2
street roots
O c t 24, 2014
Having compassion can be hard work
EDITORIAL
S treet Roots endorces
ballot measures
liàœwrv.i _
Measure 86 would create funds for Oregonians
«P
pursuing post-secondary educations. It would also
allow the state to borrow money for a scholarship fund for
..„ V ,
Oregonians pursuing college or career training. This
measure is an essential step in maintaining a healthy society
that believes in giving its own citizens the skills they need
to thrive in today’s modern world. Vote yes on M easure
86.
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him a t
israel@streetroots. org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
Measure 88 upholds four-year driver’s card for
, those who cannot prove legal presence in the
United States. Oregonians can’t wait for the national
immigration reform. This measure would give all working
Oregonians the same access to driving privileges. Not to
mention it goes a long way in supporting people
experiencing poverty to have the necessary identification to
access a home. Vote yes on M easure 88.
Measure 91 would legalize recreational marijuana
use. Street Roots has long advocated for the
legalization of marijuana. For Street Roots, it’s simple,
Legalizing marijuana will help deter the targeting of poor
people when it comes to minor drug offenses. Not to
and were influenced by Genny Nelson and
Sisters - Saint Adre Bessette, JOIN, Right 2
Dream Too, Dignity Village, to name a few.
Thousands of people experiencing poverty
and those who have dedicated their lives to
the work carry out these philosophies and
are tied to a larger historical movement, |
regardless if they know it or n o t The idea of
offering hospitality in the form of compassion
and love, regardless of the situation is
something that runs very deep in the
experiences we have and of those that came
before us.
These ideas and philosophies were bom
out the Catholic Worker movement and the
work of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the
1930s and 40s. They were influenced by the
work of those before them dating back to the
Civil War and before.
The great agitator and organizer Utah
Phillips once said, “The long memory is the
most radical idea in this country. It is the loss
of that long memory which deprives our
people of that connective flow of thoughts
and events that clarifies our vision, not of
where we’re going, blit where we want to go.”
Together, we are a part of something
bigger and working towards a better
tomorrow. That includes you, that includes
me, that includes all of us embracing
something more. Something that gives
people that opportunity to be successful,
regardless of their circumstance. That means
offering hospitality and compassion without
judgement. It means accepting non-violence
as a way of life. It means embracing love.
One of my first mentors on the streets was
the great Genny Nelson, co-founder of Sisters
Of The Road. Genny has mentored dozens of
organizers, agitators, policy makers, writers
and artists over the
years. Her life’s work
has a footprint on
both Portland politics
and how we work with
^people experiencing
By Israel Bayer
homelessness.
Genny once told
me, “Israel, offering
compassion without judgment is one of the
most challenging things you’ll ever do when
working with the poor. Keeping at it day after
day, week after week, and maintaining that
compassion will be the hardest The only way
to find the space to carry on is to practice
non-violence and to believe in love.”
At the time, I was an angry young man. I
had grown up in industrial middle-America
where violence was often times a w:ay of life.
The idea of accepting non-violence Was hew
to me. Offering unconditional love to
complete strangers was challenging.
Street Roots is built on the premise of
meeting people experiencing poverty where
they are a t It’s not easy. Poverty is cruel and
inhumane, it’s violent and irrational.
Regardless o f people’s circumstances or
experiences — individuals and families can
find a home at places like Street Roots and
Sisters Of The Road.
Saying that, it’s not just Street Roots.
There are a lot of social service agencies in
Portland that believe in these basic premises
DIRECTOR'S
DESK
mention that it will bring a multi-billion dollar industry out
of the shadows. That means more money for schools and
treatment programs. The time is now. Vote yes on
M easure 91.
0
Measure 92 would mandate labeling of food that
R o o m W ith a V ie w ”
contains genetically modified organisms in Oregon.
by Dan Newth
It’s hard to believe that in 2014 we are still left guessing
what ingredients are in the food we consume. Voting to .
Mars laid heavy
in the western sky
the hour before dawn.
support genetically modified labeling in Oregon is a no
brainer. Vote yes on M easure 92.
Moonlit white buffalo
stampede onto shore,
wrecking themselves on rock
spending themselves in sand.
Measure 26-159 is a bond measure that would
allow the city to continue support of Portland Parks.
The measure is not expected to increase tax rates because
Such are the moments of life.
the new bond authorization would replace the 1994 parks
bond, which will be paid off in 2015. This measure would
continue to maintain one of the best park systems in the
United States. Vote yes on M easure 26-159 to support
Portland Parks. It’s n win-win for Portlanders.
Oupmission
Staff
Beard uf Blrectors
Venders
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
people experiencing homelessness and p o v e rty ^
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,
Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents
each and sell them fo r $1, keeping the 75 cents in
profit for themselves, in order to keep the cost low to
prodi
newspaper and other media hat are
. catalysts for individual and social change:
Street Roots po lish e s every two weeks, launching
. on Fridays, and is available exclusively through o u r'
street vendors or by subscription. W e are proud
members of the International Network o f Street
Papers.
Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi
. .
joanne@streetroots.org ' .
Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel
cole@slTeetroots.ofg
Operations Director Sarah Seecroft
Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer,
grace@streetroots.org
Development Director Sarah Cloud
Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gai I lot
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax:503-227-3117
streetroots.org
news.streetroots.org
Reporters: Emily Green, Jake Thomas, Alex
f t
Zielinski, Nathan Gilles, Sue Zalokar, Ann-Derrick
Galliot
Photographers Kristina W right, Christopher
Onstott, Adrienne Burkett, Diego Diaz
Darren Alexander, Am ber Bielman -
-
Volunteers
Jan Bayer, Elizabeth Tierney, Rob Shryock, Ann-
' '
Derrick Gaillot, Stacey Heath, Vinnie Kinsella, M ichelle
Breslau, Paula Cracas, John Barker, M ary Locke, Lucas
Manfield, Jessie Carver, Cherie Vedal, Sam Bouman,
Isaac Hastings Hauss, Emily Green, Tom Ray, Sarah
Hansell, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Kyle Craven,
Audrey Benison, Crystal Elinksi
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 online at www.rosecityresource.org.
7 5 c
goes directly to the vendor
w ho sold you the paper
l l l l l !
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
W ednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.