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{{Short description|Socio-economic community advocacy group}}
{{Infobox Organization
{{Infobox organization
|name = Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now |name = Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
|image = ACORN.svg |image = Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (logo).svg
|image_border = |image_border =
|size = 200px
|caption = |caption =
|map = |map =
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|motto = |motto =
|formation = 1970 |formation = 1970
|dissolved =
|type = ] |type = ]
|status = |status = Active; defunct (US)
|purpose = |purpose =
|headquarters = ] |headquarters =
|location = |location =
|region_served = ], ], ], ], ], ] |region_served = {{hlist | United States | ] | Argentina | Mexico | India | Canada | United Kingdom}}
|membership = |membership =
|language = |language =
|leader_title = ] |leader_title =
|leader_name = ] (2008–present)<ref> |leader_name =
{{cite news
|publisher=New York Times |date=October 7, 2009 |accessdate=2009-10-07 |authorlink=Jim Rutenberg |first=Jim
|last=Rutenberg
|title=Acorn Chief Denounces Air of ‘McCarthyism’ |work=The Politics and Government Blog of the Times
|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/acorn-chief-denounces-air-of-mccarthyism/?scp=1&sq=%22Bertha%20Lewis%22%20%22Maude%20Hurd%22&st=Search}}</ref>
|main_organ = |main_organ =
|parent_organization = |parent_organization =
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|num_staff = |num_staff =
|num_volunteers = |num_volunteers =
|budget = US$25 Million, 10% federal funding<ref name=msnbc/> |budget =
|website =
}} }}


The '''Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now''' ('''ACORN''') was a collection of ]-based organizations in the ] that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, ], ], affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN had over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters<ref name=csm>{{cite news|publisher=]|title=What is the ACORN controversy about?|author=Michael B. Farrell|date=2009-09-16|url=http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/16/what-is-the-acorn-controversy-about/}}</ref> in over 100 cities across the U.S.,<ref name="about-acorn"/> as well as in ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2617|title=What does ACORN do?|publisher=ACORN|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> ACORN was founded in 1970 by ] and Gary Delgado.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/community-organizing.shtml |last=Walls |first=David |authorlink =David Walls (academic) |title=Power to the People: Thirty-five Years of Community Organizing |work=The Workbook |month=Summer |year=1994 |accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> Maude Hurd has been National President since 1990; Bertha Lewis was appointed CEO in 2008. The '''Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now''' ('''ACORN''') is an international collection of autonomous ]-based organizations that advocates for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, ], ], ], and other ]s. They, along with a number of other community unions, are affiliated under ].<ref name="PP"/>


== Organization ==
ACORN's priorities have included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools, and other social justice issues. ACORN pursued these goals through demonstration, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation.<ref name=r8144>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1139&L=0%3Fid%3D8144|publisher=ACORN (press release)|title=New Report Finds Widespread Local Use of Affordable Housing Program Being Currently Debated in Congress|date=2002-07-23}}</ref> ACORN was composed of a number of legally distinct ] entities including a nationwide ] established as a ] that performed ]; local chapters established as ] ] charities. These entities supported ] causes.
In the US, ACORN was composed of a number of legally distinct ] entities and affiliates including a nationwide ] established as a ] that performed ]; local chapters established as ] ] charities; and the national nonprofit and nonstock organization, ACORN Housing Corporation. ACORN's priorities included: better housing and wages for the poor, more ] investment from banks and governments, better public schools, ] causes and ] issues. ACORN pursued these goals through ], ], ] for legislation, and ].<ref name=r8144>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1139&L=0%3Fid%3D8144|publisher=ACORN (press release)|title=New Report Finds Widespread Local Use of Affordable Housing Program Being Currently Debated in Congress|date=2002-07-23|access-date=October 9, 2008|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927100659/http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1139&L=0%3Fid%3D8144|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Unlike in the US, ACORN groups in other countries have little organizational funding.<ref name="PP"/> Under the ACORN model, most members are volunteers. Employed union organizers come from those working in local ACORN campaigns rather than from existing organizations and are paid a low wage.<ref name="PP"/> The union works on local and national level campaigns.<ref name="PP"/>
During the ], political controversy emerged over voter registration fraud by four ACORN employees.<ref name="KC_MO" /> In 2009, selectively edited videos were released by two ] activists using a hidden camera to elicit damaging responses from low-level ACORN employees that appeared to advise them how to hide prostitution activities and avoid taxes.<ref name="CA AG Report"/> This created a ] resulting in a loss of funding from government and private donors.<ref name=bankruptcy>{{cite news|first=Ian|last=Urbina|date=March 19, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html|title=Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say |publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=2010-03-20}}</ref><ref name=foxnewsvideo>{{cite news|publisher=]|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549241,00.html|title=Second Video Shows ACORN Officials Helping 'Pimp,' 'Prostitute' in Washington Office|date=September 11, 2009|accessdate=2009-09-11}}</ref><ref name=cbs>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/27/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4483168.shtml|title=ACORN Issue Fueling Bailout Opposition|accessdate=|author=]|date=September 27, 2008|work=CBS News|publisher=}}</ref>


