News
Bitter pills
We all thought our phone records and credit card transactions were private. Think again, the feds told us. But our medical records? That’s sacred ground, right? Not so much — again, so the feds tell us. Depending on the outcome of a court case, medical records might not be so private anymore. In the 1970s,…
Buried freedom
Chilean author Isabel Allende won worldwide acclaim when her bestselling first novel, “The House of the Spirits,” was published in 1982. In addition to launching Allende’s career as a renowned author, the book, which grew out of a farewell letter to her dying grandfather, also established her as a feminist force in Latin America’s male-dominated…
Four days after ODOT sweep, homeless man dies at controversial camp
Technically speaking, he was a transient white male, age 59, declared dead from natural causes at 9:18 p.m., Oct. 7, in East Portland. To his friends, he was Alvin Smith. He lived with about 50 other people at the controversial camp along Johnson Creek at Southeast 92nd Avenue and Flavel Street, the site of a…
‘I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was’
It was Kyler Buzalsky’s nature of acceptance that attracted me to his story. I teach dialectical behavior therapy, among other subjects, and if ever there was a poster child for cool, calm detachment from highly stressful, possible negative behavior triggering circumstances, Kyler is that person. In the face of impending and eventual homelessness, Kyler was…
Hold on, ICE
Miguel Hernández, not his real name, really wanted a drink and a night out. What he got was a detention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The 26-year-old Mexican immigrant and part-time auto-body worker was arrested in early August at a downtown nightclub after he attempted to enter with a fake ID. An Oregon…
Street Roots For the record: October 11-24, 2013
•Nearly 25,000 African immigrants and refugees live in Oregon: Source, Coalition of Communities of Color •About 24 percent of the Portland Metropolitan Region was made up of youth ages 0-17. Nearly 11 percent were residents 65 years of age and older. •Three quarters of Latinos in Multnomah County trace their roots to Mexico. •More than…
Vendor Profiles
Vendor Profile: A man in the background steps forward
Yesterday was one of those days,” says Street Roots vendor Theodore Sears as we sit down to talk. He recounts how that day his cart full of his belongings tipped over and spilled out onto the sidewalk. As he bent down to gather his things, a man came out of his house and yelled at…
Opinion
The Brahma Bull
I was adopted at a young age, yet I still remember my adopted parents telling me they were my new parents. Then asking if it was OK, I answered, “yes.” They were pleased; next they told me I could change my name if I wanted to. They gave me some examples of other names I…
Ending inequality through early childhood education
Several weeks ago Democrat Bill de Blasio won the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City while running a progressive campaign based on ending the city’s growing inequality. The Center for Economic Opportunity recently released a report stating that by the end of 2011, more than one-fifth of New Yorkers lived below the poverty…
Freedom means freedom for everyone
The first thing I fell in love with was her voice. We were at a party at Carefree Lounge in Southeast Portland. She was from Georgia, and she had a southern drawl that grabbed my ear. I had to talk to her. “No, honey, I can do this by myself,” she replied, and introduced herself…
There is much to celebrate — and work toward
Street Roots is currently participating on a committee convened by Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman and County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury to determine where $1.7 million should go to support housing and homeless services. It’s great to think that the city of Portland may choose to dedicate this money toward homeless and housing services at this…
Let’s not sacrifice vision for vitriol in homeless debate
The true colors of many people who are in charge of and influence public safety and policy have been rising to the service. Lets start with civility. That was the topic of a recent summit that brought together policy makers, students, businesses, nonprofits and individuals from law enforcement community. The presentation was meant to educate…
