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.