The streets and Street Roots

There’s been a wave of press this month on aggressive behavior by panhandlers and canvassers on Portland’s sidewalks, mostly due to the fallout from the sit-lie ordinance being struck down by the local courts.

None of that coverage has included Street Roots vendors.

At Street Roots, we train individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty to sell the newspaper and be polite – treating people like they expect to be treated. And the rhetoric about the problems on the streets have not gone unnoticed among the team. Here is an e-mail one of our vendors sent today to Commissioner Randy Leonard, who has included “magazine” sellers among those to be treated equally in the city’s next approach to the streets:

Mr. Leonard,

I read the article in today’s Willamette Week on your proposal to regulate panhandlers. Like you, and many others, the more aggressive panhandlers – particularly more able-bodied ones who hold cardboard signs when they could be working to make a decent living for themselves – can be a thorn in the backside. While I applaud this, I am concerned about the canvassers and other vendors.

I am a vendor for Street Roots, which I’m sure you’re familiar with.  As the director, Israel Bayer, himself would state, selling Street Roots is a more acceptable alternative to panhandling. The majority of us- 99.99% of us – are courteous, friendly, and do what we can to build community and contribute to the betterment of society. My concern is this regulation could wrongfully target those who are behaving themselves as they canvass for charities and/or selling SR. What I basically ask for is assurance that you only target those who are overtly aggressive and belligerent.

In closing, I want to thank you for your service to the city, and thank you for listening.

In kindest regards, I remain,
Darren W. Alexander

Commissioner Leonard’s response:

I agree with you, Darren.  I have had nothing but positive experiences with Streets Roots vendors.

Thanks for writing….Randy

Which leaves a lot flapping in the wind on how folks like Darren will experience the next generation of street ordinances.

So we want to know: What’s your experience with Street Roots vendors been lately?

April Fools: WW, Mercury, KGW, Oregonian cover Street Roots and homelessness

From the April 1 edition of Street Roots. (The April Fools edition was one of the most popular Street Roots ever published. We sold out of the newspaper in a week and ordered more. It’s on the streets for two more days – get your copy while it’s hot!)

- A Willamette Week intern asked Street Roots this week if money provided by the city of Portland for the Rose City Resource Guide is in fact being channeled to the mostly volunteer editorial board as a payoff. Questions arose after Street Roots claimed it could help facilitate communication among more than 350 social-service agencies and people experiencing poverty. The paper reported that Street Roots had in fact, “Sit. Lied. Rolled over. And fetched” for the payoff from City Hall.

- The Portland Mercury has decided to cover issues of poverty and homelessness without doing research on the subject for one-year. Mercury reporters told inquiring minds on their company blog that they are working circles around the Street Roots staff. One reporter blames Street Roots for not “manning up” and covering the issues he thinks the paper should be covering. “Why aren’t they just printing our stories on the front page?” he asked reporters.

- The Oregonian called to verify that homeless people are still, in fact, homeless.

- The Portland Monthly has decided to profile the Top Ten Reasons Why no one really gives a crap what the Portland Monthly says about the economy. Coming in at No. 1 was, “No one really does give a crap about what we say about the economy.”

- KGW decided to air a special about how homeless people living out on the streets actually get wet during the rainy season. In an early morning investigative report, KGW found that 14 out of the 14 individuals they interviewed who had slept outside during Rainstorm 2009 actually woke up wet and miserable.

- Several neighborhood newspapers have reported a homeless invasion of neighborhoods. One neighborhood leader told the Portland Sentinel that if any public housing was built in the area, they would post videos on YouTube of neighborhood activists ripping the hearts out of poor people at a public event. Editorials from various neighborhood newspapers agreed, after brokering a deal for sponsoring the event in exchange for three months of advertising. Various musicians around Portland agreed to play the YouTube event, saying, “We owe this to ourselves; we’re poor too.” Microbrews from local breweries and restaurants will be available at the event. Children and pets are welcome.

Street Roots April Fools edition to sell out in a week – we’re ordering more!

The Street Roots special April Fools edition is on the verge of selling out. Nearly 10,000 papers have been sold in just a week. We are ordering more.

The special edition is one of the newspapers most popular editions. The organization has received several letters to the editors and phone calls from many readers saying they read the paper cover to cover – laughing until they cried.

In the course of this edition we’ve also fielded numerous calls asking if former President Bush was really moving to Portland and if Executive Director Israel Bayer is leaving to take a job at the city to work on the sustainability of homelessness.

Inside this edition readers will find satire covering Portland’s City Hall, Ted Wheeler, secret lists, a private takeover of local prisons, life on Alberta, the stimulus package and much, much more including a story of how one homeless man turned his life around after being critiqued for his personal choices. For a quick sneak peak of the wall to wall satire in this edition on the streets we’re including our local Media Roundup:

- A Willamette Week intern asked Street Roots this week if money provided by the city of Portland for the Rose City Resource Guide is in fact being channeled to the mostly volunteer editorial board as a payoff. Questions arose after Street Roots claimed it could help facilitate communication among more than 350 social-service agencies and people experiencing poverty. The paper reported that Street Roots had in fact, “Sit. Lied. Rolled over. And fetched” for the payoff from City Hall.

