In Dialogue: Lil B talks music, humanity, and homelessness
By Alastair Boone and Elias Domingo on After he dropped the song “Street Spirit Newspaper" in February 2020, we connected with Lil B to talk about his life, career, the song, and more.
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Tyrone Jones: Husband, landscaper, adventurer
By Noah Baustin on Street Spirit vendor Tyrone Jones selling papers by the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street. But Berkeley feels like a far cry from Jones’s childhood in a small community north of St. Louis, Missouri.
East Bay porta-potties plagued by problems, some better than others
By Nick Burt on East Bay cities pay for porta potty service at some of the encampments, but the portable toilets are often in disarray. Why?
East Bay memorials honor lives lost on the street
cheema sits in her home in front of an altar for lives lost on the street. (Thomas Brouns) December brought
My first holiday free, alone, and away from my prison family
By Jonathan Chiu on This year, I’m spending my first Christmas in 16 years as a free man, but because of the pandemic, I am again separated from my family. I feel the same loneliness I felt inside, but it’s by choice.
Rain or shine, grassroots organizations distribute aid to unhoused
By Thomas Brouns on A handful of dedicated volunteers from spent a cold, wet December day delivering supplies to East Bay homeless encampments. Volunteer events like this help fill the gaps that are left by local governments and official service providers.
Among the unhoused, mixed reactions to presidential election results
By Thomas Brouns on Street Spirit spent some time asking encampment residents to share their thoughts on the outcome of the presidential election.
The battle over Union Point Park
By Katherine Blesie on Oakland has been trying to close the encampment at Union Point Park for years. But a new legal battle will likely close the camp in February—for good.
Al Mayfield: Jazz musician, fisherman, optimist
By Simone Rotman on On Friday November 13, Al Mayfield sells Street Spirit at his usual spot: the corner of College Avenue and Shafter,
How to support unsheltered people in the winter months
By Street Spirit staff on Living outside is never easy, but the rain and cold create additional burdens for unhoused people. The following is a list of items to keep on hand to help meet the immediate needs of unsheltered people during the winter months.
What’s that book Street Spirit vendors are selling?
By Alastair Boone on In July 2019, Rick Paulas generously donated hundreds of copies of his book, Eastern Span, for Street Spirit vendors to sell along with their papers. That experiment was a success—some vendors earned hundreds of extra dollars during the months they were selling his novel. Because of this success, he donated an additional 775 books for our vendors to sell in the coming months.
Olantis Livingston: the Big Man of Downtown Berkeley
By Katherine Blesie on Meet longtime Street Spirit vendor Olantis Livingston. “I’ve been through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and this right here is my therapy.”