Occupy Activists Buy, 'Liberate' Bad Debt

Occupy Wall Street campaigners have a new target: distressed debt. A project called Rolling Jubillee is soliciting donations to buy up bad debts at bargain prices and cancel them, the Telegraph reports. So far they've only bought $14,000 in debt for $500, but they want to refill their coffers and expand nationwide. The debts they cancel include housing, outstanding medical bills, and student loans—but they can't eliminate a specific person's debt, according to their website.

Still, it's "a simple, powerful way to help folks in need—to free them from heavy debt loads so they can focus on being productive, happy and healthy," writes organizer David Rees on his blog. And only $50,000 can free up $1 million in debt, according to a Rolling Jubilee video posted on YouTube. "We bailed out the banks and in return they turned their backs on us," says an activist in the video. "It's time for a bailout of the people, by the people." (See what Occupiers are doing for Superstorm Sandy victims.)