Opinion
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette won’t back down
In these partisan times, it can be difficult to find topics on which we all agree. Ongoing bipartisan support is needed to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and globally, and we need this support to extend to all communities. Health care should not be political, and that includes the fight against HIV/AIDS. …
The fight intensifies for liberties, dignity of those in justice system
As I write this column, it’s been less than 48 hours since Donald Trump announced Sen. Jeff Sessions as his choice for attorney general. My chest tightens and tears fill my eyes as I think of this man following Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch to that office. Holder was an early national figure in calling…
We can’t afford to normalize a Trump presidency
The progressive people of Portland – and the United States – are reeling from the election of Donald Trump. Many feel confused, beaten and hopeless. These feelings are real, and they are understandable. But we are not hopeless. And we are not beaten. The hope is you. The hope is me. The change is us.…
Street Roots editorial: Standing in solidarity with our unprecedented nation
Within 10 days of President-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 8 victory, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported nearly 900 cases of hate crimes across the country. Oregon topped the list for the number of crimes per capita. It wasn’t because people just started hating. And recently The Associated Press came out with parameters for the use of…
Remembering Justin Buri: A life committed to human rights
It was Oct. 7, 2015. City Hall was packed. Tenants, community members, organizers and advocates from housing and social justice organizations, and housing and health agency staff lined up along the walls, elbow to elbow, and squeezed into the benches in the upper balcony. With a clear mind and steady voice, Justin Buri, then executive…
Director’s Desk: Mayor Charlie Hales and a legacy to build upon
We are only weeks away from Donald Trump taking over as the new leader of the free world. People are both scared and angry. We see the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. We know a storm is coming. Still, we must remain steadfast in the work we all collectively do for the common good. We…
Culture
Jon Bon Jovi: Us vs. them society is ‘not gonna fly’
We’d last seen Jon Bon Jovi about 24 hours earlier at the listening party for his new album at London’s Ivy Club, one of those joints that have their own name emblazoned on the crockery. Now we’re opposite him in the even more opulent Savoy Hotel. He’s wearing sunglasses indoors. We’re intimidated by the carpet,…
News
Jon Bon Jovi: Us vs. them society is ‘not gonna fly’
We’d last seen Jon Bon Jovi about 24 hours earlier at the listening party for his new album at London’s Ivy Club, one of those joints that have their own name emblazoned on the crockery. Now we’re opposite him in the even more opulent Savoy Hotel. He’s wearing sunglasses indoors. We’re intimidated by the carpet,…
Central City Concern’s Tyrone Rucker has taken volunteer work to another level
In a sterile hospital room in the depths of Oregon Health & Science University, Tyrone Rucker sat with one of his patients and shared a big greasy pizza. They had only a few days left, and Rucker knew that he wanted to make it meaningful. The reality of Rucker’s job as the Integrated Health and…
How 5 activists stopped the flow of Alberta Tar Sands oil into U.S.
Leonard Higgins was starting to panic. The industrial chain he was attempting to cut loose was made of case-hardened steel. It was thicker and more durable than chains he’d practiced breaking in preparation for this moment. As he strained to pull the handles of the 40-inch bolt cutters toward one another, he was running out…
Barbara Roberts on 2016 election: ‘We can’t just stand back and whine’
In her autobiography, “Up the Capital Steps: A Woman’s March to the Governorship,” Barbara Roberts writes of a dynamic time in Oregon’s history. And if you are lucky, she notes, “you get to make a little history as well.” For Roberts, whose career is pressed into countless books on Oregon politics, luck had little to…
Defending death with dignity: Barbara Roberts, Barbara Coombs Lee reflect on decades-long effort
Barbara and Frank Roberts were Oregon’s original power couple. By 1991, Barbara was culminating an already remarkable political career by becoming Oregon’s first elected female governor. Her husband, Frank, was a senior member of the state Senate and the Democratic president pro tem. He was also terminally ill with the cancer that would take his…
Give & Give Back: 2016 Street Roots Gift Guide
Make your holiday giving stretch further with purchases that help charity. All Portland businesses and nonprofits in the Street Roots Gift Guide were selected because they offer products or services perfect for holiday gift-giving, with part or all of the proceeds going to a dedicated cause that benefits the community. While many businesses donate periodically to…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: A counselor on the street
Shawn Knight is smart as a whip and taking steady steps to get off the street. He was born in Ohio and grew up in Texas. “I’ve been an electronics geek since I was a kid,” Shawn said. “When I was 8 years old, I was tearing apart little motorized cars and building robots.” As…
Street Roots vendor profile: A poet under God’s wing
Deidra Youngerman, or “Peaches,” has an easygoing manner and laugh that has helped her make friends around the world. “I was born in Greenwood, South Carolina,” said Deidra. “Basically, I’m a military brat. Grew up everywhere. I’ve either lived or stayed in all the states but five.” As a teenager, she wrote her name on…
Environment
How 5 activists stopped the flow of Alberta Tar Sands oil into U.S.
Leonard Higgins was starting to panic. The industrial chain he was attempting to cut loose was made of case-hardened steel. It was thicker and more durable than chains he’d practiced breaking in preparation for this moment. As he strained to pull the handles of the 40-inch bolt cutters toward one another, he was running out…
