Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2014)
2 street roots March 14, 2014 » O i l v t U Ï B'V J s J u Readers play vital role at Street Roots "X “T ew readers often tell me about Oregon steps up on food stamps where feds foil back I Street Roots, “I had no idea the X v content was so good. You’re actually. producing real, in-depth journalism.” Why yes — yes we are. | 5 Readers then usually follow with, “I wish more people understood the concept and read the newsPaPer-1 T O S S absolutely love the . M ESK vendors.” _ _ I ga Here’s a few ways you By Israel Bayer can spread the . A .t the start of this year, thé nation’s food subsidy for ZA poor, elderly and disabled Americans amounted to X A a b o u t $1.50 per meal. Earlier this year, Congress pushed it even lower, to about $1.40 a meal, even as food prices continue to rise. Congress voted a s usual, for pork, further and further detached from the real needs our friends and neighbors - face. ; In Oregon, it would mean tens of millions of dollars pulled from the mouths of the poor, including children, during a critical time when good nutrition is vital to physical and mental development. Which is why we.. ' commend Gov. John It was once a common Kitzhaber and state sense conclusion that the officials for working to welfare of the citizenry find a short-term was of national interest, not a catch-as-catch-can solution on food stamps local charity. for Oregonians. The . state is looking to tap its own coffers to fill a portion of, the gap, and continue to leverage federal food stamp funds. More than 800,000 Oregonians rely on food benefits.' ; Oregon, joins three other states, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, in stepping up in the war on poverty where the federal government refuses to even hold the ground. In fact, 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson’s, “War on Poverty,” was launched to support vulnerable citizens to overcome hardship in America - nearly 15 percent of the population or roughly 50 million people now live in poverty. After decades worth of support from Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Tuiitter @israelbayér. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Send letters to the editor to the Street Roots office, 211 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209, ore-mail toJoanne® streetroots.org ; housing subsidies for low-income Americans — the war on poverty in the past 25 years has taken on a whole new : meaning. , Hundreds of billions of dollars have been slashed from a range of poyerty programs since the Reagan era and currently Tea Party favorite Paul Ryan and his colleagues believe that the U.S. should continue to cutfederal programs to support middle and low-income people in > favor of smaller government; Of course a smaller government makes perfect sense, if you intend to serve a smaller portion of the population — the one that profits, literally. It was once a . common sense conclusion that the welfare of the citizenry was of national interest, not a catch-as-catch-can local charity. Yet over the past 25 years, the federal government has shirked its responsibility Us much because of poor fiscal management as a paralyzing partisanship that grows more contentious with each passing election. We watch, year after year, as federal lawmakers but and run on complex and expanding social issues, and then blame the victims for their trouble. Indeed, Oregonians should be proud that we are stepping up to fill the gap. But we should do so with a m essage to Washington D.C.: Enough of the cut and run. Poverty belongs to all of us. word about Street Roots? Purchase additional copies of the newspaper from a local j vendor and leave them at your place of work. Maybe it’s a break room, or an environment where the public can access the newspaper. One of the .most common ways people find out about Street Roots is stumbling upon it randomly. And, if you’ve been a g longtime reader and supporter, you know, that all i t takes is opening the pages of Street Roots to understand there’s ; something special going on. . Introduce Street Roots to peers or at a , dinner party. We all have friends that love to read the news or want to understand more about the world where they live". For those friends, don’t be afraid to offer an additional copy to them for their , enjoyment. Some of our most avid supporters are people who were turned onto the paper-by a friend saying, “Here, read this. It’s the real deal.” Explain to peers how the vendor . program works, and how one dollar can mean one step toward new start for a Street Roots vendor. Take a fun and creative photo of you or your friends and family reading Street Roots and post it on social media. Give an example of why Street Roots is in your rotation of reading, and why you might support the vendor and what the paper means to you. Get a bumper sticker and share them far and wide. Put one on your bike, water bottle, your car or somewhere (legally) that offers the public an Opportunity to See that you’re a Street Roots reader and supporter. Vendors will be out’ and about with the new, “I read Street Roots,” stickers. Get yours today by visiting with a local neighborhood Vendor, Street Roots is truly a community newspaper? It’s a paper all us can use to -understand and educate ourselves on the complexities and positive things happening in our community on the social justice front. Giving a hand up to people experiencing homelessness and poverty by providing the means for an income is at the heart of what we d o .; „ The reality is that readers are as much a part of Street Roots as the vendors, ' volunteers and the staff. It’s a newspaper for the people. Help spread the word. Your Love is M aybe M ore K in d th an a Brick in the Teeth (but I am Generous) by Jeremy Conley - when lam punch drunk you are not a calm thought to turn over and over in my mind like a smooth stone in my palm; you are a baseball bat pulling through the swing to greet me in a peal of maim but never death. " ? ' - - ? when I am weak you are not a steady branch; you are the box cutter running the length of my strings, to cut the tune in half and stalk the radio with discord, clipping burst eardrums, you are nothing like, cool milk and fresh bread when I am hungry; only an empty swallow scratching its way out behind rusting gates, slouching into the thicket. Our mission Staff Board of Directors Venders Street Roots creates income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by producing a newspaper and other media that are cataljsts for individual and social change. Executive Director Israel Bayer Bruce Anderson (Chairman), Michael Anderson (Vice- chairman), Heather Stadick (Treas), Eddy Barbosa (Sec.), Rich,Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Amber Bieiman Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents each and sell them for $ 1, keeping the 75 cents in • profit for themselves. In order to keep the cost low to our vendors, we receive additional supportfrom donations and in-klndcontribufions. Street Roots publishes every two weeks, launching on Fridays, and is available exclusively through pur street vendors or by subscription. We are proud members of the International Network o f Street Papers. Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t Portland, OR 9720< 503-228-5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 streetroots.org news.streetroots.org israel®sireetroots.org Managing Editor Joanne 2uhl joanne@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel . coie@stFeetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Radik, Jesuit Volunteer, grace@streetroots.org Development Director Sarah Cloud Office Assistant Amber Bieiman Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Nathan Gilles, Sue Zalokar, Ann-Derrick Galliot Photographers Kristina Wright, Christopher Onstott Volunteers Jan Bayer, Lisa Waldo, Elizabeth Tierney, Rob Shryock, Ann-Derrick Galliot, Stacey Heath, Vinnie Kinsella, Michelle Breslau, Paula Cracas, John Barker, Mary Locke, Lucas Manfield, Jessie Carver, Cherie Vedal, Sam Bouman, John Yohne, Isaac Hastings Hauss, Emily Green - 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.roseeityresource.org. goes directly to the vendor who sold you the paper goes toward printing costs Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office"
