Show your support for Street Roots. Please give today!
Having a successful street newspaper in our town is a privilege. Not every city has the ability to reach out and build relationships with folks on the streets and become engaged with issues the public might otherwise be aloof too. (Next issue I will cover why supporting Street Roots from the vendor perspective is important, but this week I want to talk about the newspaper.)
While many other newspapers in town are surviving on “gotcha” journalism, publishing the same stories as their counterparts and reproducing what has already been reported the night before online – Street Roots delivers Portlanders something tangible and real.
In the past six months, Street Roots has covered the complexities of the affordable housing business – including in-depth reporting on how and why Portland and so many other cities find themselves on the short end of the stick when it comes to building and maintaining housing for poor and working class families.
We’ve reported and helped create a campaign to save 300 families in Northwest Oregon that morphed into a nationwide effort to save thousands of Section 8 housing units in five states. (See Feds extend $30 million on page 3 in the issue out tomorrow.)
We’ve worked hard to engage readers on the growing immigrant and refugee community, or as our friend Polo at the Asian Reporter puts it – the new Portland. Feature stories on new Portlanders – including the Cambodian, Mexican, Indonesian and multi-national African communities, including the feature story in the issue coming out this week, have been at the heart of Street Roots editorial coverage this past year. We won’t stop there. Street Roots will continue to cover the many different cultural communities that make up our interesting and unique city.
We also won’t shy away from reporting the facts even when it may be uncomfortable for a small non-profit that is trying to survive in a world where everyone knows someone and telling the truth sometimes means putting journalism before profit margins. From the coverage on the sit-lie and anti-camping ordinances to in-depth looks at addiction, sex workers and how our local government is dealing with the current recession, we refuse to shy away from reporting the truth – even if it means we won’t become a fan favorite in many circles.
We also publish the voice of the people on the ground. From the controversial and gripping Addict’s Almanac about life on the streets as a heroine addict to the popular and heart wrenching Urban Gypsy column, written by a women who recently became homeless – there’s a story behind every story and we’re working with artists, poets and writers on Portland’s streets to better craft their message and publish their works.
Street Roots welcomes two new columns into the paper this issue. The first of which is from vendor and homeless activist Leo Rhodes, who sells the newspaper in the Hollywood neighborhood, the other from the Mental Health Association of Portland. They bring us a new perspective, and spur dialogue and action.
Much of the newspapers success is due to the hard work of Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl, and a team of hungry and willing (mostly volunteer) reporters, copyeditors and writers who have set out to prove that a small street newspaper in Portland, Oregon, does have a seat at the table and its voice is every bit as valuable as other for-profit newspapers in town who shape the way we view politics and culture.
Saying all of this, we need your support. Street Roots raised nearly $10,000 of its $15,000 goal in the first two weeks of our annual summer drive – thank you. But, times are tough and just getting tougher. Without your support we will not be able to maintain at the level we have over the past year. We simply can’t do it without you. While your support of your local neighborhood vendor means that you give at least $26 a year to Street Roots – the organization itself needs your help as well. It takes money to produce a newspaper and to maintain an office – 365 days out of the year for vendors to have access and a place to take a load off.
We aren’t asking you to throw money at an organization that is in decline. We are asking you to give money to an organization that operates on a small budget and offers a multi-faceted (Rose City Resource Guide, newspaper, vendor program, drop-in center) approach to solving homelessness and poverty. We are asking you to give to an organization that will put your money to work – for you, the reader and for the hundreds of people who rely on us day in and day out for a hand up, and not a hand out. We’re looking to you to help us continue on.
Your donation this summer will help Street Roots to:
– Get the news out to 10,000 readers every other week – covering the issues that affect real people every day
– Provide an income for 80 men and women experiencing homelessness and poverty in Portland
– Lead strategic campaigns that improve the quality of life for residents with the fewest resources
– Connect thousands of low-income residents with vital services through the Rose City Resource
Street Roots always relies on community support. This summer it’s more important than ever. Thanks for giving what you can.
Please give today! You can also send a check or money order to Street Roots, 211 NW Davis, Portland, Oregon 97209
Sincerely,
Israel Bayer, Executive Director
P.S. If you’ve already given this summer – thank you, thank you, thank you!