Opinion
Portland Business Alliance: We can do better than this
The Portland Business Alliance took out a full-page ad in today’s Oregonian with the headline, “We can do better than this.” The ad goes on to say, “Our city is experiencing a crisis on our streets and in our parks. Everyday thousands of people sleep in our parks and open spaces and panhandle our sidewalks.…
An open letter to all who shared my journey at Street Roots
It’s hard to believe two years have come and gone. What an incredible time it has been! Filled with many peaks and valleys, with joy and sorrow, trial and triumph. I am a different person, a better person after these two years, and I can’t describe the love and gratitude I have for this place,…
Editorial: Statewide profiling ban a foundation for local justice
Oregon lawmakers made a bold statement this session when they decided that all law enforcement agencies in the state must establish policies that prohibit profiling. This is less of an impact on Portland, where such a policy is already on the books, but it is a sweeping move for all agencies across the state to…
Director’s Desk: Legislative session a mixed bag, with room for improvement
In many ways this legislative session was a success, especially when you think about just how far to the right the rest of our country continues to be on social justice issues. Creating policy that gives hard-working Oregonians time off for sick leave, trying to tackle racial profiling and police accountability, and giving people easier…
News
Documenting drag: Jinkx Monsoon
It’s about gender. It’s about healing. It’s about a drag queen. Seattle-based filmmaker Alex Berry is the director of the documentary “Drag Becomes Him.” The film chronicles daily life for drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, stage name for Jerick Hoffer. Hoffer hails from Portland and, as Monsoon, gained fame for winning the Season Five title on “RuPaul’s…
Not a drill: Society beyond fossil fuels
Book Review: “Afterburn: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels” by Richard Heinberg Let’s face it. We all know we’re in trouble. Last year was one of the hottest years on record, and 2015 looks to be worse. In that context, being reminded that we will run out of fossil fuels might sound like good news. But it’s more…
The Barsamian theory of revolution
David Barsamian is full of quotes. Among his favorites is Samuel Huntington’s “Power remains strong when it remains in the dark; exposed to the sunlight, it begins to evaporate.” Barsamian will tell you, in words rife with sarcasm and wry humor, that the media are the ones pulling the curtains. At a recent Town Hall…
Oregon’s new profiling ban
A bill prohibiting profiling by law enforcement in Oregon is on its way to becoming law after passing Oregon’s house and senate. It doesn’t criminalize profiling, as laws in 17 other states do, but it does require all law enforcement agencies statewide to establish policies prohibiting officers from profiling. It also requires each department to…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Fluffy Seymour
Fluffy Seymour has found a place where he can be himself. He grew up in the California foothills and came out when he was around 12 years old. To protect him, his mom moved the family to urban Sacramento, a more liberal community. “She’s big, she loves me,” Fluffy says. “I’m the youngest of three…
