Street roots., December 24, 2015, Page 9, Image 9

Street Roots • Dec. 24-31, 2015
News
Page 9
• - P H O T O B Y JOE GLO D E
Perry Gruber has developed Copiosis, an
economic system he believes can replace
capitalism.
COPIOSIS, from page 5
.
.
P H O T O BY JOE G LO D E
Children m aking Christmas ornaments a t the Family Preservation Project reunion and holiday party a t YW C A in downtown Portland, Dec. 20.
M im i Clinton, currently living
in Lake Oswego, an d her son
Jack, 4, a t the Family
Preservation Project reunion
and holiday party a t the YWCA.
M im i participated in the Family
Preservation Project while
incarcerated a t the Coffee Creek
Correctional Facility. “Jack was
really stressed out while I was
gone, and he was really anxious,
obviously, about not
understanding what was going
on, ” she said. "He was two when
I went in. Through FPP, I was
able to really learn how to talk
to him about it a n d be open. I t
made it something that was less
scary a nd ju s t life.”
opiosis is in the early stages, and nowhere
near the magnitude its founder intends for
it to reach.
There are a lot of challenges in growing
Copiosis, said Gruber, “but they’re not
insurmountable,”
For one, he said, the momentum of living in
a society where people have to earn a living
doesn’t leave a lot of extra time for
participating in something like Copiosis.
“Our system has destroyed community in a
lot of ways,” he said, noting that a participant
in Chico is having a hard time rallying others
to help with the cleaning of someone’s house.
“When it comes to the nitty gritty of taking
the action and weighing that against time that
they could be watching TV or relaxing or being
with their kids, it’s a difficult choice to make,”
Gruber said.
He also said opposition from people who
think “it’s a dumb idea” and technological
challenges are also standing in the way, but he
remains optimistic.
“I personally believe this is the wave of the
future, and no one else has produced what
we’ve produced so far in such a short amount
of time.”
He hopes other Portland neighborhoods will
want to launch their own demonstration
projects, which he is ready to initiate.
C
P H O T O B Y JOE GLODE
When its funding was on the line, the women
in the program organized to convince state
lawmakers of FPP’s value and role in
breaking the cycle of incarceration and
poverty. All but one of the women profiled in
the film are now free, and FPP continues to
operate.
After the ballet, the women and their
children gathered for a celebration at the
YWCA. The reunion was the first time in
many years the families were able to
celebrate the holidays together.
Photos by Joe Glode
Amanda Brohman said capitalism works.
“I think that with everything, there’s the
pros and the cons, and I think one of the eons
with capitalism is the greed and the
polarization, but in general, I’m pro
capitalism.”
Brohman grew up in the Portland metro
area and lives near Kenton with her husband,
who works in the tech industry, and two sons,
who attend B’s Preschool.
She offers organic chicken eggs from her
backyard coop, along with babysitting and
photography. She said she iikes the idea of
Copiosis because it brings her closer to her
community.
“I think about emergency preparedness,”
she said, “and that aspect of knowing your
neighbor and being helpful toward one another
drew me in.”
With a background in accounting, she said .
she questions how the algorithm captures
everything, but she said she.heiieves in the
idea, so she’d rather not worry about the
logistics, which can be figured out later if it
catches on.
“For m e / said Brohman, “it feels very much
like a help your neighbor out, or a pay it
forward.”
Katrina Going, 30,
from Corvallis with
her daughter
Kayvana, 11, a t the
Family Preservation
Project reunion and
holiday party.
Katrina participated
in FP P during the
last two years o f her
six year sentence.
P H O T O BY JOE G LO D E
emily@streetroots. org