Reno protesters blocked traffic during Sessions' speech. Here's how police avoided arrests

Sam Gross | Reno Gazette-Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Raw video: Reno protesters try to block street at Jeff Sessions speech Protesters gathered and sat in the street Monday, June 25, 2018 outside the Peppermill Resort in Reno before a speech by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions began speaking inside a ballroom at the Peppermill Resort Monday, a mariachi band led scores of protesters into the center of South Virginia Street outside the casino, blocking traffic for the next hour.

Inside the resort, Sessions defended the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policy that has separated thousands of families and told attendees of the 2018 National School Safety Conference that Mexican drug cartels were using children to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

Outside, protesters in the street called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and demanded that enforcers of the "zero tolerance" immigration policy — including Sessions — be held legally accountable for their actions.

More: Jeff Sessions defends Trump border policy in Reno, says cartels use kids to smuggle drugs

More: Protesters block South Virginia Street Monday morning during Attorney General Sessions visit

More: Nevada Sen. Cortez Masto went to a detention facility for kids in Texas, got turned away

And all the while, dozens of officers from the Reno Police Department calmly looked on from a distance. They arrested no one, and even appeared to facilitate protesters — quickly closing South Virginia Street to the north and south of the blockade and establishing a detour for Monday morning traffic.

Protesters blocking the street said they were prepared to be arrested for their actions, but that never happened. After an hour, the protest marched north through a still-closed section of South Virginia Street, flanked by officers, to a nearby church, where they soon dispersed.

So why no arrests?

According to Commander Mark Katre, who heads up RPD's operations division, the passive and cooperative response from officers Monday was more than appearance — it was on purpose.

“We understand what (protesters) want to do or why they want to be there, and they were cooperative with us,” Katre said, noting that many activists were offering officers water during Monday’s protest. “And I think it speaks to the relationship with the community — we’ve worked really hard to try and facilitate a dialogue.”

Katre said Reno Police lean heavily on constant communication with community organizers and leaders. Cooperation, he said, is a more productive form of policing than a constant flex of the strong arm of the law.

Police reached out to the protest's organizers late last week to get an idea of what they planned Monday.

It was a brief conversation, said Bob Fulkerson, state director for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, one of about a dozen organizing groups for Monday's protest.

Fulkerson told police that the group planned to engage in civil disobedience by blocking the road and that they were prepared to risk arrest.

"I have to say, they handled it incredibly well," Fulkerson said.

Raw video: Protesters gather in Reno before Jeff Sessions speech Protesters gathered Monday, June 25, 2018 near the Peppermill in Reno, where Attorney General Jeff Sessions is set to address a group about school safety. Video by Sam Gross, RGJ

Some protesters expected to be arrested — but that didn't happen

About two dozen protesters had committed to blocking the road until they were arrested, according to Fulkerson. But police waited them out.

After about an hour, it became apparent to organizers that arrests likely weren't coming, so they improvised and began marching.

Officers reacted quickly, and simply kept in-step with protesters as they marched about two blocks.

“We want to make sure it’s safe for everybody,” Katre said. “Both those that want to voice their opinion and those who may have opposing opinions.

“So we prepare for every possible scenario that we can think of and hope that we are able to address it in a way where everybody in the community is safe and able to voice their First Amendment rights.”