A Missed Bid to Become Reno’s City Manager
Coleman, a trained tailor and designer, who is currently pursuing a doctorate in finance through an online school, said he applied to be considered for the open Reno City Manager position, but that it was too late for the initial go round.
“Positions like that require an individual who has the ability to see beyond themselves,” he said during a recent phone interview to explain his interest. “You have to be practical and you have to be able to manage people. My experience is in all of those things and what attracted me to that position was the fact that I would be able to do all those things as well as potentially do some good for the city of Reno and the various communities in Reno that often aren't represented, our communities of color here, our unhoused community, our lower income immigrant community. I do know that those groups need someone who's going to listen to the issues they have and what's bothering them in the city. “
The Toledo, Ohio born Coleman who moved to Reno from Arkansas nearly nine years ago, when his sister got a promotion to move to the Biggest Little City, said once he has his new degree, he’ll have more time to think of his future plans, including running for political office for the benefit of marginalized communities.
“A lot of ways people are shut out of systems is through who controls the rules. And there's not many people willing to stand up for low income people, minority people, unhoused people that know how the financial systems work. Because if you can get someone in there who can adjust those regulations, you can see, you'll see changes just cascade down the system,” he said of his long-term thought process.
Coleman (right) has been invited to help several groups trying to get off the ground, including a new “Black Wall Street” initiative by Donald Griffin (left), a downtown Reno ambassador and former contributor to Our Town Reno, and RoMar T-Wizdom Tolliver. Photo provided by Griffin with permission to use.
Helping Other Local Initiatives and Becoming a Voice on Social Media
One initiative he’s looked at helping is a new “Black Wall Street” with Donald Griffin, who just a few years ago hit rock bottom as an addict sleeping along the river, but who has slowly turned his life around. “I like the idea behind his Black Wall Street project and that's really why I reached out,” Coleman said. “I liked the fact that he's trying to empower a community and he's trying to do it in such a way that that community is able to grow and build from what it's learned. I feel that throughout history, the only thing that's really held back Black communities from prosperity is the fact that every so often all of our knowledge gets destroyed. You know, like the original Black Wall Street (in Tulsa) got destroyed (in 1921). Rosewood got destroyed (in Florida, in 1923). So we're constantly having to start over and then catch up. And I think having a repository of knowledge is great.”
Coleman also hopes the many young people who took part in this summer’s activism remain engaged. “They're the ones who are going to inherit whatever happens after this,” he said. “And they're going to have to live with it. So I think their involvement is necessary. And I think institutions and other groups that are protesting should really be looking to support them as opposed to figuring out how to manage them and, or undermine them.”
Coleman repeatedly calls out local politicians of all stripes on his social media, especially his Facebook page. “I put the energy and time into it because I want to make sure that those ideas and voices that aren't heard are heard and I think it's worth it because a lot of the time people make decisions without considering all perspectives,” he said. “And that's just me personally. That's what I do. Even though I put out a Black perspective, it's not to say that other perspectives are wrong. It's more to say, ‘hey, here's something else you might want to consider.’”
Coleman also has a Twitter account, but he primarily uses his Facebook page to get his views across.
A Deeper Look at Local Police Forces and Reno
Coleman says he thinks he got more local attention after he spoke in downtown Reno because his message was so clear. “My message was that the policing system in this country is working exactly as it's intended. Therefore you can't reform it to get any real change. You're going to have to tear it down and build a new system,” he explained as way of a succinct summary of one of his speeches.
He says local city councils in Reno and Sparks need to push for real accountability for officers, fight their unions which dictate how police are punished for wrongdoing and take “a strong look at the budgets that each police force has.” He says it’s been clear from recent media reports quoting Reno police chief Jason Soto, who is also acting city manager, that he created “a culture excluding women and people of color.” A late July Reno Gazette Journal article was headlined: Reno police past hiring practices resulted in overwhelmingly white, male force.
As far as Reno, he says, “it needs to really shake off this, we're this perfect city with no problems, attitude. That's the exact attitude that allows those things to fester and be hidden. As a community moving forward, this is really on white people. White people have got to hold each other accountable for these things. I mean, strictly speaking, it's a numbers game. There aren't enough Black people here to really hold anybody accountable. And the Black people who are here don't have the power to do it. So it really falls on white people just saying, ‘Hey, this isn't right.’ That's the only way this community is really going to move forward and address this.”