Opinion | Street Roots broke ground on renovations for its new, expanded West Burnside Street office last week, ushering in a new era with expanded services
A crowd gathered at Street Roots' new West Burnside Street offices to celebrate the start of construction March 16, 2023. Credit: Photo by BMAC Studio
Street Roots celebrated the launch of construction with a groundbreaking that resembled a flash mob and festive parade. On Thursday, March 16, Street Roots vendors, staff and board members gathered with the project team and supporters on the northeast corner of West Burnside Street and Third Avenue. O’Neill Construction, general contractor for the project, had already erected the construction fence and will lead renovations over the next seven months.
Kaia Sand is the executive director of Street Roots. This column represents her views.
The groundbreaking celebration started outside the building, around a piano on the sidewalk that the community then rolled around the block. Why? Emblematic of how Street Roots finds our solutions to what present as problems, we decided to turn moving a piano — the final item we needed to move out of the building so construction could begin — into a moment of beauty.
Cody McGraw, Street Roots capital campaign director, worked with vendors to choreograph a swing dance parade, rolling the piano through Old Town to celebrate the neighborhood. The parade ended at two new neighborhood businesses that support Street Roots, Goodies Snack Shop and Barnes & Morgan tea shop, where the community shared snacks and tea.
To learn more about the project, including how to support it, visit streetroots.org/hope.
The groundbreaking parade included a piano, swing dancing and trumpet playing.
Street Roots vendor and custodian Nettie Johnson addressed the crowd at the groundbreaking, surrounded by several other vendors and supporters.
Street Roots vendors Johnny Rotten and Phat held up signs they made about what Street Roots and the new building mean to them.
Street Roots vendor and poet, Daniel Cox addressed the crowd with a poem.
Cody McGraw, Street Roots capital campaign director, led the crowd in waving their hands in the air.
Street Roots staff Jennifer Bradford, Desmond Hardison and Pops Duby (left to right) led a celebratory parade through Old Town.
Kaia Sand introduces Dave Otte (right), principal at Holst Architects, who promised in 2018 that his firm would design a future home for Street Roots pro bono.
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.
