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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2014)
street roots 6 Nov. 7, 2014 ‘Getting back on my feet’ A compilation of facts, large and small, about our community • Estimated total number of veterans living in Oregon; 316,626 BY SARAH HANSELL • Humber of women veterans in Oregon; C O N T R IB U T IN G W R ITE R ast year, Bryan Harris moved to Portland from a small town in Yakima Valley to be with his brother, “my best friend,” he calls him. “I was tired of the old life and wanted to basically reboot and start from scratch,” Bryan said. His brother, Justin, was living in Transition Projects housing when Bryan moved to Portland. When Bryan arrived, Justin left his housing situation, opting to live outside with his brother rather than ■ • Humber of living World War II veterans in Oregon: 16,903 • Veterans in Oregon between the ages 17-44:42,618 ; • Veterans in Multnomah County; 42,096 • Amount of federal benefit dollars draw into Oregon in FY 13-14:2,2 billion • Humber of Oregon veterans who have access VA health care; 96,190 VENDOR PROFILE Byran Harris • Amount of money paid out per month to veterans for disability compensation and pension payments: $91 million • Humber of active duty military bases in Oregon: 0 • Upper estimate of Oregon’s black bear population: 30,000 • Average reduction in heart rate during blade bear hibernation: 60 percent • Years that fire world’s only bigfoot trap, constructed in 1974 in Jackson County, was kept baited with carcasses: 6 • Months out of fire year that the Belding’s ground squirrel hibernates: 10' • Millions, of pounds of fish harvested in 2013 at the Port of Astoria: 159 . Sources: Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs, Multnomah County Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, Oregon Wild, Medford Mail Tribune, Bend Bulletin, Oregon Climate Service, Oregon Dept, o f Fisk and Wildlife ¡eparately, Bryan had a well-paying manufacturing ob and a wife and two daughters in his mail hometown, but when he and his wife split up and she prevented him from seeing lis children, he left for Portland. Although Bryan had a well-paying job for nuch of his adult life in the Yakima Valley, le didn’t grow up with such means, It’s the struggles he, faced when he was younger that bound him so closely to his brother, he said:' “I grew up in a family that was poor that made themselves upper middle-class, and I never forgot the struggle,” he said. “And in my opihion, the kindest people that I’ve ever m et in my life have been the poorest people.” Portland is the first place Bryan has ever experienced homelessness. “You just worry about the essentials,” he said. “Your whole life is in your bag. Your home is in your hag. You don’t take anything for granted.” The culture of Portland is, in part, what offers the freedom Bryan felt his hometown was lacking. Besides the music and art scene — which, as a writer and music aficionado, appeals to him* — it’s the vibe of the city that makes Bryan so comfortable here. - “I just like how eccentric and eclectic people are. You can do anything and be anything and no one bats an eye,” lie said. “In a small town, you can’t do anything like that without being ‘that guy.’” Bryan is soft-spoken and thoughtful throughout our tim e speaking together, but, when he shifts the conversation to music, he lights up. When the interview is finished, h e even asks me about my favorite artists. He estimates he has seen between 300 and 400 bands perform. “Music allows you to delve into your deepest emotions,” Bryan said. “It allows you to amplify any mood. It picks youup when you’re down, pulls you further down if you want to he further down.” He paused and laughed. “It’s just beautiful,” he said. His first concert was at age 13. He met the band - a band he’s now too embarrassed to disclose - and acquired a backstage pass. Not an uncomrnon occurrence for him since then. “I just always seem to run into famous people,” he said. He and his brother often work together to create their ownrnusic. Justin plays guitar/and Bryan writes the songs. “I just have tons (written) already, that I just bounce off him,” Bryan said. H e r a i l s h is s ty le o f w r i ti n g a hlenri o f poetry, philosophy and sociology. The songs he writes for Justin, however, are some of the only writing he allows anyone to read. “We come up with ideas all the time,” he said. “To me, writing’s easy.” He’s had some of his work published before, biit decided he doesn’t care much for th a t For him, his writing is personal, for him alone. His journals are some of his most valuable possesions. Now, he and Justin are working at Street Roots to pool enough income together to , get by. Bryan hopes that with the help of his Street Roots income he’ll be able to be with his family again. “My goals are to get back on my feet so - that I can have my kids back in my life, as a main part of my life,” he said. “That’s it, that’s my main goal.” Answers to puzzles on page 15 G X ,9 8 G 4 8 3 G G S 4 X 9 3 3 4 4 3 3 9 3 G 4 8 G X 5 9 G 3 9 8 X 3 X G « 4 G 4 8 G 8 X 3 « G 3 9 G G 3 4 X 3 9 G 8 8 st 3 G 4 9 3 G X X G 9 3 G 8 3 4 Street Roots is a proud member of the International Network of Street Papers, now more than 120 papers strong, worldwide.
