Street roots., July 10, 2015, Page 6, Image 6

IN MEMORIAM
VENDOR PROFILE
Bruce Heino
A 11 of us at Street Roots are sad to
ZA report that Bruce Heino, a longtime
X A and beloved vendor, passed away July
6. He had been ill for a short period and
briefly in hospice.
Bruce was a kind
and loving member of
our family, always
ready with a smile for
the staff, fellow
vendors and especially
his customers outside
New Seasons at 33rd
Avenue and
Killingsworth Street,
and the former
Nature’s grocery store at 28th and
Burnside. Bruce spoke often about how
important his customers were to him,
personally and professionally, and how they
made each day a joy. When he was asked to
write one word that described what Street
Roots meant to him as part of a photo
collection for the newspaper, Bruce said,
“relationships.’’
Look to Street Roots Facebook page and
in the upcoming paper for details on
pending arrangements.
Answers to puzzles on page 15
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Street Roots • July 10-16, 2015
Vendors
Page 6
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BY LEONORA KO
C O N TR IB UTIN G WRITER
|
Sluffy Seymour has found a place
where he can be himself.
He grew up in the California
foothills and came out when he was around
12 years old. To protect him, his mom
moved the family to turban Sacramento, a
more liberal community. “She’s big, she
loves me,’ Fluffy says. “I’m the youngest of
three boys, and she jokes around and says
I’m her daughter. And it works.”
He adds: “She’s scared for me that I’m
out here. She’s not a fan of the homeless
thing.”
Fluffy has been in Portland for almost
four years and spent most of that time living
in a single room occupancy, or SRO
building.
“It was once the Broadway Hotel; now it’s
an SRO, so everything is conjoined,” he
says. “Our showers, our bathrooms are all
in the hall. Community kitchen is on the
first floor. It was a learning experience, I
think.”
He says the building tenants knocked on
his door constantly, and the lack of privacy
became too stressful. He stopped paying
rent and left before he got evicted.
Living on the street has been like a boot
camp, he says. He is focused on food
because he spends a big part of the day
worrying about where to eat next. He has
lost a few waist sizes but has added
muscle. He has had two bags stolen.
“I’ve been surviving for two months,”
Fluffy says. “I’m definitely a little bit
hardened, if you will. I don’t allow
manipulation or people to take
advantage of my kindness.
“I’m learning who’s safe to be around
and who’s not. And who would be a cause
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And then families on top of it. Some of the
volunteers had brought their kids. Some of
the staff were in i t ”
He says he likes the Street Roots
newspaper because it has local news
and includes “problems within our
community and solutions that we’re
trying to come up with. It has poetry
from vendors and art from vendors.
I’m a big fan of Wordsearch.”
His most loyal Street Roots
customers are found near the
Macdonald Center in Old Town-
Chinatown. He is a member of the
on-site day room, which provides
social activities to people living in
SROs. Two social workers
are on staff.
“I respect and
appreciate the
staff at the
Macdonald
Center,” Fluffy
says. “They’ve
done so much
for me,
helping me
get back on
my feet
again.”
He
says the
staff filled
out forms
and worked
with a nurse
practitioner to get
him an Honored Citizen
with-TriMot. Tho< card- -
will help Fluffy find different
housing in a wider area
around Portland.
“I’m pulling through,”
Fluffy says. “I feel more
comfortable in Portland
than I ever have. I can be
myself to the full extent,
and I’m not judged for i t ”
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Fluffy Seymour
of bringing a cop around, a lot of drama, or
stress. It’s stressful enough out here
without everyone else’s
stuff on top of yours.”
Fluffy has been
selling Street Roots
since May and
joined the Street
Roots contingent at
the most recent
Pride Parade.
“It was a blast,”
he says. “I got to
walk with all my
friends that I’ve made
here. Vendor-wise,
there were
probably
10 to
15 of
us.
o
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