Special Events
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OND Public Forum and Benefit for Strike Debt: Rolling Jubilee
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| This event is organized by Occupy Northern Dutchess and co-sponsored by Occupy New Paltz and Occupy Poughkeepsie. STRIKE DEBT: ROLLING JUBILEE is a strategy originating with Occupy Wall Street to strike at the heart of the debilitating role of debt in today’s economic life. Andrew Ross, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, and Astra Taylor, filmmaker and author, will speak on the purpose and activities of Rolling Jubilee Initiative. Satirist and poet, Mikhail Horowitz, and musician Gilles Malkine will provide entertainment. |
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| Our world is permeated by debt at every level. In the US, 62% of all bankruptcies are due to medical debt; student debt reached the one trillion dollar mark over a year ago; rising costs and stagnant wages have thrown millions into debt simply to maintain their livelihood; the housing crash, driven by predatory lending, led to millions of foreclosures and the concomitant loss of equity. For every $100 of income today, there is $154 of debt in the average U.S. household. Bundling individual debt into “packages,” financial institutions sell debt on an open market at a fraction of the value of the original loans, while buyers seek to collect on the debt or some profitable percentage of it. But “Jubilee” is the age-old practice of debt forgiveness, and today, Rolling Jubilee purchases these packages and abolishes individuals’ debt. Thousands have already had their medical debt disappear in this way. Contributions from liberated debtors and donations from supporters of the initiative make it possible for more loan packages to be purchased and more debt abolished — hence the name “Rolling” Jubilee. Occupy Northern Dutchess, Occupy New Paltz, and Occupy Poughkeepsie invite folks in the Hudson Valley to join the campaign. Suggested donation is $15. Proceeds will go toward the Occupy Wall Street STRIKE DEBT initiative. |
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| Occupy Northern Dutchess | |||||||||||||
| Rolling Jubilee | Strike Debt | ||||||||||||