==History==
By March 2010, 15 of ACORN's 30 state chapters had closed and at least two others had severed ties with ACORN.<ref name=bankruptcy/> On March 22, 2010, ACORN announced it was closing its remaining affiliated state chapters and disbanding due to falling revenue.<ref name=acornfolds>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589768,00.html|title=ACORN Closing in Wake of Scandal|accessdate=March 22, 2010|date=March 22, 2010|work=FOX News|publisher=}}</ref> On December 11, 2009, a federal judge in New York, ], ruled that Congress had violated the Constitution when it passed a resolution barring ACORN from receiving federal funds.<ref name="times-acorn-lorber">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/us/politics/12acorn.html|title=House Ban on Acorn Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional|work=]|last=Lorber|first=Janie|page=A12|date=December 11, 2009|accessdate=February 1, 2010}}</ref> On August 13, 2010, a federal appeals court reversed that decision, citing a study finding that ACORN received only 10 percent of its funding from federal sources, and thus the resolution did not constitute punishment.<ref name=AP-08-13-10>Hays, Tom. {{dead link|date=December 2010}}. ] (via ] Alaska), August 13, 2010.</ref>
{{Further|History of ACORN in the United States}}
Founded in 1970 by ] and Gary Delgado,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/community-organizing.shtml |last=Walls |first=David |author-link =David Walls (academic) |title=Power to the People: Thirty-five Years of Community Organizing |work=The Workbook |date=Summer 1994 |access-date=2010-12-03| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101115100115/http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/community-organizing.shtml| archive-date= 15 November 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> at its peak ACORN had over 500,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S.<ref name=csm>{{cite news|newspaper=]|title=What is the ACORN controversy about?|author=Michael B. Farrell|date=2009-09-16|url=http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/09/16/what-is-the-acorn-controversy-about/}}</ref><ref name="about-acorn">{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342|title=Who is ACORN? (organization homepage)|access-date=2009-09-15|archive-date=December 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231215325/http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2002, ] was created to aid the spread of ACORN's model to other countries.<ref name=":1" /> There are currently ACORN affiliates in ], ], ], ],<ref name="AGMT">A. Gilchrist and M. Taylor, ''The Short Guide to Community Development'' 2nd edn (Bristol: ], 2016)</ref> ],<ref name="JT">J. Talpin, '' (29/06/17) on metropolitics.org</ref> ], ], ], ], ], ], ],<ref name="PS">P. Smythe, '' (29/04/20) in '']''</ref> ], ], and ].<ref name="AGMT" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 May 2023 |title=ACORN International |url=https://acorninternational.org/ |website=ACORN International}}</ref>


