Kevin Robinson sells the newspaper outside of Salt & Straw Ice Cream on Southeast Division Street
Resilience is Kevin Robinson’s unspoken mantra.
Kevin could spend his days watching television and playing video games at the East Portland care facility where he lives. Instead, five days a week he fills his backpack with Street Roots newspapers and a sack lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and motors to a bus stop where his wheelchair is lifted onto a TriMet bus. Then, Kevin waits for a second bus to transfer and again lift his wheelchair. The six-mile trip to his work site at Salt & Straw Ice Cream on Southeast Division Street takes an hour each way.
It is common to see vendors maneuvering their wheelchairs in and out of Street Roots most days. Kevin, like approximately a third of all Street Roots vendors, has a physical disability.
“I love to get out. It makes me feel good about myself,” Kevin said. This is Kevin’s second stint at Street Roots. He started selling papers in 2017 but took a medical leave because of his diabetic condition which resulted in the amputation of his left foot three years ago.
Born in Washington State, Kevin graduated in 1996 from Mark Morse High School in Longview. Kevin has a learning disability which qualified him for the Special Olympics where he competed in bowling and softball and won a series of gold medals. In earlier years, Kevin worked in grocery stores and the fast food industry.
Before the onset of his diabetes 25 years ago, Kevin drove a car and was an active fisherman and camper. A favorite getaway was coastal trips, but because he no longer drives he has not been to the beach in 15 years. When Kevin isn’t selling Street Roots he is back at his care facility where he plays computer games and watches sports and as a long-time Washingtonian he is a big fan of the Seattle Mariners. His 16-year-old daughter lives in Longview, Wash. and Kevin sees her when she travels to Portland for visits to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Kevin started selling Street Roots’ papers again in July and spends four hours a day at his Salt & Straw post wearing his Street Roots bill cap as he quietly holds the paper up for customers to see.
“I don’t have to say anything, Street Roots sells itself,” he said.
His work station is upbeat, he said, as customers purchasing ice cream are generally happy and the staff is friendly. A fringe benefit is customers and staff often bring him ice cream. Customers are generous and one customer walked back after purchasing Street Roots recently and gave him a $100 bill as a surprise.
“I love selling Street Roots. It makes me feel accomplished, I am doing something with my life,” Kevin said. His income from Street Roots supplements his social security.
“Streets Roots helps many vendors have money for hygiene and clothes. It just helps us have a better life,” he said.
Kevin can be found selling papers sitting outside the Salt & Straw on Southeast Division Street and 34th Avenue most days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. except Sundays and Tuesdays. If you’re unable to find him there, you can send him money via @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (#128) 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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