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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2011)
Street roots April 1, 2011 EDITORIA! Looking to pick up a lighter load nough already! Are we right? After years of wars, torture, global warming and B unfettered corporate greed, we now have a worldwide nuclear disaster with no end in-sight. Thanks, Mother Nature! And we thought we had it bad with homelessness and poverty. In hindsight, kinda feels like we dodged a bullet! But seriously, times are tough. You don’t hear people saying “no worries” nearly as often, these days. It would simply be irresponsible. Times are so tough; in fact, that we thought about We thought the ditching the whole poverty country was ready to angle and switching to a embrace civic duty more focused cause we and old-fashioned might actually be able to volunteerism. Come to win. But we couldn’t think find out that, as a of any. Literacy, maybe, but nation, we were then have you noticed our wasting billions of copyediting? Exactly — we dollars engaging haven’t either. < volunteers to build Then we thought maybe houses, keep charities we-could get behind the - operating, and Humane Society’s supporting basic campaign to “End government Petlessness” because operations. obviously we aren’t getting jack shit done on JaefflSlessness. Then we thought, that’s a lot of pets, maybe in 10 years it could be done. On a larger level, we th o u g h t th e co u n try was readyJp* embrace civic duty and old-fashioned v olunteerism . Street Roots even bolstered its volunteer base this past year to include more people at all levels of the organization. Come to find out that, as a nation, we were wasting billions of dollars engaging volunteers to build houses, keep charities operating, and supporting basic government operations — and did you hear what Planned Parenthood was doing? Appalling, helping teens like that. Fortunately, Congress will keep us from making that mistake again. We thought the U.S. didn’t need, want or could afford any more wars, Could we have been more wrong? So glad we could deliver hand made bombs to Tripoli. It’s what we must do for peace these days. It s á hard job, but someone has to do it. We even considered that, maybe, we were out of, touch, but quickly laughed it off. We thought, the hell with it, let’s buy some animal outfits (see page 5), get hammered and pop some Vicadin — watch the whole thing gó to shit and have the Willamette Week and Oregonian come after us like a pack of wild dogs. Maybe even the good people of the world (Democrats) will tell us we need counseling. Like we didn’t already know that. Ever work these hours, m a place like this? Didn’t think so. Hmm... what else? _ So the world is a complicated place. It’s hard to sut through the news cycle. It’s even harder to write for the news cycle, on the news cycle, during your cycle. The hardest is finishing this goddamned editorial. Seven minutes.... 120 words to go ... just gotta find an easy cause everyone cares about But that will have to wait, I think that’s my bus coming. I’m going to have to go now. It was a pleasure meeting you too. Look me up on Facebook. Great, great. Have fun! Ah, done... STREET ROOTS' EDITORIAL BOARD The views expressed in the editorials in Street Roots are the ’ consensus of members of the editorial board and contributing volunteers. 15 GUUTWìì Have a laugh on us, and keep supporting SR! For people just being turned on to SR, or have come on board in the past few months, the newspaper, and vendor program are key The April First edition of the paper components in being able to help hundreds is a time when we can take a step back and of people experiencing homelessness and ________________ make poverty funnies with about an income, while educating DIRECTOR'S everyone in the city, thousands more on important issues facing including Street Roots. our community. DESK In a time when a In a time when it is becoming harder and barrage of mostly bad By Israel Bayer harder to obtain critical and original news news in the world around Portland and the world*— street weighs heavy on newspapers serve a very important role in a Israel Bayer is the people’s hearts and community. executive directo r o f minds we hope to On one hand, relationships are built and Street Roots. You can deliver you a laugh or two or three. people’s lives are changed. On the other reach him at By creating a satirical version of the hand, you recieve award-winning journalism streetroots@hotmail.com. newspaper and the events of the day we are and commentary, and voices from the able to take ourselves less seriously while community that you are simply not going to also raising important points about the city find anywhere else. we all love to live in. We thank you for your support and It’s also a time when SR kicks off its appreciate your readership. We hope this Spring Fund Drive. In each edition of the spring you will find it in your hearts to keep newspaper you will find an envelope the SR newspaper and vendor program attached — asking you to support SR in the strong apd vibrant. Without you, none of work we do. this is possible. For many loyal readers and supporters — We hope you enjoyed this edition of the you already know what we do and how newspaper, and had a laugh on us. Keep important it is to support an organization coming back for more. You won’t be like SR. All of us at SR, including the many disappointed. vendors selling rain or shine, thank you for it elcome to the third annual April Fools edition of the newspaper. W LETTERS Street Roots partners a concern fo r activists WHAT DO YOU THINK? Street Roots encourages readers to submit letters and columns for publication. Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NWDavis St., Portland, OR 97209, or e-mailed to streetrootsnews® gmail.com. T ” m really concerned about the 8 I leadership of thé organization after JLrealizing that you’re partnering with groups like the Portland Police Bureau to Jiave a column in the newspaper. As a dedicated anarchist, I believe the ••• < quickest way to overcoming oppression and capitalism is to alienate all institutions working with people experiencing homelenssess — including shelters, affordable housing groups, and others. I’ve suspected SR of being sell-outs for a long time, but after reading the newspaper over thé past few months, me and my friends are convinced of it now. From now on, I will be supporting vendors, and still reading the newspaper, but I will be encouraging all my friends to join a silent protest of SR leadership. MASKED MAN NE Portland After moving here from the Midwest, and taring several classes at Portland State , University on Marxism and starting to understand the relationship between capitalism and poverty — I’m çonvinced that the model Street Roots is using is counterproductive to a people’s led revolution. Over the past several weekends I’ve gotten to know many people on the streets and have become an expert on understanding what homeless people need and want in our community. In my opinion, it starts with overthrowing the government I think your publication is a tool that actually allows people on the streets to make money through capitalism, and your advocacy should be called ou t I thought you should know that I will be personally leading a Friday night discussion at a local coffee shop about ways to start . another homeless paper in Portland. It’s my hope that the new publication will be Marxist focused, free and will actually allow people oil the streets to understand w h a t th e y actually n e ed . I ’m hoping th e publication will come o u t sometime in April, and will run until at least summer break when I will have to go with friends traveling around Europe to better understand how socialism works there. When I get back, I will continue working with people on the streets at least until finals, and then spring break next year. Hopefully by then, a people-led revolution will have occured and all of this will be a moot point. Power to the people! WEEKEND WARRIOR SW Portland It’s become clear to me over the past year that SR has become poverty pimps and are way too close to powerful institutions in Portland; The idea that you would somehow try to work with a broken system to help homeless people is appauling. MAD AT THE WORLD NW Portland I wanted to write and say why don’t you do more for the community. I find many of the articles really informing, and have come to respect that you’re covering many important topics, t love the vendors. Still, it’s not enough, and if you worked harder, or possibly smarter than maybe Portland would have a decent street newspaper week in and week o u t MIXED MESSAGES Downtown Portland CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL Sam Adams Mayor 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 340,97204 (503)823-4120 mayorsam® portlandoregon.gov Amanda Fritz 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 220,97204 (503)823-3008 amanda® portlandoregon.gov Dan Saltzman 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 230,97204 (503)823-4151 dan® portlagdoregon.gov Nick Fish 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 240,97204 (503)823-3589 nick® portlandoregon.gov Randy Leonard 1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 210,97204 (503)823-4682 randy® portlandoregon.gov
