Janice Jones, Senior Citizen, Abused by Staff at Washoe County Senior Center
The Washoe County Senior Services staff holds a vital responsibility in ensuring the well-being, comfort, and safety of the seniors they serve. The Senior Center at 9th and Sutro St. is a place where our elderly community members come together to engage in activities that promote physical and social well-being. It is a place where they should feel valued, respected, and secure.
However, the events of September 28, 2023, as recounted by Janice Jones, cast a troubling shadow over the Senior Center’s commitment to its constituents. The incident during her line dancing class serves as a stark example of what appears to be a failure on the part of the County employees to prioritize the needs and dignity of the seniors who rely on the center.
As you delve into Janice’s statement, it becomes evident that a series of unfortunate events unfolded within the walls of the Senior Center that day, culminating in the unjust expulsion of a dedicated senior participant. While Janice’s account reflects her own experience, it raises pertinent questions that should concern us all:
What prompted the removal of Janice from her dance class when the disruptors had already left, allowing the class to continue?
Why was Janice singled out for her request to maintain decorum, when her instructor had made a similar request without consequences?
Is it acceptable for County Employees to display such blatant rudeness towards the very seniors they are meant to serve?
Should Janice or any senior participant have to contemplate self-imposed isolation from a facility they have long considered a sanctuary?
Is it justifiable for Janice to have faced the prospect of eviction for standing up for herself and her fellow dancers?
How can we reconcile the immediate expulsion of a senior participant with the persistence of issues like vagrancy and security concerns in the vicinity?
The Senior Center has long been a cherished space for Washoe County’s seniors, offering a place of camaraderie, celebration, and recreation. However, Janice’s narrative, compounded by other concerns such as thefts, questionable individuals in the facility, and general safety, prompts a reconsideration of the suitability of this location for senior activities.
It is incumbent upon us to address these issues with diligence and compassion, ensuring that our senior citizens can continue to access a welcoming and secure environment for their weekly gatherings. The well-being and dignity of our seniors should be a paramount concern, and any lapses in this regard should be corrected promptly.
As you watch Janice Jones’s statement, let it serve as a catalyst for reflection and action, urging us to reaffirm our commitment to the welfare of our senior community members and to hold failing Washoe County management responsible.
WRITTEN STATEMENT:
My day at WASHOE COUNTY SENIOR CENTER. 9/28/23
With only 20 minutes left in the class, my weekly Thursday afternoon line dancing class at the Senior Center (9th and Sutro St) was interrupted today. Four County employees came into the room that we dance in, pushing two large floor dollies, fully loaded with boxes that were to be unloaded into a double door storage room, that is in the room we dance in. We all noticed the disruption as they began to move a table and unseat people in order to get the storage room doors open. Now with 15 minutes left in the dance class, the instructor cannot be heard by anyone, as four people are crammed in the storage room talking and laughing loudly, the two women were squealing and laughing and talking loudly back and forth. One woman yelled very loudly “Hey Eric!” and then proceeded to yell instruction to him. This just stopped the class as no one could hear the instructor. Most of us were really perplexed that these employees had no regard for the noise they were making or the fact that they had disrupted the class. Believe me, it just gets worse………..
At this point, the instructor yells over to the disruptors, “Hey, quiet down over there, we’re having a class”. The disruptors did not acknowledge her nor did they work quietly. Since I was near them, I took a few steps over and called in to them, asking if they could quiet down as we couldn’t hear the instructor.
The two women became extremely rude to me. “Long black hair” mocked me saying “well, oh really?”.
I replied something like “yes really, and could you just work quieter”. “Short curly hair” says “well could you just go away”……and of course I reply “could you just shut up”. Actually, they continued to work noisily for about 2 minutes, then they all leave, as “short curly hair is still yelling things about me being rude. At that point the class yelled back at her that it was SHE who was rude. But I mean they really just leave. They leave the supplies unattended, leave the supply room doors wide open, leave the two large half unloaded floor dollies right in the walking path without concern for possible disabled persons walking with canes or wheel chairs. It’s finally quiet, we still have 10 minutes to dance, so our class resumes to work on the dance we were trying to learn.
But it just gets worse………
A security person approaches me, while I am dancing, and it pretty much goes like this:
Him: Asks if he can talk to me outside.
Me (When I finally notice him): Well, no, because I am dancing.
Him: Advises me that I must leave for the day.
Me: Tell him I am in a class that will be finished in 10 minutes, and I will leave.
Him: Tells me I must leave now.
Me: Told him I was going to finish the class and then would leave.
Him: Says “so, you are refusing to leave?”
Me: Tell him, “Well, not actually refusing, just going to finish this last 10 minutes and then will leave”.
Him: Advises me he is calling Washoe County Sheriff Deputies and they will forcibly remove me.
I finished my class and then I left. But I have many questions. Such as:
1. Since the disrupters left and the class was able to continue, what exactly was the point of removing me from my dance class. Was it because I had the last word with “short curly hair”?
2. I asked them to quiet down, but so did my instructor before I ever did. She wasn’t told to leave?
3. Is it normal and ok for County Employees to be so blatantly rude? We were shocked to say the least. Never, in my 30-year government career, would I have ever treated the public in such a way.
4. Can I return next week? Should I self-punish myself by staying away for one week, two weeks?
5. As I left, should I have felt bad for standing up for myself?
6. I walked and drove past the numerous homeless shopping carts piled high with vagrants’ belongings that Washoe County tolerates over and over again. I am asked to leave, but they can remain?
I should add that as our class left the building, many of them hugged me and voiced their support for taking a stand against being treated so inappropriately by employees who work in a place where we should feel safe to go. “Short curly hair” was in the lobby at this point and hearing us as we walked by, she continued with her rant of rude sarcastic comments as we left.
The Seniors have danced every Thursday afternoon at Washoe County Senior Center for many years, celebrating various Holidays with trays of finger foods, goodies, and even occasional costumes. This past summer, many watched as an “unknown person” (not a dancer) walked up to the stage where covered food awaited the scheduled breaktime. This “unknown person” stacked three platters of food and ran off with them. Many people are concerned about where to lay our purses down while dancing. Many have been approached by “sketchy persons” and are not happy about it. The cafeteria often has “sketchy persons” napping in chairs. Numerous homeless shopping carts, filled with possessions, are parked in the courtyard. It is becoming increasingly apparent, especially after what happened there today, that this location may no longer be a desirable or safe location in which to hold weekly senior dances. I would highly recommend immediate efforts to relocate.
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VIDEO STATEMENT:
🇺🇸🗽 Janice Jones, Senior Citizen, Abused by Staff at Washoe County Senior Center 👉 LEARN MORE: https://t.co/PlVgkjZF1q 🧐⚖️💩@washoecounty pic.twitter.com/c6NiH3wBod
— 🇺🇸 NEVADA LIBERTY 🇺🇸 (@Nevada_Liberty) October 5, 2023
