25-year-old vendor is getting back on his feet Garret O’Malley was born and raised in Portland. He is 25 years old, smart and hardworking. And he is homeless. While it is difficult for Garret to talk about his current situation, he easily talks about his ...
22 Oct 2015 - Leonora Ko
“I started selling newspapers. I felt that I had a purpose in life, that dying was not a good idea.” Billy Meyer has lost family members, but he has found a new family. His first family adopted him when he and his twin sister were 3 days old. “I grew up ...
3 Sep 2015 - Leonora Ko
Melissa Sayson says she's 'the protector' on the streets Melissa Sayson came to Oregon to pay it forward. “I was in the process of getting spinal surgery,” Melissa says. “They told me I had a 70 percent chance I wouldn’t speak or walk again ...
20 Aug 2015 - Leonora Ko
A childhood in Hawaii and adulthood in Oregon bookend a decade in Hiroshima. Ed Kawasaki is a hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bomb. Ed Kawasaki, born and raised in Hawaii, was visiting Hiroshima in 1945 when the U.S. military exploded the atomic bomb ...
31 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
Louis Adams has moved into Bud Clark Commons after medical issues pushed him to top of waiting list Louis Adams is back indoors after being homeless for 17 years. “It is just like winning the lottery,” he says. Louis had just been chased out of his campin ...
30 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
Michael Krieger has an electrifying connection to a popular reality show. “You ever hear of that guy?” Michael asks. “The Cake Boss? He’s on TLC.” He explains: “I’m an electrician by trade. (The Cake Boss) has a huge building where he makes all of his pas ...
20 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
Fluffy Seymour has found a place where he can be himself. He grew up in the California foothills and came out when he was around 12 years old. To protect him, his mom moved the family to urban Sacramento, a more liberal community. “She’s big, she loves me ...
10 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
"The houseless community is full of all different types of people, but the key is that we’re people" Brian Castor is houseless and a model neighbor. “I keep my roll military-tight, so everything is straight and even. Both me and my girl have OCD ...
6 Jul 2015 - Leonora Ko
Unrest lured the Rev. Osagyefo Sekou away from the pulpit and into the streets ‘in the communion of protest’ The Rev. Osagyefo Sekou — organizer, pastor, theologian and author — has found a new calling on the front lines of Ferguson and Baltimore. Sekou ...
19 Jun 2015 - Leonora Ko
The activist talks home, activism and engagement from the streets When Amber Dunks sits down for her interview, she is clearly exhausted. She explains that while her fiancé has a job, he returns late, and last night they had a difficult time finding a s ...
29 May 2015 - Leonora Ko