Blog Archive
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Is Strike Debt still active?
Strike Debt is a decentralized network of debt resisters, including activists, artists, and organizers. Started in New York City in 2012, Strike Debt has achieved much since its origin: the creation of anti-debt organizations around the US, the writing and publication of The Debt Resisters’ Operations Manual, and the material support and organizational base for …
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All Our Grievances Are Connected
In the United States we are finally witnessing a steadily increasing backlash against police militarization, murder at the hands of police and the general devaluation of Black life. At the same time, there is a growing movement against debt in our society: the fact that in order to survive — to get ourselves basic needs like food, shelter, healthcare and education — we are forced to go into debt. It may not be apparent on first glance, but there are deep connections between these struggles.
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Department of Education Announces Sale of 56 Corinthian Campuses, Solidifies Its Support of Criminal For-Profit Colleges Instead of Defrauded Students
The Department of Education should be a responsible steward of the nation’s colleges and universities. These days it’s acting more like a debt collector for a predatory lender. Today’s announcement of the sale of 56 Corinthian College campuses to Education Credit Management Corporation really drives this fact home. As former Everest student Geovanna Nieves noted, …
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Rolling Jubilee Student Debt Buy
Strike Debt’s Rolling Jubilee project has abolished almost $4 million in private student debt for a little over $100,000 These debts were held by students who attended Everest College, a predatory for-profit institution in the Corinthian Colleges network. You can read a sample letter received by debtors here. Details about the purchase are available here. …
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Coming on September 17 – Rolling Jubilee Debt Buy #4
This time, it’s different. Since the beginning of the Rolling Jubilee campaign, we’ve wanted to buy and abolish student debt. But most student loans are guaranteed by the federal government, and so they are not available for purchase. As part of our effort to buy private, unsecured student loans, we talked to Doug St. Peters, …
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Reportback from the First Debtors’ Assembly at Southern Illinois University
By Strike Debt Carbondale Reposted from Midwest Campus Crisis We held a Debtors’ Assembly on April 10 outside of the Student Center on Southern Illinois University campus. Inspired by Strike Debt, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, our only plan for the assembly was to come with some personal stories about how debt affects our …
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Cloudy with a Chance of Radicalism: How Broken Chain of Title Can Turn the Tables on Banks
In an earlier post on this website, we told the story of Richmond, California, a small city with big plans to end its foreclosure crisis via a novel use of eminent domain. If successful, this plan could set a nationwide precedent, and Strike Debt Bay Area (@StrikedebtBA), among other groups, is fighting to push it …
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Nine Arguments For Debt Refusal
By Andrew Ross Every other day brings us fresh headlines about malfeasance, fraud and continued predatory behavior on the part of the finance industry. Morally speaking, bankers are the most depraved and derelict actors in our society. And yet they continue to rely upon heavy-duty moralism to enforce debtors’ obligations. What is an appropriate response? …
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Commonly asked questions: Aren’t the debts you buy “worthless,” or “uncollectable”?
[We get a lot of questions by email, and we do our best to respond to each and every one personally. Though we have a short FAQ on the Rolling Jubilee website, many questions deserve more in-depth responses. We’ve decided to post longer answers to some of the more common questions on this blog, in …
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Reflections on the History of Debt Resistance: The Case of El Barzón
By George Caffentzis Originally published in the dossier, Against the Day, in the fall 2013 issue of South Atlantic Quarterly Introduction As part of my work with Strike Debt, I have been reexamining the history of debt resistance in order to place our organization in a historic perspective. Elsewhere, I have studied ancient, medieval, and …
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Rolling Jubilee – Third Debt Buy
Strike Debt has just abolished $13.5 million in medical debt! Now it’s time to fight back – http://strikedebt.org/act We are pleased to announce that Rolling Jubilee has purchased and abolished two additional portfolios totaling $13.5 million in medical debt, abolishing debt for 2,693 individuals across 45 states and Puerto Rico! These debts ranged from $50 …
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Life or Debt: Food is a Human Right
By Sean McAlpin On November 1, almost 20% of the population of the United States (around 50 million people) will get a significant reduction in their access to food because of cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Most people who rely on SNAP benefits will not be notified ahead of time because there …
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Can a Small California City Take on Wall Street—And Survive?
More than ten million foreclosures have piled up nationwide since the beginning of the mortgage crisis (Silver-Greenberg), forcing untold millions of people out of their homes. Egregious but all-too-common corporate practices contributed to the disaster: robo-signed or plainly fraudulent paperwork; borrowers with prime credit scores receiving subprime loans based on race. A series of government …
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An Update on the Rolling Jubilee
Statement from The Rolling Jubilee Fund legal team: September 24, 2013 We have been advising the founders of The Rolling Jubilee Fund since August 2012. We have worked with them in connection with entity formation, corporate governance and related issues, including transactional and corporate matters. We invited David Miller from Cadwalader onto the legal team …
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How far to free?
