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Street roots
Oct. 14, 2011
EDITORIAL
Readers give props for SR coverage, vendors
S
Demonstrations' reception
depends on occupiers' actions
or the people fed up with their representation in
Washington and the unchecked corporate control
over our lives and policies as a nation, it has been a
remarkable few weeks of attention paid to We, the People.
The Occupy Wall Street movement has galvanized the
masses, not the least of which, and actually one of the most
numerous, is Occupy Portland now encamped in Chapman
Square in the heart of the city.
Half a mile away, another group has staked a claim at the
corner of NW Fourth Avenue and Burnside, creating a
place where people who live homeless can find respite
against the culminationjof misguided policies being
protested down the block.
It is a movement in
It Is the collective
solidarity, and it is no
responsibility of those
doubt lost on the
individuals protesting to
offer solutions and to work demonstrators in
Chapman Square that as
to better the community.
they glance down the road
they might catch their
reflection in the mirror and see their future.
Unemployment, high housing costs, and a health care
system that isn’t there for the uninsured is a threat to the
masses, but a reality for thousands of people in Portland
every day. Played out, it means homelessness.
This winter, more than 1,700 Portlanders were counted
sleeping outside, in a vehicle or an abandoned building. In
addition to that, several thousands were in shelters, hotels,
and in transitional housing. These are the people who
already occupy Portland, but struggle each day for basic
survival.
It’s important to note that while direct action has taken
people said yes. One person wrote, “Yes,
treet Roots’ recent readers survey
vendors are very professional. Vendors are
asked Portlanders to chime in on
polite, friendly and make good small talk,
important issues related to the
organization. It was by no means scientific, while saying nice things like, ‘Thank you’
and ‘Have a good day,’ after buying a
but it does give us a
paper.” Another reader wrote, “Yes, and if
snapshot of the
there is an issue, Street Roots is quick to
p
who.suppo‘t
address i t ” Big kudos and love to the
vendors and read the
vendors selling the newspaper week-in and
newspaper. Here is
week-out
By Israel Bayer
Sixty-one percent of readers say they do
not seek out a specific vendor, while
of SR readers are
another 26 percent said they do.
college educated, and
Seventy-nine percent of the community
female. People of all ages support SR, but
readers 21-35 have increased dramatically in told us they are familiar with our advocacy
work, with 74 percent of people saying that
the past two years since we last did a
we make a positive difference through our
survey. Sixty-three percent of readers found
policy advocacy and muckraking journalism.
out about the newspaper through an
When asked what difference readers
interaction with a vendor, while another 25
witnessed SR making in the community
percent found out through a friend or word
responses ranged from working with the
of mouth. That means by helping spread
business community, to “not being afraid to
the word and introducing SR to your peer
say or do the unpopular thing, regardless of
network, you can make a big difference.
outside agendas,” to putting a working face
More than 70 percent of those surveyed
on people who are homeless. One reader
thought that SR was a window into their
wrote, “Street Roots provides a clear,
community, politically relevant and a strong
unapologetic voice for social justice in our
advocate for people experiencing
community.”
homelessness.
We thank all of you who took part in the
In-depth news coverage was by far the
survey, and look forward to the on-going
most popular aspect of the newspaper
support Street Roots is providing both for
followed closely by the SR editorial and
those experiencing homelessness, and for
opinion pieces from a wide range of
the broader community. It’s a team thing,
community members and organizations.
§ and we couldn’t do it without you.
Nearly 80 percent of readers said that if
Last, but not least, check out the back
SR went weekly they would purchase the
page of this edition, and save the dates for
newspaper every week from vendors.
both the on-line auction starting O ct 27,
On the vendor side of things readers
and a best of SR photography show on Nov.
showed lots of love. When asked if vendors
3. It’s going to be a party!
conduct themselves professionally in the
community — more than 90 percent of
DIRECTOR'S t “ ?6
E
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t israel®
streetroots.org
over Portland, and many cities across the country with a
fever for change, it's also the collective responsibility qf
thoseindividuafeprotesting to offer solutions and to work
to better the community. That means offering community
service downtown, maintaining the parks, and creating an
environment where the masses are actually engaged in
civic duties that the so-called 99 percent believe in.
