Israel Bayer delivers some real talk about his experience fighting for people in poverty
In the coming months, as I gear up for my departure from Street Roots, I’ll be writing about some reflections and lessons learned over the years. Some real talk.
I’ve been working on the homeless front for nearly two decades. During that time, I’ve made many mistakes around advocacy. The most common mistake I’ve made over the years is to have an emotional response to a political decision or policy instead of a strategic one.
It’s so easy to respond negatively and to lash out at an elected official for making a policy decision on something that you know will have a direct impact on the lives of the people you serve.
Given the level of trauma and death we experience on a day-to-day basis, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to politicos and elected officials when people have emotional responses. After all, poverty is ugly and mean and unjust. It’s vile at times. Experiencing these injustices on a daily basis eats at your soul, no matter how optimistic you are.
It’s also important for advocates to realize that it’s not easy being an elected official. Being collectively responsible for hundreds of thousands of people’s isn’t an easy job. You’re never going to make everyone happy, and sometimes the decisions that are being made are life and death. It’s not an easy burden to carry, however you slice it.
Every elected official is different. Some will want to build authentic relationships with you and work toward a broader vision of trying to leverage change in our community. Some elected officials couldn’t care less about you personally, but for one reason or another care about the issue. It’s all business. Either way works, as long as we’re all working toward a common good.
Some elected officials surround themselves with an entourage of “yes” people. They have a hard time understanding the realities happening in the community and oftentimes don’t have a clue of what’s going on outside of their small kingdom. They tend to be thin-skinned and ignore advocates altogether. They have all the answers. Unfortunately for them, all the campaign experts and consultants in the world aren’t going to be able to help them manage and work toward solving poverty in our community.
Some of our elected officials authentically care about poor people; they just can’t stand to be around them or simply don’t know how to be. Others work very hard, either through their own shared experiences or by putting in the time to get to know the people.
On the flip side, anti-poverty advocates who talk a lot of trash and are too proud to actually engage with elected officials or the system, yet expect elected officials to champion their cause, are spitting in the wind. Haters are a dime a dozen. We’ve all got to be working toward something that has outcomes and is in the best interest of all Portlanders.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not apologizing on behalf of a system that’s racist and rigged, and I’m not saying you can’t speak truth to power or get arrested for your cause or whatever your tactics might be. What I’m saying is don’t go around talking trash about people and expect them to lift a finger to help you. You have to take the time to build authentic relationships. Nobody likes someone who only comes around when they need something. We have to be engaged in solving a range of problems and be an ally to a spectrum of social justice issues in our community. We have to be able to work toward building a strong foundation to accomplish the work that is ahead of us.
Then there is power. It’s a funny thing. Don’t be seduced by it. We can all be replaced, and most of us will be.
There’s nothing worse than a new staffer in City Hall walking around like they own the town and lecturing advocates on the time of day. Believe me, we know what time of day it is. I can guarantee you that with all of the smart people who came before you, if there was a clear path forward, we’d be taking it.
Advocates and nonprofit providers fall prey to this all of the time. One day you’re with the people; the next day you’re justifying sweeping homeless people out of the parks with a mayor. Don’t be a chump. It’s our job to represent the people and build strong coalitions and partnerships, not to make friends and bolster our careers.
It’s my opinion that the best advocates are thoughtful in their approach, deliver a message of love, and start from a place of understanding that, regardless of our differences, we can all work toward a common goal.
The reality is I know full well that when I’m no longer the executive director of Street Roots and I don’t have this column to peddle, that my political capital will go off the cliff. That’s A-OK with me. The game will always be there with a different set of players. All you can do is do your best and try to work toward accomplishing good things for the larger community. You’ll get lost if you try to imagine your legacy while you’re in the thick of battle. The odds are always stacked against you.
Some of the best elected officials I’ve ever worked with have asked Street Roots to be hard on them, to have hard conversations and to not be a part of the chorus of politicos patting them on the back for a job well done. That’s not to say you should go around embarrassing people. Nobody likes to be embarrassed. It’s a fine needle to thread. It’s all about relationships.
I don’t think there is a single right way, considering that for the most part, people in poverty and advocates lost the battle and the war long before they arrived to the fight. What I’m trying to say is try to treat people like you like to be treated. We don’t have time to squander. Outside forces and strong institutions are working hard every single day to put profits ahead of people. We all have to be proactive and intentional about the work we are doing.
The reality is we are all human beings, people experiencing poverty, advocates and elected officials alike. It’s up to us to find commonality and work toward building a foundation that will help move our community in the right direction regardless of our experiences or political ideology.
Israel Bayer is the executive director of Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots.org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer.