[share this image on Facebook and Twitter] [Updated October 17, 2014] How much would it cost to make every public two- and four-year college and university in the United States tuition-free for all students? Much less than you think. According to our estimate, after stripping off the amount that the government already spends to …
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“Don’t Owe, Won’t Pay!”: A Conversation with a French Debt Resistor
Detroit is the epicenter of failed capitalism in America. The city has suffered decades of neglect as capital has fled, leaving a majority African American population to suffer the consequences, including high unemployment, poverty, and the gutting of public services. Yet, things are about to get worse. Kevyn Orr, the city’s unelected emergency manager (as …
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Strike Student Debt, Not Just Interest Rates
Once again, Congress is talking about how to fix student debt without actually talking about student debt or the cost of higher education. To date, the negotiations have been focused on where to set the interest rate charged to students. It currently stands at 3.4% but is set to double on July first to 6.8%. …
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Death By For-Profit Health Care
This report is part of an ongoing effort by a group of health care practitioners, lawyers, researchers, and activists to expose the disastrous impact of medical debt and for-profit health care on families and individuals in the United States.
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Rolling Jubilee – Second Debt Buy
The Rolling Jubilee team has some big news! We are very happy to announce that we have completed our second purchase of medical debt. This time, we bought and abolished over $1 million in debt from emergency rooms in Kentucky and Indiana. The average debtor owed around $900 and we will be abolishing the debt …
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Commonly asked questions: Why can’t you buy my debt?
[We get a lot of questions by email, and we do our best to respond to each and every one personally. Though we have a short FAQ on the Rolling Jubilee website, many questions deserve more in-depth responses. We’ve decided to post longer answers to some of the more common questions on this blog, in a …
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Chat with a Doctor
Please enter a Nickname, then click on the “Connect” button. A medical practitioner will be waiting to take your questions!
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Healthcare Emergency:
It’s a Matter of “Life or Debt”Join Strike Debt for a Week of Action to Declare a Healthcare Emergency: It’s a Matter of “Life or Debt” March 16 – March 23 Main events in NYC March 21: Strike Private Health Insurance March 23: A Day of Free Healthcare and Education Read about our latest purchase – $1 MILLION in Emergency Room …
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RJ Interview with Tax Analysts
The Rolling Jubilee was developed in consultation with a legal team who recently did an interview with Tax Analysts, a news website for tax professionals. David S. Miller has been ranked the top tax lawyer in the United States for the seven consecutive years by the United States Lawyer Rankings. He is considered one of “The …
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Commonly asked questions: Why does it take so long to buy debt?
[We get a lot of questions by email, and we do our best to respond to each and every one personally. Though we have a short FAQ on the Rolling Jubilee website, many questions deserve more in-depth responses. We’ve decided to post longer answers to some of the more common questions on this blog, in …
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Visioning Session: Debt, Privilege and Common Struggle
Strike Debt is calling for a movement-wide conversation on Debt, Privilege, and Common Struggle to be held on January 21st, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day. http://www.facebook.com/events/633545176675063/ If you are in NYC, join us Judson Memorial Church at 12pm If you are not in NYC, or are joining after January 21st, you can use the following …
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A Fiscal Cliff For The 99%
Forget the game of smoke and mirrors that was played out on Capitol Hill on New Year’s Eve. The American people were run off a cliff many years ago. The only thing that keeps us from falling hard is the suspension of disbelief in the myths peddled as fiscal common sense in Washington and Wall …
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Strike Debt x Dresshead Long Floral Printed Long Sleeve Maxi Dress
All eyes will be on you when you enter wearing this women’s Dresshead x Strike Debt Long Floral Printed Long Sleeve Maxi Dress. It features two slits down the front of the dress, exposing each leg beautifully. The top has an elasticized neckline that pulls down over the shoulder. The dress has short sleeves that …
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An Update on the Rolling Jubilee
Season’s Greetings from Strike Debt! The Rolling Jubilee has struck a chord around the country and the world, giving rise to a remarkable outpouring of goodwill and support. The fund has exceeded our wildest expectations. We set out with the goal of raising $50,000 in order to abolish approximately 1 million dollars worth of debt. …
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Shouldering the Costs: Who Pays in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy?
This is a preliminary report on the economic effects of Hurricane Sandy on New York City. The report examines how the use of loans as the main form of “aid” to disaster-impacted communities is not effective at addressing individual or community needs. Further, the use of loans may lead to disastrous longer-term economic consequences for the impacted communities.