Street Roots believes in the message for change, and
understands the frustration that lies at the heart of a
growing movement Saying that, if the Occupy Portland
group is to maintain its momentum, it’s going to need to
look at ways it can help downtown and other parts of the
region. This means maintaining clean and safe public
places and creating teams of people engaged in improving
their local community. Neither R2D2 nor Occupy Portland
will further their cause if their statement becomes
landlocked; anchored to their occupied territory. Now that
they have the public’s attention, let’s expand it, because we
all want to be a part of a winning team and create change.
Street Roots knows good and well that you can’t reach
the masses without changing perceptions. That doesn’t
mean that everyone speaks and acts as one — such
homogeny has never been the hallmark of a progressive
movement anyway. But we can all recognize the common
tenets of justice, and each of us knows what it feels like to
have justice denied. In its most simplest forms, that is the
bridge that will connect us all.
LETTERS
Riders want longer transfers, enforcement on TriMet
ne way that TriMet could increase revenue without
raising fares is to enforce the fares that already
exist on the MAX.
While daily
commuting from
North Portland to
downtown over an
8-month period
between 2010-2011,
guess how many
times I was asked to
prove my fare? How
about 0 times! That’s
right, not at all. It
made me feel like a sucker for having actually paid.
-JOHNNYFIT
O
Many of the individuals who are transit-dependent are
not physically able to ride a bicycle. A longer time limit
is needed on transfers because it can take longer than
two hours to get to your destination, especially if you
are not traveling during rush hour, you have a long wait
for your transfer, or you need to make more than one
transfer.
— LINDA
TriMet has to offer a service that can be sold. They
have to sell transfers, and to offer a window of time that
is about an hour is not going to make any sales. Not as
much as a larger window of time. Allowing for a trip to,
and a trip back on one transfer, makes people think....
hey, I’ll buy a transfer or bus ticket. Otherwise, people
choose to put off their pet projects and less necessary
travels. They will only do what is absolutely necessary,
and then they will stack their errands and travels into
one or maybe two days of travel on the city buses. So
TriMet has made a stupid economic move by making
the trip undesirable, even to the very poor.
-M S
arlon Crump (Vendor Profile, Sept 16). is a man
with a deep sense of righteousness and dignity
who will always come out on top. This is because he
never compromises who he is and the values that make
him so great, a shrewd businessman with a conscience.
For a man who has done so much for others, it is
amazing to me that he’s at the very beginning of what is
sure to be a very remarkable career which I look
forward to following.
' T — ANONYMOUS
M
0tii* mission
S ta ff
Board of Directors
Vendors
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
producing a newspaper and other media that are
catalysts for individual and social change.
Executive Director Israel Bayer
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa
(Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Ken Hawkins
Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents
each and sell them for $1, keeping the 75 cents in
profit for themselves. In order to keep the cost low to
our vendors, w e receive additional support from
donations and in-kind contributions.
Street Roots publishes every tw o weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or by subscription. W e are proud
members of the North American Street
Newspaper Association and the International
Network of Street Papers.
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax:503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
www.streetroots.wordpress.com
israel@streetroots.org
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl
joanne@streetroois.org .
Vendor Coordinator Becky Mullins
becky@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Cole Merkel
cole@streetroots.org
Grant Writer Sarah Cloud
Accountant Heather Stadick
Reporters Am anda W aldroupe, Stacy Brownhill,
Jake Thomas
Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Jennifer
Jansons, John Ryan Brubaker
Volunteers
Christine Gadeholt, Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan
Bayer, Eliese Baker, Liz Fosteer, Sue Zalokar, Tave .
Drake, Micha
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
comprehensive booklet o f services for people
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
To inquire about getting an order of the Rose City
Resource for distribution, please write to
pdxrosecityresoiirce@gmail.com. Resources are also
available online at www.rosecityresource.org.
75c
' ' /
goes directly to the vendor
who sold you the paper
25 c
goes towa rd
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
W ednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.