A message instead of money

It was a little like the restaurant scene in Doctor Zhivago.

At Reno's Siena Hotel Casino, a group of affluent lobbyists and Republicans were on hand to give money to Nevada Assemblymember James Wheeler. A group of community activists who had quietly arrived began chanting “I can't breathe”— the last words spoken by Eric Garner, the unarmed man who died after being put in an apparent choke hold by a New York City police officer in July. The chant was repeated 11 times, the same number that Garner spoke the sentence. Wheeler (facing the protesters in photo) kept saying, “Neither can I.”

The protest was less over Wheeler's well-known comments about voting to reinstate slavery than his actual voting record. “He is also the only legislator who scored worse on racial equity (48 percent) than Ira Hansen (42 percent) in the last session,” read a planning document for the protest.

After making their point, the protestors filed out. Following their departure, Wheeler told his contributors, “No extra charge for the entertainment.”