Street Roots helped Marlon Crump get back on his feet when he first arrived in Portland from San Francisco 11 years ago. At the time, he was experiencing homelessness, and Street Roots provided him with community and stability.
“I'm very proud of the work that I've done with Street Roots because it's really put me around friends that I now call a family,” he said.
Marlon was selected as Vendor of the Year in 2014. He remembers the celebration as a monumental occasion in his life, and a short biopic chronicling his experience, entitled “A Street Roots Story,” was released in 2015 by Stillmotion.
Now, Marlon likes to help other vendors succeed. Seeing others thriving is what gives Marlon his drive.
“There were some vendors who actually got started because of me, and some of them have told me how much I’ve inspired them,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for Street Roots vendors, but their persistence and resilience inspire Marlon.
“At one point, Street Roots had to suspend its entire print, which was greatly difficult for all the vendors,” he said. “But I'm very, very happy about the vendors that, no matter what they're going through, and no matter what the weather was like, they still kept pushing forward.”
Commitment, self-discipline and self-motivation are what it takes to succeed, both as a Street Roots vendor and in life, Marlon said.
For vendors just getting started at Street Roots, Marlon offers this advice: “Don't let nobody take away your confidence because we'll always take care of you,” he said. “Take what you do with Street Roots very seriously, and be professional at all times.”
Marlon lives in an apartment in Southeast Portland that the nonprofit JOIN connected him with in 2020. He struggled greatly while experiencing homelessness, but he learned from his experience, and now he’s eager to help others find housing.
“It’s like turning tragedy into triumph in that I define my situation, I refuse to let it define me,” he said.
Marlon usually sells the paper on weekdays outside the Standard Insurance Center, 900 SW Fifth Ave., in Downtown Portland. He occasionally sells them outside Rocio’s Mexican Restaurant at 2850 SE Gladstone St.
In addition to being a vendor, Marlon contributes poems and essays to Street Roots. His most recent piece can be found in Street Roots’ Vendor Issue.
Marlon’s writing comes from both the mind and the heart, he said.
“Whenever you read a book written by an author, you basically are going to that space within their mind when they wrote it. You go through those same channels. In a way, you're not only reading the story, you're also basically reading that author's mind. When I write a poem or an article, each viewer, the audience, they are basically getting an insight about what my mind is like, how it operates.”
Writing has helped Marlon get through some difficult times. Having people at Street Roots who support his writing keeps him motivated. Even through some of his darkest moments, Street Roots has been there for him, he said.
“This is why I love Street Roots so much: They brought me back to my own humanity and my own humility,” he said. “They made me realize that I'm definitely part of the family. And that really healed me a lot.”
Right now, Marlon is focused on writing a book review and his community-based work for which he’s well known in Portland.
“I love the city of Portland, Oregon,” he said. “For every single person, especially those who have supported me, no matter what I've gone through in my life, my heart goes out to them, and I love them forever, eternally. I could not have gotten this far, even with all my accomplishments with Street Roots, without them.”
If you can’t find Marlon out and about, you can also support him through @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (373) 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.
© 2022 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 404
