Posted on 03/23/2010 5:19:32 AM PDT by DBCJR
The once mighty community activist group ACORN announced Monday it is folding amid falling revenues -- six months after video footage emerged showing some of its workers giving tax tips to conservative activists posing as a pimp and prostitute.
"It's really declining revenue in the face of a series of attacks from partisan operatives and right-wing activists that have taken away our ability to raise the resources we need," ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan said.
Several of its largest affiliates, including ACORN New York and ACORN California, broke away this year and changed their names in a bid to ditch the tarnished image of their parent organization and restore revenue that ran dry in the wake of the video scandal.
ACORN's financial situation and reputation went into free fall within days of the videos' release in September. Congress reacted by yanking ACORN's federal funding, private donors held back cash and scores of ACORN offices closed.
Earlier this month, a U.S. judge reiterated an earlier ruling that the federal law blacklisting ACORN and groups allied with it was unconstitutional because it singled them out. But that didn't mean any money would be automatically be restored.
Bertha Lewis, the CEO of ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, alluded to financial hardships in a weekend statement as the group's board prepared to deliberate by phone.
"ACORN has faced a series of well-orchestrated, relentless, well-funded right wing attacks that are unprecedented since the McCarthy era," she said. "The videos were a manufactured, sensational story that led to rush to judgment and an unconstitutional act by Congress."
ACORN's board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues, with some national operations will continue operating for at least several weeks before shutting for good, Whelan said Monday.
For years, ACORN could draw on 400,000 members to lobby for liberal causes, such as raising the minimum wage or adopting universal health care. ACORN was arguably most successful at registering hundreds of thousands of low-income voters, though that mission was dogged by fraud allegations, including that some workers submitted forms signed by 'Mickey Mouse' or other cartoon characters.
Its bullcrap.Just changing their name due to all the bad press.
They’re re-organizing as something else. You don’t really think the RATS are gonna let their gravy train go away do you?
ACORN has become obsolete. The federal government is now doing ACORN’s work for it.
This is total bs meant to merely disarm their detractors. There is no way that pos obammy is going to let this happen. They will simply reorganize under a different name or merge with organizing for america.
Really? To what?
The name ACORN is gone. But the corrupt people are not. Even roaches know to get back in the crevices when the light is turned on, only to come back later when it is safe.
They have hundreds of organizations by other names that they have funneled money through.
“though that mission was dogged by fraud allegations”
allegations? The Sun Times won’t report the truth when it has been documented in several states. When will we be rid of these bird cage fillers?
ACORN has hundreds of affiliated organizations they have funneled Fed dollars to that can carry on.
Uh...NO!
Changing the sign on the door to avoid their debt and “escape” their bad name.
Rebranding names:
•Former Acorn Housing - Affordable Housing Centers of America
•California Acorn - Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
•New York Acorn - New York communities for Change
http://freemenow.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/acorn-new-and-improved/
ACORN Int’l is now Community Organizations International (formally Acorn International)
http://www.communityorganizationsinternational.org/
This has gone beyond America.
They’ll be back in a different suit.
By doing this they hope to escape any possible court action.
They are all getting govt jobs. The media are such liars.
Someone will have to help them fill out their absentee voting ballots. The name ACORN may not be used, but these folks still have a job to do.
From Acorn’s statement, my comments in bold:
ACORN’s members have a great deal to be proud of—from promoting to homeownership [HIGHEST FORECLOSURE RATES SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION] to helping rebuild New Orleans [JUST THE LATIN QUARTER], from raising wages [OVER 16% UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED IN USA] to winning safer streets [FLASH MOBS IN PHILADELPHIA, 14 YEAR OLD GIRL BEATEN INTO COMA BY BOY IN FLORIDA . . . NEWS FROM TODAY], from training community leaders [WHO ADVISE PIMPS ON HOW TO TRAP LATIN GIRLS INTO SLAVERY] to promoting voter participation [FRAUDULENT VOTER PARTICIPATION ] —ACORN members have worked hard to create stronger to communities, a more inclusive democracy, and a more just nation
Just as Isildur cut the ring from the hand of Sauron and evil was vanquished for a time, the darkness just hid and reformed to try to cover the world with darkness later.
DON’T BELIEVE IT !!!!!!
This is a ruse that wants to get the eye off the ball...
Obambi is secretly funding them (think 2010, 2012) as well as setting up libs in state govts for election challenges (Soros...)
STAY VIGILANT!!!!
Oh my! LOVE the analogy!
They are not dis-banning. They have been starting new up-shoots, Same people different. name. The election will involve these people in full force to steal November election. The media reports are dishonest trick.
possible new names:
ACCE
NY Communities for change
New England united for justice.
Obama Administration Restores ACORN Funding
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CBoQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadafreepress.com%2Findex.php%2Farticle%2F21221&ei=JP-oS6DJLIaKlwfl9YyRDw&usg=AFQjCNFoVXpx8dhUp5Z3101edEtAyxjLpw
So ACORN, everyone's favorite nuthouse, finally closed its doors. I quietly mourned, just as I had when "Just Nuts" at the local mall shut down. It had 60 kinds of nuts, including the Ogbono - which isn't really a nut, but a drupe. Fun fact: macadamia is neither a nut or a drupe, but a follicle.
Maybe that wasn't a fun fact after all.
Kind of an opposite of a fun fact, if you ask me.
But you didn't. Anyway, with ACORN gone, it leads me to two thoughts. One: if it were a right-wing entity, and the pranksters were lefties - this would immediately turn into a mega-million dollar movie, directed by Steven Soderberg, with George Clooney comically hamming it up as the bad guy.
In fact, they should do that, anyway!
Turn ACORN into a drug company, with James O'keefe and Hannah Giles becoming whistleblowers who discover that the lifesaving cancer drug was made from fetuses! No wait. That won't matter. It's made from puppies! Right! puppies!
Matt Damon could play O'keefe, or possibly even Giles. He'll take any excuse to show off his marvelous legs.
But you get my point. In the past five years, we've had two very funny movies by Sasha Baron Cohen, a performer who used either racist or overly obnoxious characters to create discomfort among clueless Yanks (who, for the most part, reacted politely). But none of his pranks ever exposed corruption or real, deadly hate. I've said it before - Cohen, a Jew, would have scored more points if he hit a Willesden mosque, instead of a southern rodeo.
But he's the star.
Anyway, I look forward to the newest incarnation of ACORN. This stuff just doesn't go away, you know - it only finds another shell.
(What, you thought I wouldn't end with a nut metaphor?)
And if you disagree with me, you're a homophobe racist who bullies overweight flight attendants.
this is just the old trick of “if they think we’re dead they won’t chase us”.
Acorn ain’t goin anywhere especially with the $4b they got from the Stimulus pack
ACORN has hundreds of affiliated organization to which they have funneled money in the past.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.