At approximately 9:20 a.m., on Sunday, March 21st, two Reno Ambassadors, in their trademark blue jackets, asked a group of a half a dozen houseless individuals to leave their spot where they were lounging under an archway near the Truckee River.
The two ambassadors stayed to supervise the move. When asked about why the group wasn’t permitted to stay, one ambassador made a phone call, sharing that the group was on private property. The ambassador then stated they clear this area nearly every Sunday.
They noted to me a nearby tent city, behind the Aces stadium, where houseless individuals are allowed to stay, for now at least. The other ambassador did not wear a mask while waiting for the group to clean up.
According to the business improvement district’s Downtown Reno Partnership website, the four main tasks of the ambassadors are cleaning, safety, social outreach, and hospitality. The overall About page states one of the main missions of the “private-sector led and managed” nonprofit is to “enhance property values, sales, and occupancy.” It also says it aims to “stabilize downtown streets”, including “improving public safety, reducing homelessness, enhancing cleanliness, and advocating quality public spaces.”
The City of Reno has recently paid for artists to paint over electrical boxes. Behind the Reno is Rad slogan, Downtown Ambassadors wait for a group of houseless individuals to move.
While members of the moved group also declined to go on the record, three of them allowed me to walk with them as they carried their belongings to the Believe plaza.
Backpacks and shopping carts were used to carry sleeping bags, water jugs, empty cans, and miscellaneous packs of cigarettes. While I couldn’t live up to the request of a cigarette, I could play one of them a song from my phone. We listened to “U Know What’s Up” by Donell Jones featuring Left Eye as we waited to cross South Center Street. Three cars drove by without stopping to allow us to use the crosswalk.
By 9:55 a.m., all but one person had moved with their belongings over to the plaza. The relocated group went to socialize with other people.
As we parted ways after a near half-hour chat, the group bumped fists and elbows with me. After we said our goodbyes, a man with a speaker played “When Somebody Loves You Back” by Teddy Pendergrass. A few individuals danced around to the song.
It was a nice, sunny morning, but where would the group sleep next I wondered, with temperatures still predicted to go below freezing throughout this week’s early hours.