Housing
A conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Intro and transcription by Laurent Soumis Editor’s note: Three reporter-vendors from Street Roots’ sister newspaper L’Itinéraire in Montreal were given the opportunity to interview Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Their questions and conversation spanned issues both local and global, many of which will resonate with street paper vendors and people experiencing homelessness across the world.…
Director’s Desk: Homeless arrest investigation should focus on real solutions
Calling a city a cesspool certainly grabs attention. That’s how Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner started his public Facebook statement on July 16, decrying the new Independent Police Review investigation into whether the Portland Police Bureau profiles people who are homeless. He listed frustrations around the work that the police do with homeless Portlanders,…
News
A conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Intro and transcription by Laurent Soumis Editor’s note: Three reporter-vendors from Street Roots’ sister newspaper L’Itinéraire in Montreal were given the opportunity to interview Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Their questions and conversation spanned issues both local and global, many of which will resonate with street paper vendors and people experiencing homelessness across the world.…
Streetwise advice for the homelessness novice
In his book, “The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness,” Ryan Dowd provides insight and practical tools for anyone (but especially librarians) who encounter people experiencing homelessness. The levity and clarity of Dowd’s writing provides a functional wisdom, which he refers to as the “tools” he uses at Hesed House, the second-largest shelter in Illinois. Dowd began…
Portland airport workers call for better pay
Despite being on the job for only three years, George Van Gorder, wheelchair inspector at Portland International Airport, enjoys a senior status. Close to 70 years old, Van Gorder is a father, a grandfather and a Vietnam veteran who wears his hat pronouncing his service proudly. In his 60s, he earned an associate degree in…
Street soccer: More than just a game
Under the soft sun of a Seattle spring day, a group of roughly two dozen people kicked soccer balls about on a sufficiently level stretch of grass in Gasworks Park, squarely between the skeleton of the Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant and a hill where a couple in brightly colored flowing pants took turns…
Poetry & Art
Streetwise advice for the homelessness novice
In his book, “The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness,” Ryan Dowd provides insight and practical tools for anyone (but especially librarians) who encounter people experiencing homelessness. The levity and clarity of Dowd’s writing provides a functional wisdom, which he refers to as the “tools” he uses at Hesed House, the second-largest shelter in Illinois. Dowd began…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: Selling newspaper helps keep things together while son is abroad
Four stars form a row across her collarbone, divided in the center by a necktie. A smile forms when thinking about her most colorful tattoo — a rainbow on her left arm, which blends into two turquoise clouds. Underneath the vivid arc, in block lettering, are the words “Astoria, OR.” Jasmine grew up loving the…
Culture
Street soccer: More than just a game
Under the soft sun of a Seattle spring day, a group of roughly two dozen people kicked soccer balls about on a sufficiently level stretch of grass in Gasworks Park, squarely between the skeleton of the Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant and a hill where a couple in brightly colored flowing pants took turns…
Opinion
Velvet Elvis: A tribute to my matriarchs
Great-Grandma Irma owned a trailer and the tiny plot it stood on. Over the counter between the kitchen and living room hung a portrait of Elvis Presley painted on black velvet. Elvis took pride of place and my matriarchs cherished him as the ideal man – churlish, highly sexual, wild and dangerous. They looked up…
Director’s Desk: Homeless arrest investigation should focus on real solutions
Calling a city a cesspool certainly grabs attention. That’s how Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner started his public Facebook statement on July 16, decrying the new Independent Police Review investigation into whether the Portland Police Bureau profiles people who are homeless. He listed frustrations around the work that the police do with homeless Portlanders,…
Sheeptoast editorial cartoon: July 20, 2018
Portland native Elizabeth Considine is the creator of Street Roots' editorial cartoon, Sheeptoast. Want to see more Sheeptoast cartoons? VIEW OUR GALLERY Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning…
