News
Criminalizing prostitution further marginalizes sex workers, authors say
Recently, an online site advertising escort services was shut down and its CEO found guilty of promoting prostitution. A major blow against exploitation and trafficking of women, right? Wrong, according to Juno Mac and Molly Smith, who say, “Losing these advertising platforms pushes sex workers onto the street, where their increased visibility makes them more…
Ricardo Levins Morales marks 50 years at the crossroads of art and social justice
Ricardo Levins Morales describes himself as a “healer and trickster organizer disguised as an artist.” The social justice artist is celebrating 50 years of artistry and activism, and he’s visiting Portland in November to attend Portland Jobs With Justice’s annual dinner as the keynote speaker. Morales was born in Puerto Rico during the anti-colonial movement…
Virginia Garcia clinic cuts and adapts as immigrants go uninsured
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center has cut 34 jobs and frozen 47 open positions across its network of 18 clinics in the Willamette Valley. The majority of positions cut or frozen are middle-management jobs, though three clinical positions have been cut, said Gil Muñoz, CEO of the nonprofit primary care clinic, which emphasizes care to…
Yousef Aljamal speaks up for Palestinian children
According to UNICEF, Israel is the only country in the world to establish a juvenile military court. Each year, approximately 500 to 700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12, are tried and imprisoned by the court. Human rights organizations report children are beaten, tortured and placed in solitary confinement in direct violation of the…
Stone Soup PDX cooks up life skills for second chances
At the corner of a busy downtown business, there is an effort underway to create new careers. That’s the idea behind Stone Soup PDX. Founders Ronit and Craig Gerard told Street Roots they “like food and like helping people,” but the well-prepared lunch is not all that is offered. Stone Soup seeks to make a…
What are your hopes for Portland Street Response? Show us
Street Roots’ office bustles with the leadership and talents of people on the streets. On one recent day, Street Roots vendors circled around Haven Wheelock of Outside In to learn how to administer naloxone. Every month, Haven equips another group at Street Roots with these skills that could save lives by reversing opiate overdoses. As…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Embracing and inspiring kindness
There are some people who have a gift of drawing out the kindness in others. Celeste Elizabeth Blair has that gift. Maybe it’s because of her gentle manner. Or her shy smile and her twinkly eyes. Maybe it’s because of the careful way she listens before she speaks. The stories she tells about her life…
Opinion
What are your hopes for Portland Street Response? Show us
Street Roots’ office bustles with the leadership and talents of people on the streets. On one recent day, Street Roots vendors circled around Haven Wheelock of Outside In to learn how to administer naloxone. Every month, Haven equips another group at Street Roots with these skills that could save lives by reversing opiate overdoses. As…
