Today, I’d like to talk to you about NCLEJ’s efforts to advance economic justice for low-income communities by ending the predatory practice of unlawful debt collection.

Debt collection falls disproportionately upon the shoulders of America’s most marginalized people. Because of their lack of generational wealth, Black and Brown families are more likely to struggle with high debt loads, often from medical bills and court fines. In fact, medical debt is the single largest source of personal bankruptcy in the United States.

When people struggle to pay this debt, the ramifications are high: debt collectors and state agencies can empty people’s bank accounts, leaving families without money to put food on the table. States also may take away driver’s licenses, depriving many Americans of their primary mode of transportation.

This is not a bug, but rather a feature of our country’s debt collection systems. Governments perversely use excessive fines, fees, and forfeitures to generate millions of dollars in revenue. They target Black and Brown communities, low-income people, and immigrants who are less likely to have safety nets. These excessive fines and fees balloon into vicious debt cycles, unemployment, and poverty for those targeted.

We believe that this system is unfair, unjust, and unacceptable. That’s why NCLEJ is fighting to end predatory debt collection practices against low-income communities of color.

As part of the Driven by Justice Coalition, we succeeded in convincing then-Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York to reform Driver’s License suspension regulations so that people don’t lose their licenses because of unpaid debt. We’re fighting in Montgomery, Alabama to redress practices that fueled a modern-day debtor’s prison. And we’re forcefully speaking out against punitive policing practices in Buffalo, New York that levy high fines and fees against Black and Brown communities.

State governments must stop targeting low-income communities with exorbitant fines and fees that they cannot afford to pay. If you agree, then sign on to support our efforts.

Thank you,

Dennis Parker
Executive Director, National Center for Law and Economic Justice