News
The kids from the hall: Oregon Youth Authority rethinks how it manages troubled youths
In 1891, George Breckonridge was the first juvenile to be placed into custody at the reform school for boys in Woodburn, Ore. His crime was stealing a newspaper off his neighbor’s porch. Fast-forward 124 years, and the population within the walls of what is known today as MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is markedly more troubled.…
Mic Crenshaw: Talking music, race and getting results, the Portland artist and activist doesn’t mince words
When Mic Crenshaw came to Portland, it was sort of like shaking a personal Etch A Sketch. He wanted a fresh start. That is understandable. He had left behind an on-going struggle with white supremacists in Minneapolis, Minn. His connection to the streets involved a lot of drinking and fighting, he says. He was ready…
‘The biggest stain since slavery’: former prison chaplain Jeannie Alexander works against the dehumanization of modern incarceration
Jeannie Alexander grew up “deeply obsessed” with God. Before she resigned as chaplain of Riverbend Maximum Security Insitution in September, her obsession drove her to work with a group of some of the most marginalized members of society. “It’s this very intense, passionate, deep understanding of who we are as people that drives me to…
Integration of church and state: Mussolini and Pope Pius XI
The history of fascim in Italy has been too kind to the Roman Catholic Church and its leader at the time, Pope Pius XI. In his book “The Pope and Mussolini,” professor David I. Kertzer provides a sharp corrective to the record in his groundbreaking, accessible history based on seven years of research into newly…
Vendor Profiles
The big weekly leap forward
It was standing room only Jan. 2 at the Street Roots office as vendors crowded to get the first glimpse of the new weekly Street Roots newspaper. It was our inaugural edition on a weekly schedule and vendors were excited to get the paper unloaded and out the door. Each day, approximately 80 vendors are…
Opinion
Changing the narrative on bikes and homelessness
BikePortland Publisher and Editor Jonathan Maus has been reporting on a growing concern that some homeless camps in Portland have become “chop shops” for stolen bicycles. One recent headline stated, “Police search suspected Springwater chop shop, find stolen frame,” referring to an abandoned homeless camp. This comes after Maus himself had his bicycle stolen and…
Health care, homelessness report charts action forward
A new report released last week by the City Club of Portland outlines the challenges and opportunities our community faces concerning homelessness and health care reform. The report found what many advocates have argued for years, that one of the greatest social determinants of health is housing. According to the report, national surveys have found…
