Opinion
Changing bodies, saving lives: The euphoria of gender affirmation surgery
“A year ago, I was showering in the dark.” While this experience may seem unfamiliar to some, to many transgender people it’s more than relatable. Turning the lights off can be a simple accommodation when what you see may not match who you are. Chloe, writer of the reflective piece ‘A Weight Lifted,’ thinks back…
Opinion | Melanie Henshaw joins Street Roots as new Indigenous affairs reporter
I am extremely grateful to accept the position of Street Root’s first-ever Indigenous affairs reporter. I believe that nearly every issue has an Indigenous affairs angle. Indigenous peoples' needs, desires, successes and struggles are all too often overlooked or included merely as an afterthought. In reporting stories on Indigenous peoples and the local and regional tribes…
Editorial | Interviewing unhoused neighbors requires care
Street Roots often receives praise from readers for including the triumphs, concerns and experiences of unhoused Portlanders in its coverage of homelessness. While it may seem obvious that coverage of homelessness should include the perspectives of people experiencing homelessness, it’s not a standardized practice in Portland’s media landscape — despite that same landscape existing in…
Opinion | History of Portland’s Homeless Alcohol and Drug Intervention Network
In the mid-1980s, the most dire problem on the streets of Portland (from the point of view of the downtown business community, which funded campaigns to elect persons to city hall and the county) was public inebriates. They were considered unsightly, slightly dangerous and a detriment to tourism and retail development. These were mostly white…
Housing
Old Town’s 90-day ‘reset’ yields sweeps with little notice, no advance postings
What’s the difference between moving with one hour’s notice and 72 hours’ notice? “A lot,” DJ Husar, Street Roots vendor, said. The city swept Husar, an unhoused Portlander who’s lived in the city for the last 12 years, several times in recent weeks. A longtime resident of Old Town, Husar is no stranger to the…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile | A natural storyteller
Jared Coffey has only been a Street Roots vendor for about a year, but he is a lifelong storyteller, standup comic and YouTube personality. He likes to be called “Coffey” or “Dirty Hippie Freak” which is also his social media personality and stage name. While he frequently draws people in with his humor, it’s his…
