Culture
Witches through the centuries: What our depictions say about us
Last year, online retailer Amazon was forced to pull a range of hyper-sexualized Halloween costumes for girls as young as age 4 from its online marketplace – an extreme example of the increasing sexualization of Halloween. A fearsome, hook-nosed, broomstick-riding hag happily still offers respite, but for every scary witch costume, there is an array…
Life after prison: Portland residents’ stories
Tyrone Rucker was 14 the first time he went to juvenile hall, before he “graduated” to prison, as he puts it. It was the same age he first tried crack. Jackie Whitt was 14 when she became homeless and began learning how to steal cars to make money. Years later, both Rucker and Whitt live…
Environment
Portland Just Energy Transition: A climate response rooted in justice
In the coming weeks, a diverse coalition of grassroots organizations will put forward a unique ballot measure to help Portland respond to global climate change. Called the Portland Just Energy Transition, the measure would add a 1 percent revenue tax on large retail outlets operating in the city and use those funds to invest in…
Nature: On the verge of bankruptcy
Pressures on global land resources are now greater than ever, as a rapidly increasing population coupled with rising levels of consumption is placing ever-larger demands on the world’s land-based natural capital, warns a new United Nations report. Consumption of Earth’s natural reserves has doubled in the last 30 years, with a third of the planet’s…
News
Portland Just Energy Transition: A climate response rooted in justice
In the coming weeks, a diverse coalition of grassroots organizations will put forward a unique ballot measure to help Portland respond to global climate change. Called the Portland Just Energy Transition, the measure would add a 1 percent revenue tax on large retail outlets operating in the city and use those funds to invest in…
Portland says Honey Bucket jammed sewer; company blames ‘homeless folks’
When the Rivergate Pump Station in North Portland began to jam with clothing, construction materials and hypodermic needles in April, the source of the debris was a mystery. The underground station takes sewage that’s been flowing downward along a gravity-powered path and pumps it upward to higher ground. From there, the sewage continues its journey…
Life after prison: Portland residents’ stories
Tyrone Rucker was 14 the first time he went to juvenile hall, before he “graduated” to prison, as he puts it. It was the same age he first tried crack. Jackie Whitt was 14 when she became homeless and began learning how to steal cars to make money. Years later, both Rucker and Whitt live…
Opinion
Portland Just Energy Transition: A climate response rooted in justice
In the coming weeks, a diverse coalition of grassroots organizations will put forward a unique ballot measure to help Portland respond to global climate change. Called the Portland Just Energy Transition, the measure would add a 1 percent revenue tax on large retail outlets operating in the city and use those funds to invest in…
Editorial cartoon: Oct. 20, 2017
Portland native Elizabeth Considine is the creator of Street Roots' editorial cartoon, Sheeptoast. Want to see more Sheeptoast cartoons? VIEW OUR GALLERY
Director’s Desk: It’s not ‘Fake News’; it’s propaganda
I had the pleasure of taking part in the City Club’s recent Friday Forum on “News Media in a Post-Fact World.” Myself and Kimberly Wilson, former Oregonian reporter and communications director with Meyer Memorial Trust, were joined by Ben DeJarnette from the University of Oregon’s Agora Journalism Center for the conversation. Many of the questions…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Pregnant and homeless, but optimistic
Mistie is thoughtful and articulate, and she has hopes for the future. She is also six weeks pregnant. “I feel overwhelmed, but I’m excited,” Mistie said. “I’ve always wanted to be a mom, but at the same time, I’m wishing that maybe things were a little different. Like I had a place besides a tent.…
Housing
Preparing for MAX line, SW Portland tries to get ahead of gentrification
Nearly 100 residents of Southwest Portland and nearby suburbs, along with elected officials from every level of Oregon government, gathered at Markham Elementary School on Saturday, Oct. 14. They were there to discuss how a TriMet MAX line proposed to open as early as 2025 in Southwest Portland would affect their community. They weren’t there…
