curiosity
by j.mccurdy
Jerry Vermillion
and if
this neck
should
of its own
accord
bow to you
would your lips
of their own
volition
seek the succor
of its skin
BY LEONORA KO
S T A F F W R IT E R
I
Answers to puzzles on page 15
|
n 0
s 3 T
y a T
V i a
a a y
IN y o
S d IN
Street Roots • Feb. 19-25, 2016
Vendors
Page 6
1
S
d
±|
d
V
erry Vermillion brings confidence and
love to his Street Roots newspaper job,
and to life in general.
/ind he has the rocks to prove it.
“One day, I was walking to get papers
down at the office and I found a rock,” Jerry
said. “It had ‘CONFIDENCE’ painted on it
So I put it on the news stand next to where
my turf is.
“The next day I’m walking to get papers
and I find a rock that has this little
checkered heart. I’m like, ‘Why is the
universe giving me these?’ (I thought) those
are the two things I need to do this job: If I
love my fellow human being, everything is
going to be fine. If I have confidence,
everything is going to be fine.”
Jerry was born in Chelsea, Mass., and
grew up near the East Coast. He taught
himself about computers, ran his own
computer business and, in 2005, moved
to Portland to be with his girlfriend.
They rented a $l,000-a-month
apartment in Northwest Portland, and
Jerry found a job at a gas station down
the street. When the relationship ended,
Jerry hung onto the apartment but spent
his savings and no longer had the job in 1
2013.
Jerry said, “I was late twice on my rent,
and they kicked me straight out within a
week. Then I ended up couch-surfing a little
b it”
He found jobs working at a construction
company and on small computer projects.
When those jobs ended, he was out on the
street in 2014.
“I don’t like not working; it’s just not
me,” Jerry said. “If you don’t have a job, it
becomes challenging. You have to reach
O u t of Luck?
inside yourself and figure out how to do
things.”
To survive being on the
street, Jerry uses his
friendly manner and
resourcefulness. It
helps that for 10
years he has lived
and worked in the |
samé community j
where he is now 9
homeless.
When someone
stole his blankets, a
neighbor provided
Jerry a
,
secure
aM
* place to store his belongings.
“I met him at the gas station that I
worked at,” Jerry said. “He used to walk his
dog, and I used to give his dog treats. We
became friends.”
Jerry recently was offered his old job
back at the gas station. To be hired, he
needs an identification card and is
working with Transition Projects Inc. to
get his birth certificate. Unfortunately,
the job will likely be filled before he has
his documents.
In the meantime, Jerry is optimistic
something will turn up, and he sells Street
Roots near City Market Northwest on the
corner of Johnson Street and 21st
Avenue.
“I consider myself to be a
greeter, and the paper is
almost secondary to what I
do,” Jerry said. “I have a
friendly conversation, and
if they buy the paper,
then that’s just icing on
the cake. And they will
because the paper sells
itself.
“Then there are
those days where
you’re out selling
papers, and it’ll be
two hours and you’ve
made two dollars.
But you still have to
keep the smile on
your face. I also
know from doing it
long enough -
something else
is going to
come up. I’ll
make $2 in two hours, and
in the last hour I’ll make 15
bucks.
“You’ve just got to keep
doing it - and be consistent
and persistent. Those are my
two things.”
o
C EN TR A L C IT Y
COFFEE
i&iinkuie/l. Zbo-yood.
Free Counseling
for Gambling Problems
Call 503-239-5952
9
S
8
L
L
8
6
P
3
8
P
Z
9
S
6
Z
I
8
Z
V
6
2
P
8
8
9
S
6
9
Z
8
P
P
S
2
8
1
8
S
Z
9
Z
8
6
P
S
Z
8
P
Z
I
9
Z 8
9 6
8
Z
P
6
8
S
P
8
Ir
8
6
9
Z
S
Z
Z
6
9
S
8
Z
P
8
ir
SääSäfflä
Sourcing & roasting craft coffee to
benefit programs at Central City Concern.
IN STORES
New Seasons Market, Whole Foods, Food Front
Cooperative Grocery, Green Zebra, Chuck's
Produce and Will Leather Goods.
AT YOUR OFFICE
Interested In serving Central City Coffee at your
office? Get In touch with us and we can help you
make that happen. 503.225.7387
ON OUR WEBSITE
Buy Central City Coffee online and have It
shipped directly to you or a friend.
£ o © ä
«
Follow our Facebook page for updates and specials.
centralcitycoffee.org facebook.com/CentralCityCoffee coffee@ccconcem.org