News
Gaps in oversight leave clients vulnerable in nation’s multi-billion-dollar payee system
It could have happened in any town in any state. The checks were supposed to be deposited and used to pay for rent, utilities, food and other necessities for a disabled individual. The official report found otherwise. In 2012, an investigator from Columbia County was sent to check out Tara Anderson, who was managing the…
George Mayes Remembers: A personal memoir of another Portland
Born and raised in Northeast Portland, Street Roots vendor George Mayes has been an eyewitness to the many changes Portland has undergone in the past few decades. One of seven children of a longshoreman father from Texas and a railroad worker mother from Louisiana, George has born witness to the changing black presence in Portland…
The making of Whitelandia: Portland filmmakers take a critical look at the city’s history of racism and resilience
Over the course of their careers Portland filmmakers Matt Zodrow and Tracy MacDonald have travelled the country learning the histories and stories of Americans, but for their latest project, Whitelandia, the Emmy-award winning husband and wife team have turned their lenses to their home. Due in 2015, Whitelandia examines the history of state-sanctioned racism in…
Secretary of State Kate Brown talks poverty after state audit
It’s 2008, and the recession has settled upon Oregon. Unemployment skyrockets, the housing market takes a dive, and families are losing their homes and livelihoods. Faced with rising numbers of people falling into poverty and needing assistance, Oregon responded with broad shoulders. According to the Secretary of State’s office, Oregon — more than any other…
Oregon’s other gay record: a recent history of anti-gay ballot initiatives from around the state
Oregon has seen an estimated 35 anti-gay ballot measures in recent history, and those keeping count say that’s likely more than any other state in the country. Oregon is now staring down No. 36. The Friends of Religious Freedom has filed for yet another anti-gay ballot measure. This one would carve out an exception to…
For the Record: April 25-May 8, 2014
-Number of volunteer hours contributed to Portland Parks & Recreation in 2013: 475,324 -Number of community and art centers in Portland Parks & Recreation as of 2013: 14 -Number of restroom buildings operated by Portland Parks & Recreation as of 2013: 97 -Number of free, healthy lunches served by Portland Parks & Recreation and its…
Candidate Q & A: Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Challenger Nicholas Caleb talk affordable housing
Commissioner Dan Saltzman and his challenger Nicholas Caleb are running Portland Commissioner No. 3. Street Roots posed three questions to the candidates on housing and homelessness. Street Roots: Portland is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. The affordable housing inventory in the city’s core continues to shrink despite a promise to preserve those units. Meanwhile, the…
Opinion
What I would do to help the homeless, speaking from experience
A world of Catch-22s. Let’s say, as a homeless person, I decide that I want to change my life. I want to find a job, but I need to wash my clothes, shave and shower. There is a place that I can do all that. I go down to that place. I get there and…
Sheriffs take important step to disentangle from ICE
Big news last week put Oregon at the forefront of a national movement to disentangle local law enforcement agencies from the harmful practices of federal immigration enforcement, throwing a wrench in the ongoing, devastating deportation dragnet. Sheriff Daniel Staton in Multnomah County joined Sheriff Craig Roberts in Clackamas County and Sheriff Pat Garrett in Washington…
Charles Jordan’s passing a cause for reflection — and action
This month saw the passing of one of Portland’s greatest. Former City Commissioner Charles Jordan passed away at the beginning of April at the age of 77. Jordan was a city commissioner for 10 years and later directed the city’s Park and Recreation Bureau for 14 years before retiring in 2003. First elected to City…
Looking to leadership, from on and off the streets
Last week, on my way home to grab a bite to eat before an event, I noticed 15 or so older women bedding down together in Old Town. Their presence stopped me in my tracks. One elderly woman, homeless for less than a year, only received $700 from Social Security and couldn’t afford to pay…
Vendor Profiles
Small town heart in a big city
Before we sat down at the café around the corner from the Street Roots office, I asked Robert how he was doing. “Another day in paradise,” he said, without a hint of the irony or bitterness that usually colors that response. He has a friendly and open way of talking, and before we were served,…
