News
Director’s Desk: Homelessness isn’t a media event. It’s real life.
The mayor recently declared an end to his “Safe Sleep” policy in our city. The policy allowed for people experiencing homelessness to sleep in tents, during nighttime hours, undisturbed. Unfortunately, that’s assuming that nearly 2,000 individuals and families had a safe place to sleep to begin with. Living under a freeway underpass, in a doorway,…
Jeff Merkley: Oregon’s man of the hour
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has made a big splash in his eight years in the Senate. One of the Senate’s most progressive lawmakers, he made headlines when he became the only U.S. senator to endorse Bernie Sanders’ bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. A common thread undergirds many of Merkley’s policy positions and statements, whether…
Documentary shines light on Spain’s housing crisis, with lessons for all
At some point on the train trip between Madrid and Pamplona, out in the countryside, Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat spotted something strange in the distance. It looked like a large abandoned city, but the rail line passed it by, and there were no obvious highways leading to it. “It sort of looked like a…
John Ahni Schertow shines a spotlight on indigenous resistance
On June 30, Carol Linnitt of the online news magazine DeSmog Canada reported that a controversial crude oil pipeline had just been defeated in British Columbia, writing “Enbridge Northern Gateway: ‘First Nations Save Us Again.’” Linnitt’s observations on First Nations apply with equal force south of the border: “That these unique traditional cultures and ways…
Opinion
Tribal leaders take their case on Willamette River cleanup to D.C.
After 16 years of study funded by polluting industries, the public comment period for the Willamette River cleanup is scheduled to end Sept. 6, 2016, with some officials hoping for a finalized plan by the end of the year. As previously reported in Street Roots, the Yakama Nation has expressed deep disappointment with the EPA…
SR Editorial: Homelessness too complex for one fix-all solution
Time and again, despite the rhetoric, we are reminded that homelessness is not a one-dimensional issue. It is the byproduct of the unlimited combinations of economic, social and environmental forces. Its roots extend far into our educational institutions, our health care structure, our criminal justice system and the incarceration industry. And that’s even before you…
Vendor Profiles
An open letter to Street Roots vendors
Dear Vendors, My time at Street Roots has come to a close, and I wanted to tell all of you goodbye and thank you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives this past year. It has been a joy and an honor. I joined Street Roots to offer a “year of…
