Former âsundown townâ stands by siren amid reckoning
The town siren has blared since 1921. Elders remember seeing law enforcement jailing Native Americans and residents attacking non-white people
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The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California associates the siren with a historic sundown ordinance that once made it illegal for them to be in Minden and neighboring Gardnerville after nightfall. Residents of the mostly white town defend it as a tradition that marks time and honors first responders. After state lawmakers banned the siren, the Washoe Tribe s chairman and Minden town manager agreed to move the siren to 5 p.m. but the compromise left many tribal members unsatisfied and awaits discussion at the tribal council. (AP Photo/Sam Metz
Former Nevada sundown town stands by siren amid reckoning
SAM METZ, Associated Press / Report for America
July 26, 2021
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1of5This June 30, 2021 photo shows a sign for the town of Minden, Nev. Efforts to silence the century-old siren, seen in the background, that blares every night at 6 p.m. are sparking debates over how to confront the region s history of racism and violence. The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California associates the siren with a historic sundown ordinance that once made it illegal for them to be in Minden and neighboring Gardnerville after nightfall. Residents of the mostly white town defend it as a tradition that marks time and honors first responders. After state lawmakers banned the siren, the Washoe Tribe s chairman and Minden town manager agreed to move the siren to 5 p.m. but the compromise left many tribal members unsatisfied and awaits discussion at the tribal council.Sam Metz/APShow MoreShow Less
MINDEN, Nev.
A red siren perched atop a small town’s volunteer fire department sounds every night at 6 p.m., sending a piercing noise echoing through the ranches and towns of northern Nevada’s Carson Valley including Dresslerville a community governed by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
To Serrell Smokey, the tribe’s chairman, the sound is a reminder of racism and violence inflicted upon Native Americans a “living piece of historical trauma” with an enduring legacy. He requested officials in the town of Minden silence the region’s last remaining siren last summer.
“It’s not just about the siren,” he said. “The siren is a reminder to a lot of people out here, especially in Dresslerville, of that past,” he said of the tribal community just 5 miles (8 kilometers) south, where stories of brutality have been passed down generations.
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MINDEN, Nev. (AP) â A red siren perched atop a small townâs volunteer fire department sounds every night at 6 p.m., sending a piercing noise echoing through the ranches and towns of northern Nevadaâs Carson Valley including Dresslerville â a community governed by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
To Serrell Smokey, the tribe s chairman, the sound is a reminder of racism and violence inflicted upon Native Americans â a living piece of historical traumaâ with an enduring legacy. He requested officials in the town of Minden silence the region s last remaining siren last summer.
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