News
There’s still hope for civil discourse, says Oregon Humanities’ Adam Davis
To a large degree, the 2016 election was defined by vitriolic, personal attacks between candidates, the influence of social media and fake news, and a deep divide between rural and urban America – not the civil political discourse citizens may wish to see in federal politics. Adam Davis, the executive director of Oregon Humanities, thinks…
Alan Alexander III puts homelessness to music
We are thick in this city with a wonderful glut of talented, passionate artists. Alan Alexander III is one of them. Alexander is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, producer and playwright who grew up in St. Louis and has called Portland home since 1984. In 1988, he became one of the founding members of Dub Squad,…
Barney Frank on Trump-era politics
On Jan. 26, the famously free-speaking Barney Frank will deliver what will undoubtedly be an invigorating lecture titled “Democratic Values after Trump: A Frank View” at Portland State University. The 12th annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture, presented by The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, will begin at 7 p.m. The event…
Opinion
Nick Fish: Trump vs. the Constitution
On Jan. 5, Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish delivered this keynote speech to students at the Classroom Law Project’s annual “We The People: The Citizen and The Constitution” competition. This essay is a modified version of his speech. Let me begin with some statements from a presidential election that may go down as the…
Talking housing and the streets with Ted Wheeler
I had the opportunity to sit down with Mayor Ted Wheeler last week in the midst of the snowstorm to talk about housing and homelessness. Here is our conversation. Israel Bayer: We have had an unprecedented cold spell this winter, creating a nightmare reality for people experiencing homelessness. Having four individuals freeze to death on…
Culture
Alan Alexander III puts homelessness to music
We are thick in this city with a wonderful glut of talented, passionate artists. Alan Alexander III is one of them. Alexander is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, producer and playwright who grew up in St. Louis and has called Portland home since 1984. In 1988, he became one of the founding members of Dub Squad,…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Discovering potential every day
Tory Breise is friendly and curious, and he has 2,000 books on his Kindle. “I like to go around and look at things, talk to people and see what’s going on,” Tory said. “But most of the ideas that I do get are from books.” Tory went to college in Iowa, where he studied logic…
