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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2016)
Street Roots • Nov. 18-24, 2016 E d it o r ia l Page 3 Solidarity in the midst of uncertainty he November election brought big wins dismantling of funding to support affordable for housing across the country. There housing as a public infrastructure. There is were 34 ballot measures for affordable talk about the dismantling of things like housing nationwide. Twenty-seven of them Medicaid, public housing and other programs passed, including measures in both Portland like food stamps. It’s a nightmare. and Vancouver, Wash. Collectively, tens of That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Talk of thousands of people will mass deportations, registering Muslims, be housed as a result of abandoning climate change strategies and the these measures. deregulation of the banks. We haven’t even O 1 » M W 11 B Thank you t0 a11 of mentioned education or foreign policy. DESX C the Portlanders who Obviously, we are in uncharted waters when supported Yes for it comes to the future of our nation. Everyone is grieving this election in different ways. For By Israel Bayer Affordable Homes. Your v°te will help give some, it’s protesting. For others, it’s thousands of withdrawing. Still for others, it’s organizing to Portlanders a safe place prepare for what’s to come. to call home. More than 20 people at Street Does anyone really know what’s to come? Roots, including 10 vendors, put in countless Not yet, but the simple fact that I’m having hours of work to help pass the measure. We conversations about what it would take to also provided leadership and editorial content actually create an underground network large as well. Street Roots readers enough in scale to protect should be proud. immigrants from mass "O or com m nitlty Saying that, all of us at the deportation, especially in rural and country are in Yes for Affordable Homes America, makes me sick to my need of courageous stomach. Some might say it’s campaign feel like the player who scored 50 points in Game leaders, especially outlandish to think that we are 7, the biggest game of our lives, at the local level. I t on the verge of such a reality. I but failed to win the series. It happen to think it’s outlandish feels like a small victory against won't be easy." that we must have the the backdrop of a new conversation in the first place. administration that will no National commentator and doubt tear down everything we worked for on political insider Van Jones said it best, “Hope the affordable-housing front for the best, prepare for the worst.” In the context of the larger political climate Our community and country are in need of that we find ourselves in, all I can say is that courageous leaders, especially at the local we must continue to fight, dissent and work level. It won’t be easy. If the choice is between losing federal funding and standing up to against hateful people and policies. I ’m less injustices, we expect our elected leaders, interested in unity at this point and more nonprofits, churches, schools and others to do interested in working toward justice. The the right thing. To stand with the people, tension in the world is thick. regardless of what hardships it may bring. In many ways, that tension feels a lot like Street Roots fully understands the role we 9/11. We all felt the ground move beneath our play locally in providing readers with quality feet that day. We didn’t know what was to journalism and the voices of the people. In come, but we all knew it wouldn’t be good. many ways, our coverage won’t change; it just That’s the same feeling that many of us have becomes that much more urgent We’ve had for more than a week. already worked to prioritize the voices of The collective anxiety that our country is immigrants and refugees, the poor, critical sharing is real. Hundreds of hate crimes have thinkers, policymakers and truth-tellers. We been committed in the past week, influenced will continue to do so. by the election. Lastly, to all of our friends who continue to The new administration appears to be live in fear because of the color of their skin developing one of the scariest policy agendas or where they were born or their gender or our country has ever experienced. It’s the person they choose to love, Street Roots important to not normalize these realities. It’s commits to standing up beside you no matter not normal to have fringe, right-wing, racist what comes in the days and years ahead. We policy makers in the White House. We are all in this together and we will use the shouldn’t treat is as such. power of the media to the best of our abilities A reporter recently asked me what the new to defend the rights of people, the press and administration would mean for housing and overall humanity. If they come for you, they homeless services. My response was a will have to come for us. In solidarity. continuation of the past 40 years of disinvestment in safety net programs and the T Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at isruel@streetroots. org o r follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. Time to split up the monopoly on judicial selection I that controls the judicial elections in our state. If there were two State Bar Associations and each had to present a candidate for the different judgeships, the people would have a choice. Splitting up the present State Bar Association monopoly would give our citizens a choice. Presently members of the State Bar Association are reluctant to sue a fellow (f you would like tc have » m e th in g that you've \ written published in our pages, or wouk S ic to net involved as a member of our repoding staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at ■ 3-228-5657.joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author's name and contact information. if available. Street Roots ■ 1 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 503 228 5657 Fax: 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org B u rs : 7 30 a m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:39-11 am. Sun. Interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact tsrad Bayer at israel@streetroots.org Staff Exfieutiw Director Israel Bayer israet@streetroots.org loanne Zuhl Managing Editor _____ cole@streetroots.org Operations D ir e c t o r Sarah Beecroft Development Director Sarah U o u d Program Assistant Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development Assistant Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zafokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waldroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial Assistant Monica Kwasnik Canvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretory Dan Jones Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Marais Swift Volunteers LETTERS read the excellent article on the judicial system problems in your Nov. 4-10 issue. Whenever I get my ballot and look at the positions for the different judges, I always feel like I am looking (at) a ballot from the Soviet Union. There is only one person to vote for in 95 percent of the positions. I feel the problem is that there is only one State Bar Association; an old boys club ■ B in Write In member even when he is incompetent Having only one person to vote for isn’t an election, it is an anointment J. F. Macdonald Oak Grove, Oregon Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rafhore, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Tom Wright, Judy Taylor, Karen Allen, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Buell Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Hilary Smith, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce and Faye Powell. If you're Interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call our volunteer coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657.
