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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2012)
street roots 2 May 25, 2012 A rally, barbecue and pie - oh my! S Staying connected, we stay on course t’s easy for the media and the rest of us to get caught in a cycle of only producing and reflecting on the bad news surrounding our world — budget cuts, death, despair, war, etc. What doesn’t get covered nearly enough in Portland is the beautiful stories of human connection and the people that work toward a common good. Street Roots witnesses the positive connection between human beings at a very basic level each day. The relationships built between customers and vendors are something that keeps hope alive. We believe that we Countless vendors talk should find a way to about their regular have healthy schools customers and the and housing, public art many great things they and libraries, jobs and provide to ensure that people who are more. For the most part, we are a city that struggling are cared for and receive a hand up. believes we are all But really it’s more interconnected. than this. We see people coming together every day for the betterment of our community. Maybe it’s donating one’s expertise to a local neighborhood or government committee. Possibly it’s participating in Portland’s democracy by donating time and energy. It could be someone giving a donation to any number of great nonprofit groups that do amazing work for Portland. We see all of these combinations and more. We see it in young people and elders alike, and believe that together we can build a better community. We see it in people who have lived here for decades, and others that have just come to call Portland home. Regardless of politics or someQne’y o t in life, we^see, _ I p o s itiv e r e la tio n s h ip s b e tw e e n p e o p le w h o c o m e 21. You can create a team at any time treet Roots delivers some of the best between these dates. grassroots journalism the Pacific If you don’t want to create a team, but Northwest has to offer, while giving want to support one of the many teams that more than 250 people experiencing poverty are created, you can still go and give a hand up. through the summer rally, or give online to But he reality is support our efforts. ™ f r e e speech isn’t free, Then on Sunday, June 24, Street Roots and in order to will be hosting a barbecue at Fremont Park maintain Street Roots with team members, and the Street Roots as a leading voice on crew. It will be a great chance to get to social justice issues in By Israel Bayer know Street Roots better, plus you’ll have the Portland region. the opportunity to throw a pie in my face We need your help. and Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl’s. We’re counting on You can find out more information by Portland to help raise $10,000 this spring visiting rally.streetroots.org, or by checking and summer with the organization’s first out the back page of the newspaper. ever Summer Rally. The idea behind the We can’t thank you enough for your Summer Rally is to help raise money online support. We realize many readers support by creating your own team and helping raise the newspaper and vendors every two money for Street Roots through your own network. It’s super easy and fun. You can be weeks when purchasing a newspaper. In order to build toward the future, to maintain a team of one, or one hundred — organizing the quality of the newspaper and offer your friends, family and coworkers to help people experiencing homelessness support grassroots journalism and opportunities for better lives, we need your economic opportunities for those on the love more than ever. skids. The Summer Rally fund raiser will last from May 25, through Thusday, June Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him a t israel@ streetroots.org A T rou b led M in d WHAT DO YOU THINK? By Leo Rhodes A troubled mind and yet I’m blessed For knowing so many Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209, or by e-mail to joanne® A troubled mind for going through what I had to For fighting for the less fortunate A troubled mind for seeing what I have seen The tears, the h u rt and pain in the facial expressions, streetroots.org. — T h e lo s s o f h o p e in t h e i r e y e s together each day to make Portland better. That’s what we ask of our elected officials and others in power. It’s very easy to think that during these hard times we aren’t all on the same page. There will always be the naysayers and pessimists who believe we are doomed. By and large, though, the Portland we love and care for does believe in something more, something better. We aren’t single-issue beings that care for issues — such as art, housing, education, public safety, and transportation, to name a few — in a vacuum. We believe that we should find a way to have healthy schools and housing, public art and libraries, jobs and more. For the most part, we are a city that believes we are all interconnected. Street Roots is proud to be among hundreds of local nonprofits and businesses that believe in positive change. We know that together, regardless of all the noise and confusion, we can rise above. That doesn’t mean we aren’t critical, or that we shy away from very serious issues, or that injustice doesn’t play out on our streets. It does mean, however, that we come from the work we do with respect and the understanding that we all come from different perspectives. It means that above all else, good can prevail and together we should be proud to call Portland our home. A troubled mind for hearing what I heard Their mournful cries of why won’t they let us in Why do they call us baby killers A trouble mind for knowing what I know The human aspect of homelessness, and the Political side of homelessness B u lly u s H o m e le s s By Florence Hall We sleep on the street, We do business in the neighborhood You see us all the time So why are you hollering at us Early in the morning? Wake us up for no reason! You know we could know. Executive Director Israel Bayer producing a newspaper and other media that are catalysts for individual and social change. Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our street vendors or by subscription. We 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 503-228-5557 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.streetroots.wordpress.com : israel@stfeetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Cole Merkel, Jesuit Volunteer AmeriCorps Member cole@streetroots.org Grant Writer Sarah Cloud Accountant Heather Stadick Reporters Amanda Waldroupe, Jake Thomas, Devan Schwartz, Robert Britt, Sue Zalokar Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kristina Wright Volunteers Mary Pacios, Leo Rhodes, Jan Bayer, Eliese Baker, Sue Zalokar, Michael Moore, Robert Britt, Cynthia Kiehl, Hannah Schute, Robyn Wirkes Street Roots Rose City Resource Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a comprehensive booklet of 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 n tr ( s'i.vrK A W M im 75 goes directly to the vendor who sold you the paper 25c goes toward printing costs Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.