], ACORN suffered a damaging ] in the fall of 2009 after ] and Hannah Giles secretly made, edited and released videos of interactions with low-level ACORN personnel in several of their offices, leading to several investigations by state officials that concluded the videos were inaccurately portraying the personnel as encouraging criminal behavior.<ref name=":0"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112143648/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/01/calif-ag-determines-acorn-broke-criminal-laws/ |date=November 12, 2010 }} FOX News; April 1, 2010</ref><ref name=":2"></ref><ref name=":3">, '']'', December 8, 2009</ref><ref name=":4"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213181344/http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1654%3Anpq-on-acorn-investigation-results&catid=58%3Anpq-in-the-news&Itemid=54 |date=December 13, 2009 }}, ''The Nonprofit Quarterly''</ref><ref name="nymag1">, '']''; March 2, 2010</ref><ref name="NYT2010Newman">{{cite news|last=Newman|first=Andrew|title=Advice to Fake Pimp Was No Crime, Prosecutor Says|work=]|date=2010-03-01|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html|access-date=2010-03-07| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100325060338/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html| archive-date= 25 March 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="Salon2010Madden">{{cite web|last=Madde|first=Mike|title=Brooklyn prosecutors clear local ACORN office|work=]|date=2010-03-01|url=http://www.salon.com/2010/03/01/acorn_cleared/|access-date=2010-03-07}}</ref> The organization didn't recover from the negative publicity in the US and dissolved,<ref name=bankruptcy>{{cite news |first=Ian |last=Urbina |date=March 19, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html |title=Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2010-03-20| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100323024816/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/us/politics/20acorn.html| archive-date= 23 March 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=foxnewsvideo>{{cite news|publisher=]|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549241,00.html|title=Second Video Shows ACORN Officials Helping 'Pimp,' 'Prostitute' in Washington Office|date=September 11, 2009|access-date=2009-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913020053/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549241,00.html|archive-date=2009-09-13|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=cbs>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/acorn-issue-fueling-bailout-opposition/|title=ACORN Issue Fueling Bailout Opposition|author=Ryan Grim|author-link=Ryan Grim|date=September 27, 2008|work=CBS News}}</ref><ref name=acornfolds>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/acorn-closing-in-wake-of-scandal|title=ACORN Closing in Wake of Scandal|access-date=March 22, 2010|date=March 22, 2010|work=FOX News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325063906/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589768,00.html|archive-date=March 25, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">; Los Angeles Times; November 2, 2010</ref> with ACORN members and organizers forming new organizations such as the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action.<ref name=ACCE>{{cite press release |title=January 13th Statement |publisher=Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment |date=January 13, 2010 |url=http://www.calorganize.org/node/683 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414092307/http://www.calorganize.org/node/683 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2013 |quote=The leadership and staff that were working with ACORN in California made the decision to break off from ACORN and launch a new organization here in California called Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). |access-date=2011-05-12 }}</ref><ref name="jsonline.com">{{cite news|url=https://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/97339544.html|title=Milwaukee chosen to pilot program aimed at foreclosures|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=June 28, 2010|access-date=December 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720130342/https://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/97339544.html/|archive-date=July 20, 2010 }}</ref><ref name=bankruptcy/> ACORN groups outside of the US continued unaffected. ACORN, under ACORN International, still works within the US through its Home Savers Campaign, for example.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Akers |first1=Joshua |last2=Seymour |first2=Eric |last3=Butler |first3=Diné |last4=Rathke |first4=Wade |title=Liquid Tenancy: 'Post-crisis' economies of displacement, community organizing, and new forms of resistance |journal=Radical Housing Journal |date=4 April 2019 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=9–28 |doi=10.54825/JGJT2051|doi-access=free}}</ref>
On November 2, 2010, ACORN filed for ] liquidation, effectively closing the organization.<ref>; Los Angeles Times; November 2, 2010</ref>


