street roots
June 21, 2013
Rain or shine,
George Ellars
is on duty
Changing Lives
Building Communities
Creating Opportunities
www .centralcityconcer n . or g
503-294-1681
BY ANN-DERRICK GAILLOT
S T A F F W R IT E R
very day of every week, George
Ellars wakes up, gets dressed, and
goes out to sell Street Roots outside
the Burnside door of Powell’s. He holds
issues of the paper in a plastic case around
his neck and, if it’s not raining, he’ll hold a
copy in his hand to make buying it even
easier, “Cause people are in a hurry,” he
says.
George has kept his strict selling
schedule since January and has no plans of
stopping any time soon. He lives a very
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George Ellars
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Vendors are regular contributors
to Street Roots content, as
columnists, poets and artists.
Look for your favorite vendor's
writings in each edition o f the
paper
Answers to puzzles on page 15
regimented life. He was even early to our
meeting. “I’m an ascetic. I like things very
Spartan, very monastic,” he says.
Partly explaining George’s strictness with
himself is the fact that the military has been
a major influence in his life. An Army brat
born in Los Angeles, George lived on
American bases in Europe for most of his
childhood.
“I definitely have an international view of
things,” he tells me. He later would go on to
join the Army himself. He suffers today
from a back injury he sustained while
parachuting on a mission.
But even with all his self-discipline, when
I meet George he is laidback and friendly,
easy to laugh, joke and smile. He nuzzles
and pets Rooty, the Street Roots cat-in
residence, who vies for his attention and
purrs throughout our interview. For
George, the personal often becomes
*
P H O T O BY COLE M ERK EL
political, and our conversation often turns to
his philosophical and political beliefs. “I
think the greatest good for the greatest
number,” he says.
After leaving the Army, George worked
for many years as a tow truck driver. “It was
a real job that had real results,” he says. “I
was helping people. Every day was always
something different.” A father of five,
George now lives in a subsidized room
downtown.
When I asked George what he most
wanted his profile to say, he responded,
“That all people are equal.”
I would see him put his personal
philosophy into action a few days later when
he marched with Street Roots in the
Portland Gay Pride Parade in honor of his
son. “People are people, everybody has a
right to life.”
Next for George is continuing to sell
Street Roots, saving up until he can move
out into his own apartment downtown or
perhaps even in the suburbs, and start
writing more. If ever you see George
outside of Powell’s, feel free to chat him up
about anything on your mind. He is open,
willing to talk, and reliably at his spot every
day.
iw Hg / UP <■■■, ö t
In"Rhythym national," Street Roots, June 7, the
name of Oberlin College's Dance Diaspora leader
Aden ike Sharpley was misspelled, as was the name
of the Yuroba culture. Kola Abimbola was also
missidentified. He is a high priest and diviner of the
Yoruba traditional religion. Also, Abimbola's family
has been organizing the International Congress of
Orisa Tradition and Culture festival since 1981, not
1991 as noted in the article.
Please report any errors to our managing editor,
Joanne Zuhl, at 503-228-5657, or write to joanne®
streetroots.org.
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Dog lover who is honest, sober and
reliable. Rate: Private treaty. Eileen V.
(message) 503-228-5657
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