Vendor Frank Johnson has had a lot of change over the past several years, but his beloved service dog Clyde has been a constant. In addition to serving as a medical alert and service dog, Clyde has a knack for selling papers too.
Frank first learned about Street Roots several years ago, and the connection was made through Clyde.
“When my dog was still a youngster, a friend wanted to borrow Clyde to see if she would sell more papers,” Frank said. “It was a successful experiment. Clyde still sells more papers than I do.”
Clyde was a vendor well before Frank was, although Frank has been selling Street Roots on and off since 2018.
Frank credits Clyde with saving his life at least twice. One time, he was having an asthma attack which landed him in the hospital and another time when he experienced a dangerous blood sugar drop.
He also credits Street Roots with supporting him throughout.
“Street Roots has meant everything,” Frank said. “There are moments in my life when I knew I couldn’t get a job, but Street Roots provides me with a way I can earn my own money.”
Frank added Street Roots has also been a way for him to build his community of support and that he has made many friends through Street Roots. Frank has high praise for the journalism, too, specifically noting the reporting on violent acts committed against homeless people, the consequences of sweeps and other work as part of The Orange Fence Project.
“It’s the transition points that are really dangerous. That’s what people don’t understand,” he said. “Having to pack up all your belongings in one day leads to two results. Either people snap, or they go to drugs because they are dealing with the trauma.”
Frank is in the process of rebuilding now, having lost his possessions in the sweeps.
“Home is where the heart is, home is where my head is, but the city has done everything in their power to make me feel this is not my home,” he said. “They are not spending money in the right places and are marginalizing the homeless.”
Part of Frank’s rebuilding also includes contemplating what the future looks like for him. He sees himself housed in an apartment in the next year, and he hopes to realize more sales to help him achieve that goal. But his plans don’t stop at becoming housed.
“I’d like to have my own (New York)-style Street Roots stand,” Frank said. “I’ve got the perfect spot. It would be a stand that would then turn into a bike trailer that could be hauled away. I’ve been working on the concept since 2019. I had a prototype built but then COVID hit and it got destroyed. It wasn’t all that functional, though. It was like a drunk man trying to build an outhouse. Version 2.0 will look more like a newsstand.”
Looking further out in the future, the 34-year-old hopes to write a book about his life by the time he’s 60.
“Maybe it will be called the Ballad of Frank Johnson — I’ve had an almost fictional life,” he said.
For now, Frank and Clyde can be found selling Street Roots outside Safeway in the Pearl District from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. most days, or he can be supported via @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (599) in the notes.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. 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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