==Issues and actions== == Issues and actions ==
=== Predatory lending and affordable housing === ===Predatory lending and affordable housing===
ACORN investigates complaints against companies accused of ] practices. ACORN also works to support strict state laws against predatory practices, organizes against ], and steers borrowers toward loan counseling;<ref name="ACORN_2003"/> Following a three-year campaign, Household International (now owned by ] and renamed ]), one of the largest ] in the country, and ACORN announced on November 25, 2003 a proposed settlement of a 2002 national ] brought by ACORN. The settlement created a $72 million foreclosure avoidance program to provide relief to household borrowers who are at risk of losing their homes.<ref name="ACORN_2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8500|title=ACORN Annual Report 2003|publisher=ACORN|year=2003|accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref> The settlement came on the heels of an earlier $484 million settlement between Household, Attorneys General, and bank regulators from all 50 US states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atg.wa.gov/householdfinance/facts.shtml|title=Household Finance Settlement|publisher = Washington State Office of the Attorney General|date=2003-12-05|accessdate=2007-11-12|archivedate=2007-09-27|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060927065346/http://www.atg.wa.gov/householdfinance/facts.shtml}}</ref> ACORN investigated complaints against companies accused of ] practices. ACORN also worked to support strict state laws against predatory practices, organized against ], and steered borrowers toward loan counseling;<ref name="ACORN_2003"/> Following a three-year campaign, Household International (now owned by ] and renamed ]), one of the largest ] in the country, and ACORN announced on November 25, 2003, a proposed settlement of a 2002 national ] brought by ACORN. The settlement created a $72 million foreclosure avoidance program to provide relief to household borrowers who were at risk of losing their homes.<ref name="ACORN_2003">{{cite web |url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8500|title=ACORN Annual Report 2003|publisher=ACORN|year=2003|access-date=2007-11-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928100304/http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8500| archive-date= 28 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The settlement came on the heels of an earlier $484 million settlement between Household, Attorneys General, and bank regulators from all 50 U.S. states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atg.wa.gov/householdfinance/facts.shtml|title=Household Finance Settlement|publisher = Washington State Office of the Attorney General|date=2003-12-05|access-date=2007-11-12|archive-date=2006-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927065346/http://www.atg.wa.gov/householdfinance/facts.shtml}}</ref>


===Voter registration===
ACORN and its affiliates advocate for affordable housing by urging the development, rehabilitation and establishment of housing ] at the local, state, and federal levels.<ref name=a44>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=44|publisher=ACORN|title=Affordable Housing|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> The group also pushes for enforcement of affordable-housing requirements for developers and promotes programs to help homeowners repair their homes and organize tenant demands.<ref name=a44/> An ACORN official voiced support for a proposal ] made during the presidential primary election to create a federal fund for distressed homeowners.<ref></ref>
Since the 1980s, ACORN conducted large-scale voter registration drives,<ref>Christopher Hayes, '']'', September 1, 2008, </ref> focusing primarily on registering poor and minority citizens.<ref name="APMud">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-10-18-3995453887_x.htm| title=ACORN controversy: Voter fraud or mudslinging?| agency=Associated Press| date=2008-10-18 | first=Deborah | last=Hastings | work=USA Today}}</ref><ref name="MiamiFuror"> ''],'' 2008-10-24. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Living wages===
] to replace signage lost in the ] disaster.]]

