2
street roots
Ju ly 5, 2013
Tomorrow’s solutions won’t rely on yesterday’s perspectives
W
Women's health care rights
remain a cause to defend
n this edition of Street Roots Judith Arcana reminds us of
how far we have come, and much we have to lose should
we forget.
She was there when women’s health care and reproductive
rights emerged from the shadows to become a medical and
social standard. Abortions went from back alleys to clinics,
and contraception meant woman could plan their families
and their lives. Those in poverty could access women’s
clinics for proper care, at a price they could afford, with no
stigmas attached.
Today we have not only lost much of that forward
hat Portland needs is real
leadership on the homeless and
housing front to develop a
permanent funding
source to give people a
safe place to call home.
Many of us working in
the trenches are
«
working to make that
dream a reality and
By Israel Bayer
looking at a variety of
i
ways to develop those
resources.
The quickest way of
killing momentum for such an effect is
creating a sideshow that targets one specific
population of people experiencing poverty
such as panhandlers.
Street Roots gets it. Some media outlets,
business and tourism groups don’t like
panhandlers and the poor in the downtown
core. What we don’t understand are the
efforts to tackle poverty downtown using
decades-old scare tactics that do little to
actually address the problem at hand.
We have seen an overwhelming growth
for the middle- and upper-class in
downtown, the Pearl, South Waterfront, and
the inner eastside of Portland. We have
some of the highest rental occupancies in
the nation. We have a growing equity gap
both economically and racially in our city’s
core. We are recognized nationally as one of
the coolest cities in the country. What more
does the business community want?
Blaming the homeless and panhandling
for a poor business climate on the heels of
a recession, even in the midst of a vibrant
and growing downtown, is foolish and
I
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him at
israel@streetroots. org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
momentum, we are sliding back to the shadows. What had
been sporadic flares from one corner of the country or
another, has become a barrage of bills and laws restricting
access to preventative health care and derailing women’s
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
reproductive rights. In
some cases, a woman
The so-called war on
seeking an abortion must
women is a misnomer. To
submit to an invasive,
label it a war suggests
costly and medically
there was a breakdown in
unnecessary ultrasound.
diplomacy. Sadly, what is
Other laws are more
happening is our elected
backhanded, such as laws
government running its
in several states that
course.
prohibit public hospitals
from entering into a
transfer agreement to provide health care to abortion
patients in cases of emergency. The legally imposed
prohibition has been used as an argument to close clinics,
even though emergency cases are very rare. In Ohio, rape
crisis centers have newly imposed gag rules on what they
can say to victims of rape. It was one of several restrictive
policies inserted in the state’s budget bill.
And across the country, Planned Parenthood - the nation’s
largest provider of health care for low-income women — is
being gutted by lawmakers who dismiss the value of
women’s health care wholesale under the dogma of abortion
prohibition. It is, of course, the families in low-income
households - people struggling to find or keep a job, to raise
a family or keep a roof over their heads — who are most
reliant on social services, and therefore public policy
regarding health care. The well heeled will always be able to
tap the services they need or want.
No wonder, then, that the term “war on women” is so
frustrating to Arcana. It should be frustrating to all of us.
The so-called war on women is a misnomer. To label it a
war suggests there was a breakdown in diplomacy, leaving
the nation’s leadership to turn to measures of last resort.
Sadly, what is happening is our elected government
running its course. These are not political coups; this is how
we — or rather they — conduct our business. As such, this
methodical divestment in women’s rights is more nefarious.
Nor did it just erupt, either. The attitudes about women’s
rights have always been there, as Arcana knows well. There
is much to learn between the generations, and it will take a
combined effort to turn back the policies that are attempting
to turn back the clock. We are fortunate in Oregon to have
government representatives who understand the need for
equity in health care, including women’s reproductive rights.
But the efforts across the country should remind us that
what we have achieved continues to be worth the fight.
dogmatic. No one is listening — or are they?
Mayor Charlie Hales recently convened a
“Homeless Task Force” to talk about
panhandling and homelessness. The group
was made up of civic and business leaders,
law enforcement and homeless service
providers. It’s unclear what the task force’s
future will be.
The Portland Business Alliance’s efforts
to change state laws that would have made
it legal to create stricter sidewalk laws to
target the poor failed in Salem.
So what are the next steps? It’s anyone’s
guess. If it were up to Street Roots, we
would ask the business and tourism
community to partner with government to
think creatively on how their constituents
could help create and maintain revenue for
mental health and homeless services
downtown.
The issue of panhandling is an issue of
free speech. The issue of panhandling in
relation to the poor has been a distracting
issue in Portland for 30-plus years, and
nationally dating back to the early 20th
century. If you want fewer people begging,
especially individuals who are the hard to
reach population, then we need to develop
the resources it takes to support giving
people an opportunity to be successful.
If we are to be successful moving
forward, we need to create an environment
where everyone at City Hall, the business
community, housing bureau, government
partners, providers and those in the
trenches are all looking at big picture
strategies to address these problems.
There’s no better time than the present.
All Along
By Joanna Nordness
Infinite possibilities. Only one future.
Unbounded abilities. Healing a suture.
Expansion of chaos. Ascent into anarchy.
Chance is a coin toss. Caste, a hierarchy.
Fate is a path. Fortune an illusion.
Destiny is math. Only one conclusion.
Capital is a myth. Renounce your belief.
It will cease to exist. Burn a dollar like aleaf.
To maximize utility. You can’t eat money.
It’s their facility. It’s their milk and honey.
This product we don’t need. It’s a fiction of power.
It s a falsehood of greed. It’s a toxic shower.
We need to wash the Earth clean. Remove the seed of fear.
Begin to trust the unseen. And all will come clear.
I m not sure how I know. So I could be wrong.
But there’s got to be a better way than the one we’ve been taking all along.
Beard of Directors
Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treas.), Eddy Barbosa (Sec.),
Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins,
Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Amber Bielman
Volunteers
Network of Street Papers.
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax; 503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
www.news.streetroots.org
Volunteer AmeriCorps Member,
kara@streetroots.org
Development Director Sarah Cloud
Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Nathan
Gilles, Robert Britt, Sue Zalokar, Erin Fenner
Photographers Kristina Wright, Christopher
0 n stott
Mary Pacios, Jan Bayer, Ann Ereline, Vinnie Kinsella,
Ann-Derrick Galliot, Joe Thick, Stacey Heath, Taurin
Skinner-Macginnis, Bethany Hague, Michelle Holbert,
John Lisifka, Raven Canoles, Carol McCreary, Nick
Tahran
d o n a t e and in-kind contributions.
TU fc’ TXiTti}}
U nM
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 guides, call 503-228-5657.
Resources are also available online at
www.rosecityresource.org.
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office'.