Michael Kane, a Street Roots vendor for seven years, was born and raised in Oregon, but he’s traveled around the world. As a member of the U.S. Navy, he was stationed in Hawai’i, Guam, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Czechia and other places. Although he reflects fondly on these experiences, he said none are as memorable as his time in war.
After graduating high school in Milwaukie, Mike followed several family members into the military, including his father, who was in the Army, and an older brother in the Air Force.
Shortly after enlisting in the Navy, the United States entered its first war with Iraq. Mike quickly deployed to Kuwait for Operation Desert Storm aboard the USS Acadia, a depot ship providing maintenance to a flotilla of warships.
Mike worked as a messenger in the machinery division, where he was responsible for monitoring the engine room. During this time, he said he made a series of mistakes he’s had to learn from.
“I almost killed everybody on my ship because I forgot to take the readings for an hour,” Mike said. “Another time, I was driving onto the base, and I’d been drinking a beer while helping someone move. I blew a .08 on a breathalyzer, and they put me in an open cell for months. After that, I figured it was time to leave the Navy.”
Despite these setbacks, Mike said he’s proud he received an honorable discharge from the Navy. Since then, he’s made his living working in various trades, often relying on job placement agencies.
“I’m a laborer, but labor doesn’t work for me,” Mike said. “I can do it, but I don’t like doing it every day. The worst thing I ever did was pull huge wooden trusses onto the roof of a barn. I was just waiting for it to end.”
Mike said he enjoys his work with Street Roots more. He doesn’t have a fixed place where he sells papers, but he prefers to travel around downtown Portland to find crowds.
“I go where the traffic is,” Mike said. “Selling papers is a numbers deal. It gives me something to do, but it takes a certain kind of person to handle the rejection and be OK with that. You put your smile on, and you try not to get too depressed just because there’s 20 minutes of no one buying.”
Mike relies on humor to build relationships with customers, and he has a few catchphrases that work well.
“I tell them the sun’s up, so it’s a good day for Street Roots,” Mike said.
Mike lived in downtown Portland for several years while receiving assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. However, he recently lost his apartment.
“I got my housing taken out from underneath me,” Mike said. “I wanted to move, but they pushed me out with no eviction notice. I had a hole in my door and bed bugs, but I didn’t get those things fixed.”
As he looks toward the future, Mike said he wants to take advantage of his lifelong interest in numbers.
“I’m thinking about saving money for my business ideas,” Mike said. “A business is a bunch of numbers. Obviously, there’s more to it than that, but that’s what it comes down to.”
Mike stays optimistic by showing gratitude for his hometown.
“Portland has a lot of resources,” Mike said. “It’s the best city I know of. It’s my town.”
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