Dear reader,
When the editorial team set out to curate the Spring Anthology issues, we knew we had a tough task before us; to parse more than 800 pages with only 32 to fill.
Curating a selection of impactful and important stories from a 12-month period left us with far more deserving options than open pages. Fortunately, we can highlight more stories on social media throughout the week.
Readers will notice some things are different, but also familiar, with this issue of Street Roots. Notable changes include puzzles on Page 2 and some color throughout the issues. What will be familiar, however, is the uncompromising, community-focused journalism readers have come to rely on for more than two decades.
While the stories in this issue were published months ago (April 2021 through September 2021 to be exact) they remain relevant and important in our community.
On Page 4, B. Toastie, currently a staff writer at the High Country News Indigenous Affairs Desk, walks readers through the tumultuous history of environmental catastrophe, colonialism and racism of industrial Northwest Portland. Toastie’s thorough recounting of an under-discussed history of the city brings nuance and context to its present and future.
On Page 7, Sarah Hansell writes about three independent Portland booksellers’ efforts to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Hansell features Third Eye Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Portland, and the community effort to fund a brick and mortar location for the store.
On Page 8, Emma Nathanson lends words and photos to a story of young homeless Portlanders. Eschewing the disservice of stunted narratives about trash and crime often employed by publications, Nathanson highlights the humanity and resilience of a couple of our unhoused neighbors. Fortunately, this time we were able to publish the photos in color.
On Page 12, Henry Brannan, now the Jim Lehrer Fellow with PBS NewsHour, tells an alarming story about a man held in jail in Salem without criminal charges. Brannan’s story followed up on an initial piece about the Oregon State Hospital refusing to admit people in jail who had been ordered to treatment. Rather than receiving treatment as was ordered by a judge, the people were held in jail.
While Street Roots continues to work with freelancers, we have focused on growing our full-time staff since September 2021. Additionally, we have focused on expanding our investigative reporting with an eye toward accountability. We also launched two long-term reporting projects focused on housing and homelessness. Some of the stories from our recent efforts will be featured in the second part of the Spring Anthology.
Stories published by Street Roots require hours of legwork, research and interviews, at the least. Many stories require paying exorbitant fees for public records. To put it concisely, good journalism costs time and money.
Street Roots avoids digital paywalls that can exclude low-income readers. Instead, we are asking for your support, so we can continue producing quality journalism.
Sincerely,
K. Rambo
Editor in chief