Current Issue :: 2007 October 12, 2007 :: Contents
Cover Story
Still in bondage
Slavery is by no means a thing of the past; it’s very much alive in the present, and it may be an even bigger part of the future. That’s the view of John Bowe, a journalist who has spent the better part of the past decade studying the bonds, visible and invisible, that keep workers exploited. The result is his book “Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy.”
Act Now
Stop federal plans to clear-cut Oregon’s old-growth forests
The Bush administration has announced plans to significantly increase logging on 2.6 million acres of public land in western Oregon by clear-cutting old-growth forests and reducing protections for salmon-bearing creeks and streams, according to the Sierra Club.
Editorial
One step out of the past, many still ahead
Columns
Director’s Desk
Street Roots is gearing up for the start of our Winter Fund Drive on Nov. 1. We have some super-exciting things in the works, the first of which is to lower the cost of the newspaper for vendors from 30 cents to 25 cents in 2008.
Two-tier ID plan best for driving undocumented underground
The immigration debate continues to be a hot topic of discussion, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s suggestion last week that Oregon could comply with the federal Real ID Act by creating a two-tiered system, where individuals who can prove their citizenship would get one kind of driver’s license while those who cannot would receive a different license, only added fuel to the fire.
News
Case worker navigates the fog of Social Security
Mellani Calvin is one of Portland’s unsung heroes. Hundreds of social workers and individuals on the streets empower thousands of people to gain a myriad of services and are oftentimes are overlooked in the political landscapes that make up planning processes, organizational agendas and 10-year plans to end homelessness.
City mulls recommendations for private guard oversight
Advocates have taken their case to City Hall with a set of recommendations to bring private security guards under public oversight. Portland civil rights attorney Adam Arms, homeless advocate Patrick Nolen with Sisters of the Road, and Israel Bayer, director of Street Roots, have authored a set of actions that they say “will ultimately make Portland safer for all residents and visitors, especially the most vulnerable and disenfranchised.”
Changing times on the Hawthorne turf
Bill Yates has been watching Hawthorne Boulevard for six years. That’s how long he has been selling Street Roots on Hawthorne Boulevard at 37th Avenue, and in that time he’s seen the area grow from a small, friendly neighborhood with a vibrant street life into one of Portland’s most fashionable spots, full of pricey restaurants and freshly sprouted condominiums.
