Street Roots vendors share their hopes for the next four years

Street Roots hosted a broadcast of President Joe Biden’s inauguration so vendors and houseless neighbors could watch

by Pat Zimmer | 27 Jan 2021

On the morning of Jan. 20, Street Roots set up computer monitors to broadcast the inauguration of President Joe Biden in the front windows of our Old Town office. This way vendors and houseless neighbors could watch the historic event. Large speakers on the sidewalk provided audio.

As people watched, we asked them about their hopes for the new administration.

For starters, fix everything Trump messed up. Hopefully (Biden) can bring the U.S. and everything back together, to where we wouldn’t have to worry about wearing the masks anymore. We could actually enjoy ourselves, be out in public, not have to worry about who has the virus and who doesn’t. I’m hoping he does a really good job.

— David Ross


        Street Roots vendor Jim McCrae watches the presidential inauguration outside the Street Roots office.

  

        Photo by Kaia Sand

That he does a better job. That everything goes back to normal. Somehow take care of our homeless population everywhere. Get a lot more shelters and low-income housing. I live in low-income, and it helps. I was homeless for a while, and it’s very hard for a woman because of domestic violence.

— Paulette Bade

It’s a new year. 2020 is gone behind us. We’ve gotta look forward. The new president is asking to get $2,000 for people and make $15 an hour across America.

— Billy

I hope he turns this country around and keeps his promises and tries to get everything done. He might not get it all done, but put it all in motion. We need vaccines, and we need to get everybody back, get the country open again so people can start working and doing what they used to do.

— Belinda Estermyer

I’m really not in favor of Biden like a lot of people here. Trump, I think he was a jerk, but I think he also did a good job in a lot of ways. When Obama was in, it was good. He really reached out to the poor. We are the poor. It’s not like you wake up in the morning and say, “I want to be poor today.” Things happen in life. So hopefully this guy will be similar to Obama.

— James McCord

I hope that our new president can bring our nation together and get the right program to get this pandemic under control. There’s a lot he’s got on his plate, and he’s got to take it one step at a time, but I’m pretty confident that he’s going to be able to get something done.

— Vern Hannigan

Hopefully Biden will have more pull because he’s got a lot more people standing behind him and what he believes in. I’m hoping he gets more of that money out there for the counties and the cities to be able to respond to and house people on the streets, and get them fed meals where they don’t have to go traveling around everywhere to get resources — have showers, food and clothing everything in one place.

— Courtney Varner

Hopefully Congress will pass a new domestic violence act so men and women can get help and money to get out of harm’s way. There’s a lot of violence on the street. The single men and women that don’t have any children with them need help, too.

— Jackie Varner

Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.

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