2
Street roots
S ept 16, 2011
Change is in the air - thanks to you
1
Street Roots is playing a leading role ip
elcome to the new page two of
building relationships across issues and class
Street Roots. We have moved the
lines in our community. We believe that to
editorial and my column, along with
letters to the editor, to the front of the mobilize community members and to stay
newspaper. Street
engaged hi issues facing poverty, not to
mention giving people hope and immediate
Roots editorials have
income to people who have little or none, we
DIRECTOR'S received a lot of play
must do the best job we can to offer readers
H 'P C I F
over
past two
years, and it 0Iijy
a wide variety of content.
makes sense to bring
By highlighting different voices in the
B y Israel Bayer
the opinions of the
community through the opinion pages, and
organization and
providing road-map journalism that
readers to the front of highlights a problem and gives readers a way
the newspaper.
to stay engaged in solutions, we are making
The newspaper continues to grow and
a difference.
become part of the fabric of this community.
We will never be able to create lasting
On street comers throughout the city,
change in a vacuum. It takes all of us, with
vendors, readers and businesses, continue to
different interests, experiences and
have healthy and inspiring relationships that
perspectives to create a healthy community.
develop into a real change in the lives of
We are so grateful for your loyalty and
people on the streets.
readership. One vendor and one newspaper
“The newspaper helps me keep a positive
at a time, we are making buzzwords such as
outlook, knowing that regular readers and
“hope,” and “change” a reality. We couldn’t
others in the neighborhood are friendly and
begin to do this without you.
not judgmental of me,” says vendor Mitch
We hope readers like the new
DeSousa, who sells at the Starbucks on 28th arrangement, and we encourage individuals
and East Burnside. “It helps keep my self
to write to the newspaper and sound off on
esteem alive out here, and that can’t be
issues that matter to you.
underestimated.”
H
Times are tough - and ripe
with opportunity
ccording to the U.S. Census figures, the nation’s
poverty rolls increased last year by 2.5 million people.
That’s on top of millions more who have fallen into
poverty in what the New York Times is now calling the “lost
decade.”
Tlie numbers show that poverty has increased in the U.S.
to the highest rate since 1993. As Chuck Sheketoff with the
Oregon Center for Public Policy rightly points out, “Our
safety net for poor families with children was better in the
early 1990s. We had a more robust program for families with
dependent children, a more robust jobs program. We are
serving a smaller percentage of the poor than we used to
and we re giving them
less.”
The results aré more
It's during times of crisis
people ending up in
that many people come
extreme crisis situations.
together, and sacrifice for
The 211Info and Referral
the betterment of their
line, along with mental
neighbors and friends. It's
health groups and
also a time when some of
services such as Human
the best ideas and plans are
Solutions, which works
put into place to help
with women and families,
maintain a healthy society.
are being overwhelmed.
Street Roots and Others
organizations áre seeing
more and more people from middle-class backgrounds
entering homelessness each week. Resources continue to ’
decline, and the need continues to skyrocket
For too many of our neighbors, these figures mean
survival in its most raw form, and survival often means
doing anything necessary. That’s not a good place to be.
The 2Q13 Oregon Legislative session needs to be ready to
make human and basic Services its top priority. Legislators
let them fall to the wayside in 2011, and the results are
devastating. The city and county must stop merely talking
about a strategic plan to build more revenue for housing and
services, and show actual leadership, even if that means
taking calculated risks. People are dying in the streets,
literally, and beginning to turn in masses* to the black market
and other, less healthy means to make ends m eet
Saying that, it’s time for all of us in the region and around
the state to build a coalition of the willing. Often times,
especially during election cycles we look to candidates,
office holders and government bureaus to have the answers
to all of our woes. The reality is, it’s the people Who will
move these agendas forward.
It’s during times of crisis that many people come together
and sacrifice for the betterment of their neighbors and
friends. It’s also a time when some of the best ideas and
plans are put into place to help maintain a healthy society.
Organizations around the region and state need to be
working together to push the poverty agenda forward. That
means working together to create a community mobilization
across issues, and thinking about how our own self-interests
may or may not move these agendas forward.
The environment today is ripe for organizing, be it
affordable housing and homeless groups, immigrants and
refugees, people of color and private partners,
transportation and equity groups, unions and neighborhood
groups. It’s time to seize the moment and support one
another from the ground up. Because the top down
approach has gotten us nowhere.
a
Israel B a yer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach h im at
streetroots@ hotm ail.com .
