In a time when prison reform looks to be gaining momentum in Oregon and around the country, Multnomah County, one of the nation’s most liberal counties, is headed in the wrong direction. As reported by Street Roots earlier this month (“Captive consumers,” ...
23 Jan 2015 - SR editorial board
First, let’s preface what we’re about to say with a commonly accepted generality: The economy is improving. Second, consider how much more glaring that generality makes the latest study on how much taxpayers are subsidizing the miserly habits of corporati ...
16 Jan 2015 - SR editorial board
Welcome to the inaugural weekly edition of Street Roots! Man y people have asked us how going weekly would change our editorial content. In a way, it won’t change at all. Our aspiration has always been to cover a wide variety of issues important to Oregon ...
31 Dec 2014 - SR editorial board
One hundred million dollars: It’s an impressive number. Indeed, Gov. John Kitzhaber’s proposed budget is in some ways a milestone of public commitment to funding affordable housing for the state’s impoverished families. For the first time, the state is co ...
6 Dec 2014 - SR editorial board
For nearly a year, Street Roots has been advocating for a more centralized location for homeless campers who have their possessions confiscated during camp sweeps. A recent article in the Portland Mercury outlines just how ridiculous the entire situation ...
1 Dec 2014 - SR editorial board
Portland City Council recently voted to appeal U.S. District Judge Michael Simon’s order requiring hearings with the judge, advocates and the city on the progress in maintaining the police reforms settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ). In voting ...
6 Nov 2014 - SR editorial board
There were nearly 3,200 unaccompanied minor students in Oregon schools in the 2012-13 school year, according to the Department of Education. But those numbers only represent the children reported to the department by their school district’s homeless liais ...
20 Oct 2014 - SR editorial board
If it didn’t involve famed NFL player Ray Rice, and if it wasn’t under the unblinking eye of today’s omnipresent elevator cameras, the incident of a man beating his fiancé to the point of unconsciousness would be just another case of horrific abuse. Just ...
19 Sep 2014 - SR editorial board
Portland is poised to begin the work of building tiny houses. We couldn’t be more excited about the idea. Tiny houses are small, compact houses, typically around 200 square feet. Providing a safe home, regardless of its size, that offers privacy and secur ...
4 Sep 2014 - SR editorial board
In this edition, Colleen Sinsky shines a light on an element of homelessness few people outside of the field truly understand. That being homeless often means being alone, in the most extreme sense under the most extreme conditions. It becomes tangible fo ...
18 Aug 2014 - SR editorial board