged this protest to take place across the street from the hotel where Rep. Amodei’s event is being held today. All registrants for the event have been instructed to gather on the public sidewalk across the street from the hotel so as not to block any access to the hotel grounds. In addition, all attendees have been asked to refrain from blocking any roadways, driveways or sidewalks. In doing so, we are confident that our demonstration will be entirely within our First Amendment rights.**
We do not expect Rep. Amodei to come and speak to us at this demonstration and risk what he calls being bullied. Indeed, those of us who are from groups which are traditionally the target of bullying are all too familiar with the pain that it causes, and we take Rep. Amodei’s demurral seriously. We feel that everyone who needs a safe space should be given one.
We also believe that serious discussions about the direction of our country and our representation by Rep. Amodei should be done seriously, and that an atmosphere of mutual respect and good faith should prevail.
Therefore, we invite Rep. Amodei to come to a free and open town hall where all attendees will be asked to refrain from bullying, shouting, or any threatening statements or behavior. We invite Rep. Amodei’s representatives to contact us at the address below.
Who we are: a group of activists committed to the nonviolent exercise of our constitutional rights in defense of the Constitution, American democratic traditions and institutions, and the safety of all people.
Contact: Mark Pritchard. Email ubi1990@proton.me”