Street roots., December 06, 2013, Page 6, Image 6

street roots
Dec. 6, 2013
Rapping with
the ‘Roots’ on
the street
Vendor: proudly
‘helping keep
Portland weird’
By: M a rlo n C ru m p
Smile with a light. Stand.
Frown with darkness. Start walking.
Hand and Heart for you.
Stack of Roots on arm says “hi”
Eyes forward,
tongue saying I AM HERE!
BY AIMN-DERRICK GAILLOT
S T A F F W R IT E R
f you’ve shopped at the Lloyd Center
Safeway during the past few months,
you’ve probably seen George Burdine
selling Street Roots outside, lifting the
spirits of passersby and shoppers.
One of the first things one notices about
George is his large spirit. Quick to jokes
and laughter, George has made many
friends, not only at the Lloyd Center
Safeway, but among his fellow Street Roots
colleagues as well.
I
Puddle in
the Gutter
by Cassidy M o rse
Some people like to use your life
I call it a Vulture’s Reality
Well, let me say this to you
Wishing on a prayer
Is just a long-lost formality
Mumble some kind of madness
But what can you do
Pick up a stick and wave it round
Just a man chanting that voodoo
How can you care
It looks like
You’re a dim witted disaster
Be a good flock
For a mindless master.
VEKDOR PROFILE
George Burdine
Born and raised in a small coastal town in
Washington, George has lived in Portland on
and off for nearly a decade. “I’m helping
keep Portland weird,” he says with a smile.
A structural welder by trade, George has
been out of work due to an injury and a
competitive job market that favors
technological skills.
“I don’t know what I would do without
Street Roots,” he tells me. “I don’t believe
in entitlement, I want to work.”
Throughout our conversation, a jovial
George makes jokes about “being a
homeless guy,” but recounts in earnest just
how differently strangers treat him since he
has fallen on hard times. Despite the daily
displays of prejudice: George ’still loves
people.
“Homelessness is a day-to-day thing,” he
says. “That’s just where I’m at right now,
and I take it in stride.”
A father, a grandfather, a creative, a
ŒNTRALCITY
"CCC taught me that no one is a
hopeless case. Everyone deserves
a chance for recovery from
addiction and homelessness...
My life is now truly incredible."
F in d u s , c m d m a n y o th e r
P H O T O BY C O LE M E R K E L
friend, George is so much more than the
“homeless” label he is forced to laugh off,
over and over again, every day. If you see
George or any other vendor selling the
paper, greeting customers as they pass by,
take the chance to say hello and get to know
the person behind the label. To all of his
supporters and those whom he has yet to
meet, George says, “God bless everyone
and make sure to buy Street Roots from a
badged vendor!
And to George I say, thank you for
brightening the days of all those you meet
and for all of the hard work that you do.
VENDOR WORK ADS
A helping hand, inside or out,
reasonable rates. Larry Montgomery.
503-875-6487
Dog walker, House cleaner, caregiver.
Dog lover who is honest, sober and
reliable. Rate: Private treaty. Eileen V.
(message) 503-228-5657
w o r t h y n o n - p r o f it
o r g a n iz a t i o n s i n t h is y e a r 's
G iv e l G u id e .
Need a worker? Can do almost
anything, light or heavy. References
supplied. $10 an hour, four-hour min.
Ask for Cassidy Morse, 503-228-5657
(SR office), or 503-875-6504 (cell).
Cam paign runs from
November 6-December 31st.
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Help Street Roots go weekly! When you give through the
GivelGuide this year — you’ll receive some great incentives
in return, including an advanced digital copy of I Am Not a
Poet, a 15-year poetry anthology that will be published in
February.
G ive at w w w .g ive lg u id e .co m