Daniel Toole cultivates wisdom. He has been through a lot in the past few years and chooses to learn and grow from it.
“What God’s put me through these past five years has been a training,” Daniel said.
After an arrest last year, Daniel recounted how his public defender refused to look at security camera footage that may have exonerated him, or at least lessened his sentence. Instead, he spent the next eight months in jail — much longer than the 90-day sentence he was handed.
Feeling dismissed and forgotten, Daniel had a choice.
“You have to either come to radical acceptance that you have nowhere to go and deal with it or go crazy,” he said.
He chose radical acceptance. Daniel spent his time in jail reading spiritual texts and inspirational books. He also learned to meditate.
“I was able to ground myself and take control of the situation,” Daniel said.
Now on the other side, Daniel intends to make the most of his freedom.
“I can apply myself better to serving other people,” Daniel said.
Street Roots has been an important part of Daniel’s journey toward rebuilding his life.
“The first thing I did, was I showed up at the Street Roots office and bought some papers. I knew that was the first step to getting back on my feet,” he said.
Daniel strongly believes homeless people can transform their situation by selling Street Roots.
“It teaches homeless people how to become entrepreneurs. That’s a really powerful and empowering quality,” Daniel said.
Although it took a bit of effort to build his Street Roots presence, it has been worth it.
“If you learn to cultivate something and make it grow, you see the rewards and also the power of hard work," he said. "If you keep cultivating this field, eventually the vegetation will start coming up. Hard work always comes back to you.”
Strongly supportive of the Street Roots community, Daniel encourages people who want to support the homeless to steer their donations toward organizations like Street Roots and Ground Score that support hard work and purpose.
“People should consciously try to support homeless people that are trying their best, but especially through Street Roots,” Daniel said.
Daniel has found housing at the Rescue Mission through their Connect Program but is frustrated at their policy of banning cannabis use.
“Everybody is chain smoking cigarettes at the Mission. Cannabis doesn’t kill anybody, but smoking is the number one cause of preventable death,” Daniel said, who uses cannabis along with prescription drugs to treat mental health issues.
Still, Daniel’s overall outlook is one of hope.
“God has been so good to me. I’m getting better every day.”
Daniel sells Street Roots 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. most weekdays at the Safeway at the corner of Northwest 13th Avenue and Lovejoy Street. You can also support Daniel through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (571) in the notes.
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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