News
Oregon unions stand up to racism, hate
Many activist groups may find their members fall into one school of thought or another, but few organizations represent such varying ideologies among their membership as unions. Now, as the two outer edges of the political spectrum square off in Oregon, leaders of several local labor organizations are taking a stand against the vitriol that’s…
Guns and domestic violence: Oregon’s loophole
UPDATE: On March 5, 2018, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill to close the "Boyfriend Loophole" into law. Carsen thought she was going to visit an old friend she hadn’t seen in 25 years, then leave for home in a couple of weeks. She arrived in the small town where he lived in April, but it…
Nick Fish: We must fund legal services for the poor
"Equal justice under law” is a core value of our nation. But what happens when a victim of domestic violence, or an older adult facing eviction, can’t afford a lawyer? What happens when millions of Americans don’t have access to justice? We may be about to find out. For more than 40 years, Congress has…
Hate group mouthpiece met with protest in Salem
Before they could make it inside a Salem Best Western for their general meeting on Saturday, Oregonians for Immigration Reform members passed by protesters holding up signs in support of immigrants. Oregonians for Immigration Reform has been behind repeated campaigns to pass ballot measures targeting immigrants. One of their ongoing measure efforts would make Oregon…
Trump resistance borrows tactics from unlikely source: the Tea Party
On a dark and drizzly Tuesday afternoon in February, a group of 40-plus Portlanders huddled together in the Doubletree Hotel near Lloyd Center to strategize how to bring down the president of the United States. They had buttons and signs, hot coffee and pink hats. Speaking in hushed and urgent tones, they passed around detailed…
Director’s Desk: Right to Rest bill’s demise is cruel
A newly released ACLU of Oregon report, “Decriminalizing Homelessness: Why Right to Rest Legislation is the High Road For Oregon,” finds that there is an entire legal infrastructure in Oregon that makes basic survival in public spaces illegal. The report analyzed local laws in 69 communities and cities throughout Oregon with populations above 5,000 and found…
Environment
Public forum: Help shape future of Mt. Hood National Forest
If you live in Portland, chances are you’ve taken a short road trip east to enjoy the splendor of Mt. Hood National Forest. This federally managed chunk of Northwest Oregon is where Portlanders get their main source of drinking water. It’s also where they hit the slopes in the winter, and where they go for…
Hate group mouthpiece met with protest in Salem
Before they could make it inside a Salem Best Western for their general meeting on Saturday, Oregonians for Immigration Reform members passed by protesters holding up signs in support of immigrants. Oregonians for Immigration Reform has been behind repeated campaigns to pass ballot measures targeting immigrants. One of their ongoing measure efforts would make Oregon…
Opinion
Nick Fish: We must fund legal services for the poor
"Equal justice under law” is a core value of our nation. But what happens when a victim of domestic violence, or an older adult facing eviction, can’t afford a lawyer? What happens when millions of Americans don’t have access to justice? We may be about to find out. For more than 40 years, Congress has…
SR editorial: Revamp Oregon’s destructive drug laws
The travesty of the so-called war on drugs plays on a constant loop, destroying lives, families and communities, and starting over with each generation. It continues, seemingly on autopilot, despite decades of evidence showing it be a social, economic and environmental disaster. And most people get that. Which is why it’s no surprise that a…
Director’s Desk: Right to Rest bill’s demise is cruel
A newly released ACLU of Oregon report, “Decriminalizing Homelessness: Why Right to Rest Legislation is the High Road For Oregon,” finds that there is an entire legal infrastructure in Oregon that makes basic survival in public spaces illegal. The report analyzed local laws in 69 communities and cities throughout Oregon with populations above 5,000 and found…
Editorial cartoon: April 7, 2017
Elizabeth Considine — the creator of Street Roots' editorial cartoon, Sheeptoast — was born in Portland and has been drawing since she could hold a pen. She loves theater, poetry, chickens, growing food, and walking her three dogs in the park. “I find inspiration in the strangeness of life and the character of human nature.…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: A proud Portland native
In a city ever growing with transplants, Kevin is a proud Portland native who does not mind the changing pace of his hometown. But he remembers days past of a different city than the one we see now. “I could tell you about Portland before the light rail. Different things have changed, like the Saturday…
Housing
Director’s Desk: Right to Rest bill’s demise is cruel
A newly released ACLU of Oregon report, “Decriminalizing Homelessness: Why Right to Rest Legislation is the High Road For Oregon,” finds that there is an entire legal infrastructure in Oregon that makes basic survival in public spaces illegal. The report analyzed local laws in 69 communities and cities throughout Oregon with populations above 5,000 and found…
