News
In mono-racial Portland, ‘white supremacists can hide in plain sight’
Since the presidential election, “In Our America” signs have proliferated in front yards and windows across Portland, spreading messages of love and tolerance to passers-by. But to the casual observer, the messaging may obscure a newly energized underbelly of intolerance in this majority-white city. On May 26, an extremist’s heinous crimes on a MAX train…
Elyn Saks fights mental-health stigma: ‘We are not different from you’
One day, when she was 16, Elyn Saks abruptly got up from her desk, walked out of her classroom and left school. She headed home, but she could not explain to herself why. As she passed the houses in her neighborhood, the houses spoke to her – insulting, hostile words that reverberated in her brain. …
After MAX attack, safety fears swell among Muslims, transit operators
In Portland, like the rest of the nation, displays of hatred against Muslims is on the rise. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of anti-Muslim hate groups in the United States tripled in 2016, from 34 to 101. And the FBI reported a 67 percent surge in attacks on Muslims in 2015,…
Beyond soccer, Timbers’ Diego Valeri is dedicated to social justice
El Maestro. El Rey. St. Valeri. Since arriving in Portland in 2013, Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri has accumulated an array of adoring nicknames. With his outspoken love for the city of Portland, Valeri has worked his way into the hearts of Timbers diehards and the casual fan alike. The Argentinean has achieved great on-field success,…
2 sides of Oregon’s history: Exhibit juxtaposes discrimination, resistance
On Sunday, June 11, the public is invited to peruse several captivating exhibits, free of charge, at the grand opening of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education’s permanent location in the Pearl District. The museum’s newly acquired building on the corner of Northwest Davis Street and Eighth Avenue is more than twice…
SR editorial: Portland should be wary of rise in militia actions
On Sunday, June 4, downtown Portland became the epicenter of the city’s rising tension following several confrontations with white supremacists, one tragically ending in the murder of two men on a Max train only a week before. On that day, several demonstrators, including out-of-state visitors, held a white nationalist rally in Terry Schrunk Plaza, a…
Culture
Elyn Saks fights mental-health stigma: ‘We are not different from you’
One day, when she was 16, Elyn Saks abruptly got up from her desk, walked out of her classroom and left school. She headed home, but she could not explain to herself why. As she passed the houses in her neighborhood, the houses spoke to her – insulting, hostile words that reverberated in her brain. …
Beyond soccer, Timbers’ Diego Valeri is dedicated to social justice
El Maestro. El Rey. St. Valeri. Since arriving in Portland in 2013, Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri has accumulated an array of adoring nicknames. With his outspoken love for the city of Portland, Valeri has worked his way into the hearts of Timbers diehards and the casual fan alike. The Argentinean has achieved great on-field success,…
2 sides of Oregon’s history: Exhibit juxtaposes discrimination, resistance
On Sunday, June 11, the public is invited to peruse several captivating exhibits, free of charge, at the grand opening of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education’s permanent location in the Pearl District. The museum’s newly acquired building on the corner of Northwest Davis Street and Eighth Avenue is more than twice…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Salesmen and goodwill ambassadors
If you are lucky enough to happen upon Wally Moreland and Chauncey Trice’s Street Roots turf, consider yourself in for a memorable treat. In fact, stay awhile and talk if you can. I guarantee you will be inspired, entertained and moved by their kindness, generosity and spirit. This vendor duo has a good word for…
Opinion
The attack on labor unions – and why they matter
Fewer workers are in unions now than in 1983, the earliest year in the Bureau of Labor Statistics series on union membership. In 1983 there were 17.7 million, 20.1 percent of the workforce. In 2016 the number had fallen to 14.6 million, or 10.7 percent of the workforce. While union membership rates in Oregon have…
Editorial cartoon: June 9, 2017
Portland native Elizabeth Considine is the creator of Street Roots' editorial cartoon, Sheeptoast. (Click or tap the image to enlarge it.) Want to see more Sheeptoast cartoons? VIEW OUR GALLERY
SR editorial: Portland should be wary of rise in militia actions
On Sunday, June 4, downtown Portland became the epicenter of the city’s rising tension following several confrontations with white supremacists, one tragically ending in the murder of two men on a Max train only a week before. On that day, several demonstrators, including out-of-state visitors, held a white nationalist rally in Terry Schrunk Plaza, a…
