Happy Spring! See what PLAN has been up to in the past few weeks
Fight for $15!
On April 14th, the day before Tax Day, PLAN once again came out in full force to support low wage fast-food, child care, and home care workers as they marched for a $15 minimum wage and the right to form a union. From its very inception here in Las Vegas, PLANistas have always been there to stand with workers and the community.
Workers and their families woke up before dawn and marched on to the McDonalds on Fremont Street carrying signs and
banners, demanding that the multi-million dollar fast-food giant pay their workers a living wage. PLAN staff and our community leaders came out to support an all-day action starting with a strike line at 6 am. PLAN leaders like Jose Macias and Harold Carnes stepped up to the bullhorn and chanted “We believe that we will win”.
This morning action was followed by a mid-day press conference where State Senator Ruben Kihuen talked about walking in the shoes of a child care worker. The day ended with an afternoon rally on the Las Vegas Strip, where several hundred community supporters and several dozen community organizations packed the iconic Vegas Strip McDonalds to stand in solidarity with workers.
PLAN staff in the News!
PLAN’s Associate Director, Laura Martin was featured in the New York Times in April. In the piece titled “Of the People”, individuals in various states were asked their opinions on politics and community. Take a look at the article here!
Also, Laura was a guest on Ralston Reports on April 13th to talk about the importance of raising the minimum wage and why we are in the fight for $15. If you missed the show, check it out here!
Action On Mining!
On April 21st, PLAN and the Comstock Residents Association (CRA) held a press conference in front of the Nevada Mining Association to denounce the illegal operations of local company, Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) in Guatemala. The action was an opportunity to demonstrate a pattern of abuse on the part of KCA President and Comstock Mining board member, Daniel Kappes, characterized by a disregard for environmental concerns and legitimate community opposition. Read the press release here.
We also called on the Nevada Mining Association to do the right thing and publicly distance itself from KCA’s illegal and dangerous operations before heading out to KCA’s Reno office to personally deliver the court order suspending its mining license. Check out our blog for more information!
Immigration discussion at UNR
University social work students
in collaboration with PLAN, Tu Casa Latina, and FUSED, hosted the event, “At the Border of Immigration & Justice.” The event was held at the
University of Nevada Reno, and was open to students and community members. During the event, community leaders led a panel discussion about the realities that immigrant families in Nevada face, and the current rhetoric around immigration as the political race heats up. Guest Speakers included PLAN Director of Organizing Astrid Silva, President of NAACP and board member Patricia Gallimore, and PLAN board member Teresa Navarro.
Citizenship Fair!
On Saturday April 30th, PLAN, Culinary Workers Union 226, UNITE HERE, and NPNA held a citizenship workshop to help some of the 90,000 legal permanent residents eligible to naturalize in Clark County. More than 500 people had the opportunity to learn about citizenship and start their journey to naturalization. This was made possible by more than 160 volunteers, including lawyers, students, and community members.
Race and Law Enforcement in Nevada
The 3rd annual Race Symposium on April 21st brought community and religious leaders from around the Northern Nevada area. The community came together with local law enforcement officials to discuss building a stronger collaboration between community and law enforcement.
The symposium was held at the University of Nevada Reno and PLAN board members, Theresa Navarro and Patricia Gallimore were part of a panel discussion on community policing. There was also a panel discussion on immigration here in Nevada.
Local law enforcement and government agencies involved included the Reno Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, UNR PD, Sparks PD, Nevada Highway Patrol, Washoe County School Police, Reno-Tahoe Airport Police, Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, and the local offices of the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
May Day!
On May 1st community members, PLAN, and other local organizations joined together to celebrate May Day in Reno! The event started in Downtown Reno at 
Barbara Bennett Park with a community pot luck and an art workshop. After, we took to the streets and marched through Downtown Reno to bring awareness to May Day and workers still fighting for their rights. PLAN also registered voters along the way!
Cinco De Mayo and our newest PLANistas!
PLAN attended the Cinco De Mayo festival in Reno on April 30th and May 1st at the Grand Sierra Casino with our newest PLANistas, Josefina Martinez and Beverly Harry! Josefina and Beverly will be registering voters throughout the c
ommunity this summer.
They started out strong by registering over 25 folks during the festival! They were also able to educate people on some of the issues we are facing here in Nevada. Welcome these ladies around town if you see them!
Earth Day
PLAN attended Earth day at Idelwild Park in Reno on April 24th! We got the chance to celebrate our planet with other local organizations and the community while giving away cookies and candy. 
We also got to spread the word about the importance of voting, and register people as well.
Our Center Opening!
PLAN attended the grand opening of Our Center in Reno, the only LGBT community center in Northern Nevada. We were very excited to celebrate with these folks and see their new facility while registering people to vote!
