News
Get your nerd on with Chris Hardwick! The comic talks nerd culture, the perks of celebrity and his love of Portland
Chris Hardwick is the quintessential nerd — with benefits. He is also a stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, podcaster, television host and voice actor. Though he lives in Los Angeles now, he claims roots in Louisville, Ky. Kids of the ’90s might remember him as one of the original hosts of MTV’s “Singled Out,” along…
Defending transgender: One woman’s fight with the federal government that rewrote the law on gender stereotypes
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the Declaration of Independence tells us. The United States has overcome tumultuous challenges to this truth as we have evolved…
For the Record June 6-19, 2014
Number of groups that marched in the 2013 Portland Pride parade: 130 Number of years the Portland Pride NW parade has been held: 43 Number of riders in the 2013 Portland World Naked Bike Ride: 8,150 Average weekday bicycle trips across the Hawthorne Bridge: 5,600 Number of plant and animal species listed as endangered or…
Opinion
Myth buster: Exposing the mythical origins of racism
Jacqueline Jones teaches at the University of Texas and has been awarded a MacArthur “genius” fellowship and other prizes. She’s an intellectual heavyweight, who specializes in African-American history, particularly as it relates to labor. I suspect that historians will conclude that her book is very important. Being married to an academic historian, I should have…
National discussions on health care, homelessness offer hope
Central City Concern’s Health Services Advisory Council gives consumers the opportunity to express their and peers opinions on how the Old Town Clinic operates, and empowers members to have a voice in the community. Toward this endeavor, I had the opportunity to attend the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference in New Orleans, which…
Spare the What?! The argument for more jail beds falls flat
Willamette Week’s May 7 piece on juvenile justice in Oregon, “Spare the Jail, Spoil the Child,” demanded a reaction. As the title suggests, the article posited that Multnomah County in particular, and Oregon in general, need to use more jail beds to address juvenile crime. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, “Spare…
Marriage equality another block to a strong foundation
In this month of Gay Pride, we have seen real progress that all of us can celebrate. State by state, the scales of discrimination against gay men and lesbians are falling away. In May, a federal judge struck down Oregon’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples, declaring the exclusion unconstitutional. On June 4, the U.S.…
El dia de la madre, remembering those behind bars
As of this writing, today, May 10, is Mother’s Day in Mexico and Central America. I am standing on a small piece of land outside the Detention Center of ICE in Tacoma, Wash. We are here to remember the mothers who are incarcerated in this special jail built for persons without documents. I am here…
Keeping City Hall and our progress in perspective
The world is a complicated place. Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that. On my way home from work this week I stopped and talked to an elderly woman sleeping on the streets in Old Town. “Besides my aching back all I really need is a long, hot bath and a nice…
Vendor Profiles
A big goal, one paper at a time
Ron Bryant started selling Street Roots in April to work towards his long-term goal of a steady job and a home of his own where his three children can live with him. “My main motivation is my children,” he said. “Always has been, always will be.” Since he’s started selling Street Roots, he has been…
