For a tall and husky guy, Jeffrey “Sunny” Brooks is rather coy. Deep wrinkles around the eyes and a scruffy beard belie his age of 31.
Seeking “good people, good vibes and trying to get a job to get my life back” were reasons for coming to Portland, Sunny said.
Sunny grew up in Spokane, Washington, around motorcycles, biker culture and a prominent father who “was always in prison and doing biker stuff,” he said.
On the other hand, “he was trying to keep me away from biker games because he didn’t want me to get in trouble. He wanted me to be in school and do all my grades and everything normal,” Sunny said.
Sunny eventually entered foster care, where he experienced abuse and thought about taking his life in his early teens, he said.
Schooling was not much better.
“Some schools didn’t want me, so I decided to do homeschool with my family,” Sunny said. “It ended up turning into hell. Then they put me back in school, (but I) never got to finish college.”
Sunny also describes his deployment to Iraq with the military, but his narrative usually returns to motorcycles: Building his first chopper at age 14 or ogling the motorcycle in the window of Kelly’s Olympian bar on Southwest Washington Street.
First, Sunny needs to get off the street. He said he has tried various housing organizations and resources.
“It didn’t work out like I thought it would. I jumped through their hoops and everything, and it just didn’t go through,” Sunny said.
If he can’t get into a tiny home, he’d like to live in a motor home. Gas is cheaper than rent, but to buy an RV he’d need funds he doesn’t have. Working as a car repo man could be an avenue, but that’s not on the immediate horizon.
For now, it’s Street Roots.
“I used to live out in front (of the Street Roots office), right on the sidewalk with a bunch of others,” Sunny said. “That’s how I found out. They were number one. I liked them because they were sweet and gentle and perfect people.”
He started selling papers last June, and if he sticks to it, it’ll be a step toward recovery and perhaps building another chopper.
“I’m going to put Street Roots’ name on it and have everyone who works here put their name on it, so it’d be custom,” Sunny said, then describing the vision in more detail. “Midnight blue with ghost rider flames. And then I would donate it to them.”
This tall and burly guy without a phone, a government-issued ID or even a tent to his name, has his mind is on making others happy. These thoughts are what bring a smile to his face.
Sunny sells Street Roots near Fred Meyer on Northwest 20th Place or the McDonald’s on West Burnside Street. You can also support Sunny via @StreetRoots on Venmo by entering his name and badge number (1107) in the notes.
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This article appears in Nov. 13, 2024.