- The Portland Mercury has decided to cover issues of poverty and homelessness without doing research on the subject for one-year. Mercury reporters told inquiring minds on their company blog that they are working circles around the Street Roots staff. One reporter blames Street Roots for not “manning up” and covering the issues he thinks the paper should be covering. “Why aren’t they just printing our stories on the front page?” he asked reporters.

- The Oregonian called to verify that homeless people are still, in fact, homeless.

- The Portland Monthly has decided to profile the Top Ten Reasons Why no one really gives a crap what the Portland Monthly says about the economy. Coming in at No. 1 was, “No one really does give a crap about what we say about the economy.”

- Several neighborhood newspapers have reported a homeless invasion of neighborhoods. One neighborhood leader told the Portland Sentinel that if any public housing was built in the area, they would post videos on YouTube of neighborhood activists ripping the hearts out of poor people at a public event. Editorials from various neighborhood newspapers agreed, after brokering a deal for sponsoring the event in exchange for three months of advertising. Various musicians around Portland agreed to play the YouTube event, saying, “We owe this to ourselves; we’re poor too.” Microbrews from local breweries and restaurants will be available at the event. Children and pets are welcome.

- KGW decided to air a special about how homeless people living out on the streets actually get wet during the rainy season. In an early morning investigative report, KGW found that 14 out of the 14 individuals they interviewed who had slept outside during Rainstorm 2009 actually woke up wet and miserable.

Support Street Roots through the Willamette Week Give!Guide!

Nov. 12, 2008

Street Roots has been selected by Willamette Week for inclusion in the 2008 Give!Guide. The fifth annual Give!Guide is a holiday season fund raiser that serves as a unique vehicle for generating donations for a collection of Portland area non-profit organizations.
With a donation this fall, you will:
- Provide a way for more than 200 homeless and low-income individuals to secure immediate and basic needs
- Offer a path to self-sufficiency, including skills development and resume building
- Foster self-respect and a sense of personal worth
- Expand opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty to sell the newspaper in outlying areas of Portland

But Street Roots does more than help individuals. With your donation, Street Roots will commit to:
- Bring Portlanders alternative news you can’t find anywhere else
- Foster dialogue about important issues facing neighborhoods and communities throughout the region
- Advocate for change on issues that affect people experiencing homelessness and poverty
- Report on a broad range of issues, including civil liberties, immigration, the environment, economic development, the war on drugs and much more
- Deliver in-depth journalism and opinions from an international movement made up of more than 90 street newspapers worldwide

You can make contributions online to Street Roots via the Give!Guide Web site. Donations are accepted from today through midnight Dec. 31.

With each donation of $25 or more, friends of Street Roots receive some great incentives.
• If you donate between $25 and $99, you’ll receive an envelope containing the following: A couple of TriMet bus tickets, a coupon good for a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread, a coffee drink of your choice from any Portland-area Peet’s, two scoops from Staccato Gelato, a Stash tea bag, and a coupon good for a discount at Trebol restaurant.

• If you donate between $100 and $399, you’ll receive all of the above plus: a coupon good for the cleaning of a shirt or blouse at Bee Cleaners, a coupon for three free yoga classes at Amrita Yoga, a couple more TriMet tickets, a Kiehls’ bounce-back card. In addition, the first 200 donors in this category will get free passes to Beavers games next spring, and the second 200 donors will get a free classic doughnut from Voodoo’s new location on NE Davis.

• If your donation is $400 to $999, you get home delivery of: a bottle of fine wine, a half pound of Peet’s coffee, a coupon good for a discount on Castor & Pollux organic dog food, a coupon for a free load of Dave’s Killer Bread, and a box of Stash tea. All of this will arrive in a reusable New Seasons bag.

• For donations of $1,000 or more, there’s a full pound of Peet’s coffee, a five-pound bag of Castor & Pollux organic dog food, a Go Fetch coupon book, a Dave’s Killer Bread free loaf coupon, and a nice bottle of sparkling wine.

But wait! There’s more! For donors under the age of 36, there’ll be a raffle for 10 pairs of Keen Footwear, a basket of Snook’s doggie treats, a check for $1,000, and a year’s ZipCar membership – including a free weekend with the ZipCar of your choice. (That includes a BMW, Prius, or Mini Cooper.)

To donate to Street Roots go to www.wweek.com/giveguide. All donations are tax deductible.

Donors who wish to avoid giving online may download and print out a copy of the Give!Guide donation form here and mail it to a local post office box address on the form.

Street Roots could use your help now more than ever! Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Street Roots

Candidates talk street politics with Willamette Week

July 30, 2008

Amanda Fritz and Charles Lewis on affordable housing and homelessness

Posted by Israel Bayer