Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2016)
Street Roots • Dec. 16-22, 2016 Page 3 E d ito ria l Building social change one reader at time ive years ago, Street Roots set several goals to support a broader social justice agenda in Portland. Our No. 1 goal was to go to a weekly publication. By doing so we wanted to give vendors a more stable income week-in and week- out. We also wanted to expand our in-depth social justice reporting and give readers a more timely publication. Our second goal was to increase our effectiveness DIRECTOR* when it came to advocating for the creation of more affordable housing in our By Israel Bayer community. It’s been nearly two years since Street Roots launched a weekly publication schedule and the results have been fantastic. Newspaper sales for vendors selling the newspaper have increased by more than 60 percent — giving vendors more access to income. The results have allowed many of our vendors the opportunity to both prevent and end their homelessness. We’ve expanded our reach in the community by partnering with more businesses giving vendors more sales locations than ever before. Today, we have around 90 sales locations throughout the Portland region. Most readers know selling Street Roots isn’t just about the money for vendors. It’s also about building authentic relationships. “As opposed to when I was homeless, Street Roots allows me to act like the guy I want to be,” said Raymond Thornton, who sells the newspaper at Northeast 15th Avenue and Broadway. “I’m able to utilize more resources and I’ve got an idea of what I’m going to be doing tomorrow.” Many readers have their favorite sales locations, and maintaining a relationship with both vendors and the newspaper itself is built into the fabric of their lives. It’s a win-win for both the vendors working to end their homelessness and the readers seeking original news and voices from the larger community. The newspaper itself, under the leadership of Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl and reporter Emily Green, is maintaining some of the most thought- provoking and original content around. From our institutional knowledge of poverty to our growing coverage of the environment, criminal justice and immigrant issues — it’s not a stretch to say that, pound for pound, Street Roots is one of the best media outlets in the state right now. Two years ago Street Roots also worked hard with partners to create the Welcome Home Coalition. The coalition would go from 1 five organizations to more than 140 organizations in two short years. Under the leadership of Director Jes Larson, the Welcome Home Coalition would go on to help secure important funding opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, including helping pass a short-term rental tax and the recent housing bond. Street Roots played an F Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You ca n reach him at israel@streetroots. org o r follow h im on Twitter @israelbayer. important role in building the organization’s infrastructure and continues to play a leading role in the coalition. The work to identify important resources for homeless services and affordable housing will continue. At Street Roots, we continue to evolve. Currently, Street Roots is focusing its efforts on maintaining a quality weekly publication and providing more resources to the men and women selling the newspaper. Given the current political climate, the work of Street Roots is more important than ever. “Street Roots is a journalistic gem. I feel lucky to have access to such high-caliber investigative reporting with a strong community conscience,” said David Rogers, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon. “Combine the newspaper with Street Roots’ tremendous community organizing presence and the result is an irreplaceable social change resource.” The cover of the current Street Roots says it all. Portlandia stands alongside others in the community with an issue of Street Roots stating, “We stand with you.” Ultimately, the success of Street Roots is about you. Each time you purchase a Street Roots from a neighborhood vendor you’re giving an individual the opportunity to maintain both dignity and an income. Your support of the organization also matters. Each time you give to Street Roots you’re helping make the foundation of the organization stronger. A one-time or monthly donation to Street Roots goes directly to giving vendors a hand up and producing the newspaper. In this edition of Street Roots there is a donor envelope. We encourage each of you to consider giving this holiday season. Street Roots is supported by donors who give small and large contributions, one newspaper and one donation at a time. Thank you for your readership and your consideration. It takes a , i 5 village and g we are 9 H j S g j . 1 stronger together. * Write in I If you would like io have something . that you’ve written published in our pages, or would like io get involved as a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.org. We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m,-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Advertising Interested in advertising in Street Roots? Contact Israel Bayer at israel@streetroots.org Staff Executive D irector Israel Bayer israel@streettoofc.org M anaging Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streettoots.org Vendor Pro gram D irecto r Cole Merkel coie@streetroots.org Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Development D ire cto r Sarah Cloud Program A ssista n t Meghann Van Pelt, Jesuit Volunteer Development A ssista n t Patricia Romero Reporters Emily Green, Suzanne Zalokar, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko, Jared Paben, Amanda Waidroupe, Stephen Quirke Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode Editorial A ssistant Monica Kwasnik C anvasser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Brad Taylor Vendor James Hammond Vice-Chairman Rachel Langford T reasu rer Heather Stadick Se cretary Dan Jones D irectors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Sandra Hahn, John Brown, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Anjali Rathore, Zoe Kitngmann, Dan Jones, Dennis Hogan, Monica McKune, Susan Wolfe, Lucas Hawthorne, Thomas Bueli Jr., Jeanie Lunsford, Yasmin Amirsoleymani, Jason Cohen, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jon Raymond, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Paul and Madeline Gefroh, Mary Anne Joyce, Faye Powell Anne Reif, Barbara Buono, Gillian Floren, Mark Oldani, Meg Holden, Bridget Brown, Cody Travels, Bianca Butler, Robb Hengerer, Alex Cherin and Grace Gallagher. If you're interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or you can call for more information at 503-228-5657.
