4
CEZ.EBBATXN6 A D EC JUME
street r o o t a lB
Education * Dialogue * Independence
MEWSBR1EFS
Street Roots vendor does a
check-in on Leonard’s goodwill
From an Aug. 19 exchange between Street Roots
vendor Darren Alexander and City Commissioner
Randy Leonard:
* Mr. Leonard,
I read the article in today's Willamette Week on
your proposal to. regulate panhandlers. Like you, and
many others, the more aggressive panhandlers -
particularly more able-bodied ones who hold
cardboard signs when they could be working to
make a decent livinq for themselves - can be a
thorn in the backside. While I applaud this, l am I '
concerned about the canvassers and other vendors.
I am a vendor for Street Roots, which I'm sure ■
you're familiar with. As the director, Israel Bayer,
nimself would state, sellingStreet Roots is a more
acceptable alternative to panhandling. The majority
of us— 99.99% of us— are courteous, friendly, and y
do what we can to build community and contribute
to the betterment of society..;. My concern is this
regulation could wrongfully target those who are
behaving themselves ietyas they canvass for charities
and/pr selling SR. What I basically ask for is assurance
that you only target those who are overtly aggressive
and belligerent.
In closing, I want to thank you for your service to
the city, and thank you for listening.
In kindest regards, I remain, '
.
Darren W. Alexander
I agree with you, Darren. I have had nothing but •
positive experiences with Streets Roots vendors.
Thanks for writing....Randy
Washington State released felons
can vote again
More than 150,000 released felons in the state o f
Washington got their right to vote back— thanks to
a new state law, House Bill 1517, that went into ’
effect the end of July.
.. [
once they have finished their prison time and parole.
In the past, offenders had to pay off every penny o f,
their court debt and restitution, with interest Then, ..
they had to prove the debt was paid, petition a judge
to restore the right and then hope the county , . i
elections auditor got (or didn't lose) the paperwork
authorizing him or her To register.
"That has simply not been fair," said Washington
State Sen. Jeannie Kohl-Welles, one o f the bill's
champions. "It's been the equivalent of a modern-
day poll tax.“
Ex-offenders still haveto pay off their legal ?
financial obligations,, she said, but voting is one way
to give them a stake in the community and in going
straight— something that saves everyone tax dollars
in reduced recidivism.
IL?
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I iyPJPi m I
Street Roots strives for accuracy, but we're
human. So we also strive to correct errors in our
paper whenever possible. Please report any errors to
our managing editor, Joanne Zuhlr at 503-228-5657,
or write to joanne@streetroots.org.
Coming to
peace
Portland’s a long way
from Vietnam, but not so
fa r fo r Brian Pham
BY ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
eing homeless in Portland reminds
Brian Pham of when he lived in a
refugee camp as a small child. I
asked him how the two experiences are
different, hoping to hear that our street
people live better than Vietnamese refugees
did in Malaysian camps in the 1970s.
“Its not (any different,)” he told me.
“Being homeless, it’s the same situation ...
there’s a lot of loneliness. People look at y
you' differently, make judgments.” People
don’t understand “all the hardships of
homelessness.”
When Brian was about 4 years old, he and
his siblings and two uncles made it onto a
fishing boat headed for a refugee camp in
Malaysia. His mother was reportedly
captured while still on, the beach. His ,
biological father had been imprisoned
earlier during the Vietnam war. Some
B
TOMBO» FROFIEE.
Brian Pham
B Y E L IZ A B E T H S C H W A R T Z W W W .P H O T O A D V O C A C Y .C O M
available. In the meantime, he camps
outside.
Brian blames’ “the two wars” in the
L— T h i s n a s i w i n t e r - R r ia n w a irn d in lin e to
Middle East, fra; dece a s e d .resources, here, jit.,
get food from Sisters of the Road and
home. He wants people to come up with a,
eventually moved to O regon w hen his
Blanchet House when freywas hungry. What
biological parents were allowed to
“resolution to the problem, bring our people
were once 10-minutewaits in line have
immigrate to Portland.
home, and focus our resources on our
grown to nearly an hour, he says. Waiting in
Now 37 years old, Brian has worked a
hunger, clothing, health, and shelter
problems.” ft
variety of jobs in western Oregon. He’s been food lines cuts into the amount of time
Brian can spend selling newspapers. His .
employed by grocery stores, publishing
In addition tb his current difficulties,
income goes down.
companies, and by the owner of several
Brian struggles with'his continued anger
apartm ent buildings. He was also a
Brian also depends on donations for
about the Vietnam War. His father was
clothing, but his petite frame makes it
supervisor in shipping and receiving at a
imprisoned in Vietnam for 15 years. He was
difficult to find things that f it “You go into
beverage distribution company for a couple
tom away from his m other as a very young
years. Pham began selling Street Roots in
the .place and there are only size 15 shoes,”
child and raised by strangers. His
January soon after be.ing laid off from his
Brian shrugs his shoulders, “and you wear a
grandfather participated in the war of
size 8...”
< y ■
job doing pre-press preparation and bindery
independence from France» “Millions of "
work at a firm in Medford.
I became curious about how he would like civilians were killed.”
Brian says he’s given up looking for
to dress if money were no object. “If you
Given his personal experiences, it is not
another job. He told ine he’s gotten tired of * could have any pair of shoes you wanted,” I . surprising that Brian doesn’t like war.
asked him, “w hat would they be?”
being rejected because of the economy, but
“I want to come to peace with myself
hefcl iike to get back into shipping and
“Nikes. They’re made in Vietnam.” H e .
about the war,” Pham told me.
receiving some day.
smiled. “Keep my people working, even if I
Perhaps it will help if he can find a way to
You can usually find Brian in fr o n t of
can’t get a job.”
procure a pair of Nikes. There might be
Starbucks on East Burnside and 28th
Pham not only waits for food and clothing
catharsis in helping a former enemy keep
Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or outside
donations. He is also waiting for affordable
working, even if he can’t get a job for
the New Seasons grocery store on
housing. He applied at Central City Concern
himself.
\y ••
in January. He’s been told it will be at least
Interstate from 5 to 10 p.m., where he sells
60 days more before something will be
Street Roots in order to buy groceries. The
months after arriving at the, refugee camp,*
Catholic Charities brought Pham to the
United States and arranged for him to live
urith „ family: rm □
ir. Trvuzu H.,
income isn’t usually big enough to cover his
expenses so he relies on donations for the
rest of his needs.