Opinion
Director’s Desk: Poverty is exhausting, but the human spirit is strong
"There’s really nothing than can prepare you for an experience like this,” said T.J., holding his four-week-old child. “I’m working full-time, but we just couldn’t hold on. We’re doing everything we can to get back on our feet.” That was the story told to me by family after family this week when I visited the…
Package opportunities to break the cycle
In my columns published in Street Roots, I have tried to point out the problems that homeless people have in trying to get up. In the first column, titled “Where can I? how can I?,” I show a person who is trying to get a new start in a new town and the problems that…
State housing subsidy overdue for reform in Oregon
Did you hear that Oregon will spend $1 billion over the next two years helping families with their housing costs? It’s true. But the many families across our state struggling to afford a home should take little comfort because the bulk of the billion-dollar housing subsidy is not for them. Most of the money will…
Book review: Climate Shock
"The rich will adapt. The poor will suffer.” That’s where we’re headed with global warming, according to “Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet,” a welcome new addition to the growing library of depressing but important books about climate change. Although that quote may seem too glib, it’s probably right on, and I…
News
Death by cop: Who’s at risk?
For years, our organization, the Mental Health Association of Portland, has chronicled, eulogized and remembered persons who have been on the receiving end of Portland-area police violence. Today we’re sharing these names with you, recognizing early on that many were people barely noticed even while alive, easily forgotten once they’re gone. But someone should remember…
He is Big Bird: Caroll Spinney
If you are able to read this sentence, chances are it’s partly due to “Sesame Street.” The show has taught literacy skills to generations of children since it started in 1969. Learning was made fun by a mismatched cast of humans, monsters, a grouch and a very Big Bird. Caroll Spinney has given life to…
Casting into deeper waters
Chad Brown stood waist deep in the brisk current of the Clackamas River, just a few hundred yards upstream of the Estacada Bridge. On this temperate midsummer afternoon in 2010, he was casting his line for trout. As the rapids gently washed up against the sides of his waterproof waders, he contemplated what it all…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: John Munro
John Munro has worked in some of the most picturesque places in the country. “I’ve seen a lot of America. It’s got a lot of beautiful scenery,” John says. “I remember going out on the Gulf of Mexico, (working) where British Petroleum is. If you’re starving, it’ll do.” He laughs. John liked his helicopter logging…
