The event kicks off with a 12:30 p.m. screening of the doc Inside Job. Afterward, University of Michigan philosopher and economist Frank Thompson will lead a discussion of subjects examined in the film, which provides a detailed look at the systemic corruption that led to the financial meltdown that erupted in 2008.
Another highlight of the event will by the 3 p.m. keynote talk given by Tom Weisskopf, professor emeritus of economics at University of Michigan. Weisskopf’s early days of study and teaching in India led him to a radical critique of political economy, as he came to believe that one could not “get a good understanding of how economies function without understanding class structure and political power, and the ways in which they shape economic institutions and policies.”
Also planned are three panel discussions: one dealing with America’s military-industrial complex and the effects of ongoing wars, another about the increasing assault of civil liberties in the wake of 9/11, and a third looking at economic issues affecting the Detroit metro region and Michigan, including the impact of local foreclosures and the imposition of emergency managers appointed to take control of municipalities and school districts across the state.
As Occupy Detroit begins to gear up for spring and summer, this event serves has a springboard for actions yet to come from a movement that hasn’t gone away.
Thursday, April 19 at Wayne State Law School’s Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium, 471 W. Palmer. Starts at 12:30 p.m. Free. For more info, contact Ron Aronson at 313-577-2525.
