By Dianne Jennings, Minden
Don’t spew your hate at me.
On Saturday, July 4, 2020, Independence Day, I was on the Nevada State Capitol Grounds in Carson City. This is where I was the target of a hostile verbal assault: “Get out of here! You don’t belong here! You’re not welcome here!”
This was an insult and a shock to me. I have lived and worked in Nevada for more than 35 years. My husband and I have raised our family here. Our children were born in St. Mary’s hospital in Reno. I have coached your kids’ soccer teams. I was president of the PTA. I volunteer for suicide prevention. I present public lectures about Kit Carson’s 1844 crossing of the Sierra Nevada. I work to protect Nevada’s ancient petroglyphs. I help clean up trash from illegal dumping on public lands. I volunteer as a tutor. I work to protect the Carson River watershed, the lifeline in northern Nevada that connects us all.
I DO belong here.
“You’re not welcome here!” Wow. Nobody has ever screamed directly in my face like that before. And the middle-aged woman who shouted at me (another middle-aged woman) was not alone. Thankfully, Carson City Sheriff deputies were on site to help protect me from physical aggression.
“Get out of here! You don’t belong here!”
No. I DO belong here.
What had I done to enrage this woman and her group of friends? I carried an American flag and a sign that read “Black Lives Matter”.
I will be back next Saturday with my flag and my sign. Please leave your hate at home.
Dianne Jennings
Minden
