Housing
Design public space for homeless people? This Memphis nonprofit did
When someone becomes homeless in Memphis, Tenn., it’s likely that one of the first places they will visit is Hospitality Hub, a low-slung brick building on a downtown corner. This first visit, the organization believes, is an opportunity for clients “to begin their journey out of homelessness.” As Hospitality Hub has expanded, a major challenge…
News
With this Ring: Is the Amazon device sealing an unholy marriage between police and Big Data?
In one ad for Amazon’s Ring surveillance system, a pair of bumbling crooks is frightened off by the mere sight of the Ring doorbell — as the homeowner smirks while monitoring the scene from the gym on his phone. Another shows a montage of oddly persistent prepubescent boys ringing the doorbell and running away at…
Street Roots vendor is an addiction counselor in the making
Street Roots vendor Nettie Johnson is close to fulfilling a long-cherished dream. She is on track to graduate in April with a degree in addiction counseling from Portland Community College. Nettie is beginning her third and final term as an intern at Acadia NW, a Portland-area, state-certified drug and alcohol treatment, DUII diversion and intensive…
Cathy Abbruzzese says young LGBTQ+ activists are doing things right
For 20 years, Cathy Abbruzzese diligently dialed the phone for Basic Rights Oregon, raising money the hard way: $20 and $50 at a time. Her efforts funneled more than $2 million to Oregon’s largest LGBTQ+ rights nonprofit over the course of her career, and her persistence built the organization’s financial base and relationship with hundreds…
Opinion
The next big thing: Dopamine fasting
It’s the latest fad in Silicon Valley. By reducing the brain’s feel-good chemical known as dopamine — cutting back on things like food, sex, alcohol, social media and technology — followers believe that they can “reset” the brain to be more effective and appreciate simple things more easily. Some even go so far as avoiding…
Discrimination unfolds before our eyes as states adopt voter suppression laws
Following news reports, it is well known that the Republican Party has attempted to restrict the votes of those they deemed unlikely to vote for Republican candidates: minorities and the poor. Many of their tactics are also well known, including new requirements for voter ID while at the same time closing many licensing offices in…
SR editorial: We value free speech for all – not just the powerful
In wrapping up our celebratory 20th anniversary year, Street Roots continues to contemplate our role in the community. At the very surface, we look at how we tell our story, how we identify our voice. From our earliest days, we have relied on a particular phrase: For those who can’t afford free speech. With the…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: A father-daughter team
John and Tabetha Smith are a father-daughter vending team. John has been a vendor for about a year. He sells at the Starbucks across from the Pixie Project, a nonprofit animal rescue center between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Northeast Grand Avenue. “They walk their dogs right by Starbucks; I get to meet all…
