15
street roots
Aug. 5 2011
EDITORIAL
Street Roots is getting around
Election an opportunity fo r
renewed push on housing
nnouncements and rumors about the up and
coming Portland election in 2012 have the city
buzzing.
With the announcement that Mayor Sam Adams, an
established housing advocate, and Randy Leonard, a
rabble rouser on tough issues, will not seek re-election,
the city now has two open seats. Incumbent Amanda
Fritz is seeking re-election, but there is discord from her
base in the far left that expected much more from her to
counterpunch the downtown business machine. She
faces long-time Oregon State Rep. Mary Nolan, who so
far seems to be outraising Fritz and gaining broad
support.
Lots of personalities have
We w ill not solve the
entered the race, or are
education or public
rumored for a run; Charlie
safety problems, or the Hales, Eileen Brady, Steve
massive equity gap for Novick, Jefferson Smith
people of color in
and others. Regardless who
Portland, until housing wins, housing and
in our region is
homelessness has to be at
addressed and put on
the top of the priority list
the main stage.
for those who would helm
our government.
In many ways, the
current City Council, led by Commissioner Nick Fish
and Mayor Sam Adams, has helped keep the Portland
Housing Bureau and the region’s housing agenda afloat
during the recession. With the council’s support, they
have launched a handful of high-profile projects while
keeping the ship steered in the right direction — even as <
massive revenue declines are taking place for affordable
housing and homeless services.
Saying that, the current leadership on housing and
homeless issues needs more support. If Portland and
the region are to build a coalition of the willing to
support much larger efforts on the housing front, we
need electives that are willing to understand and push '
for more than just the status quo. We know that
affordable housing can be tied to a broad range of
important issues concerning transportation, education,
equity and the quality of life for every Portlander. New
leaders emerging from around the city need to
understand the importance of this, and help move the
agenda forward.
This election provides an opportunity to tackle the
tough issue of housing in the region. We know elected
officials support the notion of more affordable housing.
We know Portlanders do too. There isn’t enough x
affordable housing that is available for teachers and
police, much less people working minimum wage jobs or
who are homeless. It’s all a matter of how Portland
prioritizes the issue and having the leadership at the top
that can maintain a coalition of people and businesses to
make our city one that works for everyone.
We hear a lot of slogans come election time: protecting
the environment, public safety, the economy, better
education and supporting small business and
corporations moving to Portland. What we don’t hear is
how hard-working people deserve a safe and stable
home, and how this is tied to other rhetorical and well-
polled messages that win elections.
We will not solve the education or public safety
problems, or the massive equity gap for people of color
in Portland, until housing in our region is addressed and
put on the main stage. We’re hoping that in this
upcoming election, candidates understand that
Portlanders do care about housing and we expect
leaders who will not only talk about making housing a
priority, but will lay the groundwork to make bold moves
in the future concerning the health of our city.
Portlanders are waiting.
treet Roots has been busy working to
help move a larger agenda of poverty
and homelessness forward both locally
and around the globe.
SR managing editor is just returning from
Scotland, where she
attended the annual
International Network
of Street Papers
DESK
(INSP) conference.
Zuhl has been
B y Israel Bayer
working with the
network as a member
of the INSP’s board
of directors for five
years. During that time, dozens of street
newspapers have been created around the
globe, including new street papers in South
Korea, the Philippines, and across North
America.
Zuhl has been a guiding light for both SR.
and other street papers. Her leadership and
skills are something that our entire network
values. During her tenure at SR she has
helped develop the newspaper locally into
one of file best news sources in file city. Big
love and thanks for the work she does week-
in and week-out
Also this week, SR attended the Western
States Center trainings for social justice
advocates, learning much needed tools to
help both individuals and the organization
S
■
DIRECTOR'S
Isra el B ay er is the
executive d irector o f
Street Roots. You can
reach h im a t
streetroots@ hotinail.com.
become better prepared to do our work. We
are proud to work with the Western States
Center to build power among
underrepresented communities and to
continue to make poverty and equality a
priority for our region.
Lastly, SR vendors and staff will be
headed to San Francisco this week to attend
the first annual Homeless Congress With
the Western Regional Advocacy Project
The organization is made up of grassroots
homeless groups up and down the West
Coast, including SR and Sisters Of The
Road. The group serves as both a
community organizing and policy advocacy
model for homeless organizations, while
becoming a leading think tank nationally on
homeless and affordable housing issues.
Together, we are making a difference.
The idea of acting locally and thinking
globally is something that is not lost on us.
When you support SR and vendors with
each purchase of the newspaper, you are
supporting a larger group of street
newspapers around the world, and other
organizations that are taking pro-active
approaches to tackling some of our toughest
and most complex problems. We believe in
helping individuals to become self-
sustainable. We also believe collectively we
can be the change we seek. You are a part
of that change and we thank you!
LETTERS
Oregon State Hospital changes draw support fo r reform
abuse the hospitals. That’s how we get to
Where we are now.
w
WANJERIA WASHINGTON
s. someone who has seen what
happens inside of this state hospital,
l am very happy that these bills are
passing.
I hope the patients who are well enough
to get out and are non-violent (and there are
many of those) are able to be released in a
timely fashion, and not held there for a
ridiculous amount of time while all of this is
being figured out by the powers that be.
The hospital has a very negative stigma
attached to it, and that is very unfortunate
because the people who Work there do care
about the patients and advocate for them to
move forward in their lives and be released
as appropriate. The employees work with
what they have been given by the
government, and that is not much. I have
lived in many different places and have
never seen a system as corrupt as this one.
I still find it hard to believe that a system
like this even exists in this country.
I believe there are some advocacy groups
that have actually made the correct
treatm ent of these patients more difficult;
but I am very thankful for those who have
been working so diligently to get bills like
these passed. Keep going!
M
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Send letters to the
editor to the Street
Roots office, 211
NW Davis St,
Portland, OR 97209,
or e-mailed to
streetrootsnews®
gmail.com.
On the passage o f two bills set to revamp the
way the Oregon State Hospital evaluates
clients held in their custody as a result o f
Oregon’s equivalent o f the insanity plea: Street
Roots, July 8:
verbody is different in their illness.
There is no way you can limit the
stay in the hospital due to a overall
status, we must see people as single
individuals and not as a whole. I know that
three day in a hospital dosn’t make you
stable. For some, it may take up to a week
or two. Everybody is different
On the same coin, people need to know
when they’re stable to go home and not
B
ANONYMOUS
CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL
Sam Adams
Mayor
1221SW 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
DanSaltzman
1221 SW 4th Ave,
Room 230,97204
(503)823-4151
dan®
portlandoregon.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
STREET ROOTS’ EDITORIAL BOARD
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