On December 14, 2022, the Reno City Council took Wrightway Market’s (330 Evans Ave.) liquor license away. The decision to do so was based on the volume of emergency calls the RPD alleged to have received from the business. Stating that there were over 700 emergency phone calls received from the address.
RPD Deputy Chief Oliver Miller went before the council and said “Bad actors know where they are welcome at the Wrightway Market.” Going on further he stated, “Simply put, the Wrightway Market is the common denominator for crime in that area.”
Were the emergency calls received from inside Wrightway Market, or outside on the street or sidewalk? A municipality has a duty to exercise ordinary care in the construction, repair, and maintenance of its public streets to keep them in a reasonably safe condition for ordinary travel (Keller v. City of Spokane). In addition to motor vehicles, this duty extends to bicycles andpedestrians.
How can one convenience store be the common denominator for the problems in that area? Fireside Market and two other bars are on the corner of Evans Ave and Fourth St. Homeless Services and the Homeless Shelter are directly behind Wrightway on Record St., and the large downtown RTC Bus Station is direct across the street. There are “bad actors” throughout the entire area, when did their safety become the responsibility of the business owners?
Opinder Dhillon, the owner of Wrightway Market, has not had a single liquor license citation over the last 12 years. He appeared before the Council in December and said, “Half the calls were hung up before they were received and the calls come from outside our business between Evans Avenue and Lake Street. There’s no way to track these calls accurately, the calls come from outside.”
At the December City Council meeting, Mayor Hillary Schieve said “either you’re going to clean it up
or gonna go.” When the topic was revisited at January’s council meeting, Mayor Hillary Schieve called for a
Special Session to further decide upon the ruling, a meeting the public will not be allowed to attend.
Dozens of small business owners and others opposing the Council’s decision to strip Wrightway Market of their
liquor license showed up at the Council Meeting on January 11, 2023, to depict a more accurate picture of the city. Mr. Dhillon and his family played 8 separate videos showing incidents occurring outside of their business. Each video showed a situation where a call was made to the police involving individuals who never stepped foot inside Wrightway Market. “These people are outside on the city street or sidewalk. The safety of that easement is the responsibility of the city, not our business.” Mr. Dhillon said. “Each of these videos clearly shows that the emergency calls to the RPD come from outside and have nothing to do with our business. We are left in a fearful position when these incidents occur outside. We don’t believe we can call the authorities for help.”
Businesses and property owners have accused the city of selective enforcement using the city code violations as a weapon to get rid of “things it doesn’t like” -accusation officials deny. They maintain that public safety is their prime concern, and that city officials treat all businesses equally.
Last September, this all began when Fire, Health, Code Enforcement, and an RPD officer arrived at Wrightway Market together, for a surprise inspection. “They were all huddled up outside the door before they came in, it was strange.” Mrs. Dhillon said. Wrightway had already passed both the fire and health inspections for 2022, and was not due for another until 2023 -typically having one inspection per year. “Why did these guys all show up together? They have always come separately, and we had already passed both our fire and health inspections for the year,” said Simron Dhillon. “Code Enforcement cited us for using an extension cord in our private office, and a switch being too far up a wall.”
The city is using code enforcement to crack down on businesses that often show up in police reports, and the police aren’t painting an accurate picture for the city to make good decisions. The strict code enforcement often results in more shuttered businesses and vacant lots.
In the City’s 2017 Downtown Action Plan, it speaks to Housing and Livability, listing multiple agenda items to
achieve in the coming years. At the very top of the list, “target derelict buildings for redevelopment,” followed after that by, “utilize code enforcement tools to make it more costly to hold onto blighted buildings.” Wrightway Market, and the adjacent properties on both sides, have all invested heavily in upgrading their businesses and the area. Since Wrightway Market’s liquor license has been taken away, the Dhillons say they are losing $1,500 a day, and have since applied for a Beer and Wine License.