LETTERS
Office of Equity and Human righto — the proper pairing
he Office of Equity and Human Rights is
must evolve with the times. It has come a
what the title should be (Re: Street Roots, long way since the White Male Land
Sept. 2). The Office of Equity is paramount in Conqueror days, but there is still so much
including the Portland Human Rights
historical restitution to do. I applaud the
______________ Commission
start, and look to the day when the money
Furthermore, it is
going into equity matches or exceeds the
imperative that the
money going into supposedly “green”
Human Rights
sustainable issues. Social justice is a first
Commission is not
order of business in my way of looking at
m a rg in a liz e d n o r
.things. We go n o t have a s tr o n g s u s tq jp a ftle
ostracized in the move to
peace in our city w hen close to one-third of
create this new office.
the children in this state are experiencing
■111
The mayor and City
food insecurity. Who can think green under
Commissioner Fritz were
these conditions?
at the last Human Rights
PTERYLIEGHT
Portland
Commission meeting on
■ in
Wednesday, inviting the
cooperation of the Human Taxpayer money should help
Rights Commission. The commission seemed
the poor, not privileged
receptive in spite of the very cold shoulder
and left out of the discussion, feelings that
lease publish the full story “Never say
never.” (Sept 2, Street Roots) It’s an
they all have.
S - J O E ANYBODY
awesome piece of journalism. Portland is
Portland really a city of apartheid. The rich people live
in the core and get PDC money. That
es, the city needs to start showing some
taxpayer money should rebuild services for
commitment to equity and human rights. I ’the people who need it most in the outer
think the level of change needed will involve edges of Portland and Gresham. We are
much, much more for it to really work. As
building lavish German beer pubs for hipsters
long as there is “majority” rules type voting,
in Mississippi rather than get basic food and
there will bé majority ownership of solutions
heath for people outside the 205 and 405
to those whose votes add up to minority
freeways. Portland is a model for apartheid
counts. Thus, the burden of proof will lay with sold as a green city. It’s the height of
those who experience oppression, while the I hypocrisy. The only socialist thing about
burden of doing something about it through
Portland is our great wall of power for those
policy lies with those who are majority. This
inside 205 and 405.
does not work. The majority should not make
BARBARA R.
these decisions.
Portland
Democracy is not majority rule. Democracy
E
i 11“ fc
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Send letters to the
editor to the Street
Roots office, 211
NW Davis St.,
Portland, OR 97209,
or e-mail to
streetrootsnews®
gmail.comr
P
B
Our mission
S taff
Soard of Directors
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
E x e c u tiv e D i r e c t o r Israel Bayer
Bruce Anderson (chairm an! Michael An derson (Vice*
Street Roots vendors b u y th e newspapers fo r 25 cents
streetroots@hotmail.com
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa
each, and sell th e m fo r $ 1, ke eping th e 75 cents in
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
producing a newspaper and other media th a t are
catalysts fo r individual and social change.
Street Roots publishes every tw o weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or t y subscription. W e are proud
members o f the North American Street
Newspaper Association and th e International
N etw ork o f Street Papers.
Street Roots
211 N W Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
1 Joanne Zuhi
com.
V e n d o r C o o r d i n a t o r Becky M ullins
pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com..
{Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Ken Hawkins > -
p ro fit fo r themselves. In o rd e r to keep th e cost lo w to
o u r vendors, w e receive a d d itio n a l s u p p o rt fro m
d on a tio n s a nd in -k in d co n trib u tio n s.
Volunteers
O p e r a t io n s D i r e c t o r Sarah Beecroft
Christine G adeholt, M a ry Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan
P r o g r a m A s s i s t a n t Cole M erkel
Bayer, Eliese Baker, Liz Fosteer, S ueZ alokar, Tave
streetrootspoetry@gmail.com
Vendors
•
«uaat»2gA:a-.w
12
D rakew
I $ 8 2 828$# i.
G r a n t W r i t e r Sarah Cloud
A c c o u n t a n t H eather Stadick ‘
D e p o r t e r s A m anda W aldrou pe, Stacy Brownhill;
Jake Thomas
P h o t o g r a p h e r s Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Jennifer
Jansons, John Ryan Brubaker
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes th e Rose City Resource, a
75
25 c
comprehensive booklet o f services for people
goes d ire ctly to th e ve n d o r
goes to w a rd
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
w h o sold you th e paper
p rin tin g costs
To inquire about getting an order, o f th e Rose City
Fax: 503-227-3117
Resource fo r distribution, please w rite to
www.streetroots.org
pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
available online at www.rosecityresource.org.
V e n d o r o rie n ta tio n s a re a t 1 p .m . e ve ry M o n d a y
W e dn e sd ay a n d Friday a t th e S tre e t Roots o ffic e .