Nevada Town Just Outside Of Reno Investigating Racists Incident Where A Black Social Media Poster Was Threatened With Lynching

Gov. Joe Lombardo denounced racism early Monday as video of an emotionally charged incident at an event in Virginia City went viral over the weekend.

Lombardo posted on X that he was “concerned and disappointed” over the incident last Friday, an altercation between a Black man and several white people at a Hot August Nights event at the tourist town 26 miles south of Reno.

“Racism and hate have no place in Nevada,” Lombardo tweeted. “This behavior must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.”

Lombardo is the latest to speak out against the incident, which has gone viral on TikTok and amassed 1.2 million views as of Monday morning.

The video posted by Tiktok user Ricky Johnson — who also goes by the name “unclerickyd1” or “Uncle Ricky” — showed him confronting a man he accused of making a racist comment against him. The comment was made while Johnson was seeking support for a petition to cap attorney fees in Nevada.

The man accused of racism in the video has since been identified as Minden resident Gary Miller, who owns the building that houses the Firehouse Grill Saloon & Grill along with his wife Janis Miller, according to records from the Storey County Assessor’s Office.

The video starts with Miller smiling while flashing two middle fingers as Johnson asked him to repeat a comment he allegedly made just moments earlier.

“Where’s the tree … to hang people at?” an upset Johnson said.

“In your backyard,” Miller responded as a man in a red Make America Great Again hat tried to pull him back.

“He just said there’s a hanging tree down there to hang people like me,” Johnson said to a bystander.

“That’s very racist,” the bystander replied.

Later in the video, Miller tells the man, “I don’t make trash, I burn them,” earning laughs from some people around him.

The video has since been condemned by multiple parties, including the city and the organization behind the event.

The Virginia City Tourism Commission stressed that it stands “wholly against any acts of hatred, racism or violence,” in a statement released on Saturday.

“Earlier this weekend, an incident occurred in which a visitor was harassed during an event and comments were made that were hateful and racist,” the city said.

“We want to make it clear on behalf of the Virginia City Tourism Commission that we find this behavior abhorrent and inexcusable.”

On Sunday, Hot August Nights also released a statement condemning the incident. The organization also noted that the people wearing Hot August Nights badges were event participants and were not staff or volunteers for the event.

“The individuals featured in the viral video have been identified, and their Hot August Nights registrations have been revoked,” the organization said.

As a result of the incident, Hot August Nights is also re-evaluating Virginia City as a venue for the classic car event and that it is “committed to ensuring integrity and safety at all our events.”

The Storey County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating the incident, Hot August Nights added.