street roots
6
Jan. 21, 2011
Judge strikes down
Alaskan city’s
encampment law
BY CYDNEY GILLIS
R EAL C H A N G E N E W S
A superior court judge in Anchorage
Z A has ruled it is unconstitutional for
■Z A th e city to immediately destroy
belongings taken during sweeps of
homeless encampments.
In a Jan. 4 ruling, Judge Mark Rindner
struck down an Anchorage encamppient
clearing law that allowed city crews to
dispose of possessions seized at camps.
Rindner said the law violated due process
in two ways. The city posted five-day
warning notices that provided insufficient
time for people to collect belongings and
move, Rindner said. In September 2010,
Anchorage’s city council added an appeal
process to the law that gave homeless
persons two extra days to clear out. But
Rindner said the process afforded no
meaningful recourse because a person
can’t retrieve belongings once the city
trashes them.
The state of Alaska and the city must
provide vehicle owners and tenants at least
15 days to claim abandoned property, the
judge wrote. Citing previous cases in
Fresno, Calif, and Miami, Fla. Rindner
rejected the City of Anchorage’s argument
that it is too expensive to store seized, wet
belongings. Rindner noted the city already
has a process in place for storing lost-and-
found property.
The ACLU of Alaska brought the suit in
April on behalf of Dale Engle and other
homeless people in 2009. During a 2009
sweep, the Anchorage Daily News reported
that Engle, a homeless veteran, lost all his
belongings, including his military ribbons.
In a statement, an ACLU of Alaska
attorney said the opinion is important
because it recognizes that homeless
individuals have the same fundamental
property rights as others. The city could
appeal the ruling, but the ACLU said it’s
hoping the council will work with it to
revise the ordinance.
‘The City of Seattle and Washington
State Transportation Department provide
three days’ notice prior to clearing
encampments. Each has a policy to store
belongings but seldom does, citing wetness
as a-justification for disposal.
A star is
bom at
10th and
Burnside
BY KAISA MCCROW
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
^ T T ^ o m eet George, a Street Roots seller
outside of Powell’s Bookstore on
JL Burnside, is an opportunity to
experience a theatrical sales pitch for living
a good life. Encounter him on your way into
PoWell’s and you will likely hear him
shouting something to the effect of, “Street
Roots, it’s the Hollywood Gazette of
homeless newspapers. Only we have a
crossword puzzle and we’re cheaper.”
Whatever his pitch, he delivers it quickly
and effortlessly, a true actor and salesman.
VENDOR PROFILE
George Denison
P H O T O B Y KAISA M C C R O W
George is good at grabbing people’s
attention wjth witty, colorful remarks that
elicit smiles all around, and he loves what
he does. George is definitely a salesman,
and though technically it is a paper th at he
is selling, customers walk away with
something more. Hopefully, according to
George, what they walk away with is a day
made a little brighter.
George grew up in Modesto, Calif., and
received his bachelor’s degree in
communication studies, including theater
and business studies,from San Jose
University. Later, he spent time in San
Francisco where he worked as a waiter,
model and actor before making his way up
to Oregon, working as an apartment and
property manager and a handyman. During
this time, George experienced the
hardships of homelessness, which shaped a
lot of the way he sees the world today. It
has given him a hard work ethic - he says
he initially sold Street Roots for 14 hours a
day to get on his feet - and a passion for
believing in th e good in people. “I never
m et a person I didn’t like,” says George,
meaning that you can always find something
good in someone if you choose to look for it.
George says th at he has found his home
selling the paper, which he first heard about
while eating at a soup kitchen in Portland. It
is through interacting with the diverse array
of people in Portland th at keeps a smile on
George’s face. He says that it was when he
found Street Roots he found his true home.
“Some of the most interesting people are
street people,” he says. He also says street
people are his biggest supporters. It is both
the support of people on the street and the
George Denison a t his sales site outside
Powell’s City o f Books on Burnside. A t left,
George fro m his portfolio back in his
modeling days.
And George has a lot of stories about
selling papers. He sold a paper to Fred
A r m is P n
richness of his expériences with them that
is so satisfying to him. Mostly though,
George is passionate about sharing news of
marginalized people and celebrating those
who he feels so privileged to be working
among.
He loves Street Roots because it is about
celebrating diversity. “Meet Portland street
celebrities. We’ve got ’em. It’s not homeless
news, it’s about special people that have a
temporary stopgap in their living
arrangement, which is requiring them to
camp for a little bit.” It is this kind of
positive spin that invariably makes people
smile, that draws out an extra bit of
compassion, and hopefully, gets them to buy
a paper.
=.nH a g r n . l ^ f a m n p d HR - '
fans in line for a ZZ Top concert. He says he
rallied their support as a “down-and-out ZZ
Top fan,” using the energy of the show to
get people excited to buy the paper.
However, George says he isn’t personally
dazzled by the celebrity likes of Moby.
Rather, it is the “street celebrities” that he
encounters every day that he is more into.
George critiques a cultural norm that <
celebrates people with wealth and beauty. It
isn’t just rich people that have a story worth
telling. George points to high-rise condos
visible from Powell’s, and says, “You see
those condos? Those are like a million
dollars. People are living up there, and right
across the street is someone sleeping in a
doorway.” George makes a visible
connection between a deep class divide
right off of Burnside. But he isn’t judging.
“The people that have money, they deserve
happiness too. I’m not putting them down ...
We’re all God’s children.”
Statements like this are George’s
reminder to seek equality for all people,
wealthy as well as poor, and not to take
anything too seriously. Work hard, make
people smile, and revere your own
celebrities: you can find one on Burnside,
selling Street Roots most evenings.
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
Answers to puzzles on page 16
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9 3 Z 8
6 L -V Z
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8 8 6 9
P
9
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9
VENDOR WORK ADS
Cassidy Morse: Looking for work. Will do most
number and detailed message: 503-946-3959,
anything, light and heavy. $10 an hour, four
or Street Roots, 503-228-5657.
hour minimum, Please call 503-224-5398 or
Street Roots at 503-228-5657.
Pete Marshall W. and Julie W.: Pleasant
mannered and experienced at labor. Odd jobs.
Yard work speciality. Repairing household
losses. Pay back huge debts. Leave call back
Vincent Bartlett: Laborer for hire, any type of
work - painting, yardwork, moving,
handyman, light or heavy. Honest and
dependable. Call Street Roots at 503-228-5657
and leave message for Vincent.
For just $5 a month, you can help support Portland’s only street paper and
homeless and low-income vendor program. Learn how to set up an easy and
safe recurring donation a t www.streetroots.com.