News
Profits and preventable deaths in Oregon jails
On April 24, 2014, Madaline Pitkin died of detox-related dehydration after seven days begging for help in Washington County jail. For most of the preceding day, she detoxed alone from heroin, in her cell, having been arrested in Tualitin and jailed on minor drug charges. “Please help,” she pleaded in notes to jail medical staff,…
What politicians get wrong – or do not care – about us
Midterm elections are long over. But do our elected leaders really know or care what we think about critical issues? Unfortunately, the evidence is not very reassuring, with several studies concluding that state and federal politicians believe their constituents are far more conservative than they really are. The good news is that this means there…
When Portland had the largest Japantown in Oregon
JAPANESE-AMERICAN CHILDREN who grew up in Northwest Portland’s Japantown in the 1930s remember it as a safe, happy place where they ran freely along the sidewalks and riverfront, played at the Skidmore Fountain and skated over the Burnside Bridge. “We used to go fishing along the river, catch suckers and put them in the fountain,” remembered…
The oldest profession in the oldest part of town
SEX WORKERS have been making money in Portland’s Old Town for as long as the neighborhood has existed. In the late 1800s, prostitutes filled storefronts known as cribs, hung out in saloons, and held in-house positions at hotels and lodging houses, where they would rent a room for business in the building. Brothels continued to flourish…
Opinion
Profits and preventable deaths in Oregon jails
On April 24, 2014, Madaline Pitkin died of detox-related dehydration after seven days begging for help in Washington County jail. For most of the preceding day, she detoxed alone from heroin, in her cell, having been arrested in Tualitin and jailed on minor drug charges. “Please help,” she pleaded in notes to jail medical staff,…
Tina and Chris: An inspiring story from the streets
This is the story of a 1981 Ford RV and the expansive dreams of Tina and Chris Drake. The first time I saw the RV, it was parked in front of Street Roots. Just like Tina and Chris Drake’s dreams, it was too big to fit in a city parking space – glorious in its…
Housing
Where are Portland housing dollars going?
The Portland metro region earmarked nearly $84 million last year on matters of housing and homelessness. But exactly where is all this money going? Who is it helping? And finally, is it doing any good? The Multnomah County’s Department of County Management Evaluation and Research Unit had the same questions, and recently completed its first…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile: At last, safe in a bed
CW is a quiet, steady man, a gentleman who is always polite, well-kept and a joy to have around the Street Roots office. One day last summer, he came in with a badly bruised and swollen face after being viciously attacked while he slept. For months afterward, he looked exhausted and gaunt. Lately there’s been a…
