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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2012)
2 Street roots April 1, 2012 Roasting our great citi , nation ’F W l W ’ F t f l I Ï I ' l I T w Street Roots sheds journalistic ethics, gives up elcome to the new edition of Street Roots. We have given up. You’ll see our apathy and disgust outlined in the next 15-pages of the newspaper. Due to the lack of good news happening in the world and our lack of ability to keep up with it, we’ve decided to change our format to a satirical platform. Street Roots will now say whatever we want, whenever we want, attributing anything we want, to anyone we want. While newspapers across the city are cutting back, these changes will allow SR to be more competitive and cut as many journalistic —— corners as possible. Ethics? Hahahaha! Street Roots w ill now say We’ve also decided nat 2 whatever we want, cpy edt anymore; either. whenever we want, Why? attributing anything we “Newsrooms across want, to anyone we want. the city are scaling back,” says Street Roots publisher. “We think this will help us cut our editorial costs significantly and compete with other newsrooms. Plus, Street Roots can actually start telling the truth about most of the horse-trading that actually makes this city run. It’s going to be one big sh*t-storm when it’s all said and done.” In this edition of the newspaper, we start with questions and answers with the mayoral candidates, completely ignore the city council candidates and give readers a look into what really happens when a family goes to IKEA. We claim to talk to President Obama, trash every other media outlet in the city and tell how the police bureau is the only organization in the city that is off-limits to anyone at city hall. Wait, that’s not satirical. The next edition of the newspaper will cover the life and times of local travel and entertainm ent writers who make W Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@ streetroots.org elcome to the fourth annual April Fools’ edition — one of the most popular papers of the year. If you are a new reader to Street Roots, or new to the city, this edition of the paper “roasts” the City of Portland, and most of its citizens By Israel Bayer and brave leaders. ■■ h m h h h m m i Yes, it’s a tad bit controvesial, but it’s meant to be good fun. We work hard to give Portlanders a professional newspaper that offers people experiencing homeless and poverty an income to improve their quality of life. We throw most of that professionalism out LETTERS It appears that readers have opinions too re you going to do anything on “The Hunger Games?” It’s a new movie that is now playing and I think you should interview the people in it. I would buy it, and it would be really popular with your readers. -D ESTIN EE Gresham A Googled “Hunger Games” and Street Roots new website came up. I don’t understand why. I -BOB Alnki halt a living o lt or g e ttin g sm a s h e d a t lo ca l b re w e rie s a n d reporting on it. We will also be looking at just why people who live in Portland actually start to believe in March that the rain will stop in April. Not happening people. Local politicians called the move by Street Roots disappointing, but noted that it’s mostly just wasted space anyway, unless of course, “They make us look good and put us on the cover. Then we love them .” Readers are thought to be more confused than ever. After battling stereotypes for years that Street Roots was a paper for “those people.” (You know, the homeless.) One observer noted that they always thought SR was a religious pamphlet, like “Awakening.” A spokesperson for Street Roots didn’t disagree, saying reading the new format is going to be one hell of an awakening for some people. Politicians and high-profile people around the region are already exploring bringing legal action against the paper and have made inquiries with the Oregon Attorney General. Street Roots made up several responses to the allegations saying, “We hadn’t realized the courts were actually interested in justice, especially post 9-11. It’s not like we’re torturing anyone, and even if we were, we feel pretty confident that’s constitutional too.” Readers have responded to the changes with mixed reviews. One thing is clear said one reader, “Street Roots needs to shorten its editorials in the future, if not remove them altogether for the lack of concentration and depth.” street vendors or by subscription. We are proud members of the North American Street Newspaper Association and the International Network of Street Papers. gig | I s ? 81 SwMH Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.streetroots.wordpress.com Grant Writer Sarah Cloud the door for this edition of the paper. And readers respond. Saying all of that, we do our best to present the April Fools’ edition with tact depending on your point of view. If you have made the final cut, we hope you can sit back and have a laugh with us. Like the great Mark Twain once wrote, and most likely plagiarized, “Humor is the good natured side of a truth.” We sincerely appreciate all of your support, week in and week out and cannot thank you enough for all of the love that you show the many vendors who sell the newspaper. Without readers like you and the many businesses throughout Portland that work with us, Street Roots wouldn’t be possible. Enjoy this edition of the paper. We raise our glass to you with a very special toast... lease interview Jennifer Lawrence who plays Katniss in the new “Hunger Games” movie. She is so beautiful, and people would really love to hear what she has to say. Please?!? -S IE R R A Portland P ’ve been buying Street Roots since way back, back when it was the Burnside Cadillac in 1998. It’s changed so much — you’re a bunch of sell-outs now. Look at you, putting people on the cover that might be interested in buying a newspaper from a vendor. I liked it much better when most people didn’t want to buy the paper, but it was made for people like me. You know, the activist type. I try to support the homeless whenever I can, I just wish Street Roots felt the same way. I haven’t seen your review of “The Hunger Games” in the paper yet. Have I missed it? It’s really, really, really good. The story’s really interesting and it has lots of cool scenes to look at. I’ll look for it on your new Web site, www.streetroots.org. Thank you for all you do! -L E E S A Beaverton I lllllkmmmmmmmmmmm w Office Cat Rooty xxxxxxxxxzz cccccccc u Hio oppppppppp ///////////////////////////////////? ? ???????????????? L ssssssssssssssssssxxxxxxc Office Cat Rooty responds: ssssssssdddddddddddddddddddddddddd xxxzzzzzzzzzA. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiim m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m iiiiii yyyyyy. . . . . / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ■ ...........m n n n n n ’m a little put off by the April Fools edition of the paper. I really have come to expect more from Street I Roots. I support your vendors, but I’m having a real hard time supporting the newspaper itself. You have the opportunity to do so much more. All of the writers at Street Roots have sunken to a new low in my book. -JA K E Beavertron -L E E S A Tigard 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 joanne@streetroots.org. Christine Gadeholt, Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan Bayer, Eliese Baker, Sue Zaiokar, Tave Drake, Michael Moore, Malka Davis, Robert Britt, Una Zakas run i sssseaeso iz A . . ; . . . : . . . , . 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 pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also available online at www.rosecityresource.org. Cc goes toward printing costs Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.
