Kris D., a Street Roots vendor on and off since 2016, bounced around a lot as a kid. Although Portland has been home since 2015, he lived in 14 different states before he could walk. A constant for him growing up was his sister Racheal, who is also a Street Roots vendor. The two of them moved together to Portland because Kris did not want her to come by herself.
“Racheal is my sister — we didn’t always get along growing up — but we’re siblings, and I love her so much,” he said.
That connection to family, especially his nephews, is something he cherishes.
“Time has flown by with them — it makes me feel old,” he said. “I don’t see them now as often as I would like, but every once in a while, I get a video call. I wish I could see them more. I would tell them that I love them and I wish I could have been there a little bit more for them when they were going through some of their hard times.”
And his connection to family, including his chosen family at Street Roots, is a value he extends to his customers, friends and the city he loves.
“Street Roots is a gathering place,” Kris said. “It’s part of my family. I can charge my devices, meet up with friends. It has become an everyday routine.”
Street Roots has also provided stabilizing comfort and even a chance at romance.
“Street Roots is where I met my best friend of 8 years — we are dating,” Kris said. “I’ve met so many people just by being at Street Roots, drinking a cup of coffee. They’ve been there for me even when I just needed someone to tell me a joke and cheer me up.”
And he loves most things about Portland, except the weather. Kris, like most Portlanders, has grown a little weary of the rain at this point in the year. But he concedes the good that comes with all the rain too.
“I love the parks, especially when the cherry blossoms are blooming,” he said. “And I love the food carts. I especially love the Philly Cheese Steak from the block in Pioneer Square.”
Yet he thinks Portland can do better.
“I’ve met a lot of good people here, but I’ve also met some who have looked down at me,” Kris said. “My hope for Portland is that more people would try to give people opportunities instead of bringing people down. I’ve had people degrade me, spit in my face, cuss me out, all while selling the paper. All I could do was walk away.”
In the future, he’d like to go back to working as a tree trimmer. It’s something he did while living in Kennewick, Washington.
“I was responsible for going up in the tree and making sure everything was safe,” he said. “It was the most dangerous job I’ve had, but it was the one I loved doing every day.”
And it’s one that he’d like to turn into a small business that would focus on hiring people off the streets to give them an opportunity to grow their own careers. Providing opportunities for others is a lesson he learned from Street Roots.
“Street Roots means opportunity when no one else gave me one,” he said. “I don’t know what this city would be like without this organization.”
Kris sells Street Roots most days at Pioneer Square, often near Starbucks. Kris can also be supported via @StreetRoots Venmo by entering his name and badge number (768) 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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