] ordinances require private businesses that do business with the government to pay their workers a wage that enables them to afford basic necessities. ACORN has helped pass local living wage laws in 15 cities including ], ], ], and ]. ACORN maintains a website that provides strategic and logistical assistance to organizations nationwide.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

===Katrina relief===
ACORN members across the country, particularly in the ] region, have organized fund-raising and organizing drives to ensure that victims of ] will receive assistance and will be able to return to affected areas.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} ACORN's home clean-out demonstration program has gutted and rebuilt over 1,850 homes with the help of volunteers. The ACORN Katrina Survivors Association formed in the aftermath of the storm is the first nationwide organization for Katrina survivors and has been working for equitable treatment for victims. Displaced citizens were bused into the city for the ] primary and general elections. ACORN says its Housing Services have helped more than 2,000 homeowners affected by the storm and is an official planner working with the city on reconstruction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=9703|title=Two years after Katrina, still fighting and winning|year=2005|publisher=ACORN|accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref>


===Education=== ===Education===
ACORN pushes ] usually in the form of organizing neighborhood groups and "community" or "ACORN schools". In ], ACORN has advocated for a certified teacher to be in every classroom. In ], ACORN has documented the need for textbooks and school repairs. ACORN works with teachers unions to get money for school construction and more funding for schools.<ref name="ACORN_school_overview">{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2660|title=School Overview |publisher=ACORN|accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref> ACORN also supports school reform and the "creation of alternative public schools" such as ]s.<ref name="ACORN_school_overview"/><ref name=a735>{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=735|publisher=ACORN|title=Detailed History of ACORN:New Victories, 1995-2002|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> ACORN opposed the privatization of some NYC schools, favoring its own Charter School plan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2001/03/14/26edison.h20.html|date=2001-03-14|title=N.Y.C. Parents To Vote on Edison Charter Plan|author=Mark Walsh|publisher=Education Week}}</ref> The ACORN model for schools emphasizes small classes, parent involvement, qualified teachers and "community-oriented curricula".<ref name=a735/> In 2001, ACORN opposed the privatization of some ], favoring its own ] plan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2001/03/14/26edison.h20.html|date=2001-03-14|title=N.Y.C. Parents To Vote on Edison Charter Plan|author=Mark Walsh|newspaper=Education Week}}</ref>

===Voter registration===
ACORN has conducted large-scale voter registration drives since at least the 1980s,<ref>Christopher Hayes, '']'', September 1, 2008, </ref> focusing primarily on poor and minority citizens.<ref name="APMud">{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-10-18-3995453887_x.htm| title=ACORN controversy: Voter fraud or mudslinging?| agency=Associated Press| date=2008-10-18 | first=Deborah | last=Hastings}}</ref><ref name="MiamiFuror">{{dead link|date=December 2010}} ''],'' 2008-10-24.</ref> During the 2008 election season, ACORN gathered over 1.3 million voter registration forms in 21 states. Some of these registration forms were flagged by ACORN's internal auditors for review by election officials. It was estimated by ] that 400,000 registrations collected by ACORN were ultimately rejected, the vast majority for being duplicate registrations submitted by citizens (which is also common at government voter registration services according to reports on the ] by the U.S. ]). An unknown number of registrations were fraudulent, but Project Vote estimated that only a few percent were based on past years and samples from some drives in 2008.<ref name="NYTTally">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/us/politics/24acorn.html|title=Groups Tally of New Voters Was Vastly Overstated|publisher=New York Times|date=2008-10-23|first1=Michael|last1=Falcone|first2=Michael|last2=Moss|accessdate=2010-03-27}}</ref> No official in states where voter registration drives were conducted have come forward with substantial numbers of fraudulent registrations. It was estimated by Project Vote that 450,000 of the registrations collected by ACORN represented first-time voters, while the remainder were address changes submitted by citizens updating their addresses.<ref name="NYTTally"/>

As required by law in most states, ACORN must submit all registration forms collected by its workers, including those flagged by ACORN as incomplete or suspicious. Fraudulent voter registrations are investigated at local, state, and federal levels, and have sometimes resulted in criminal convictions for ACORN employees. ACORN has fired employees for fraudulent registration practices and turned them over to authorities. As of 2006, ACORN was improving its fraud detection and reporting procedures, and cooperating with authorities in efforts to prosecute violators.<ref name="KC_MO">{{cite news|publisher=KMBC=TV|url=http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/10214492/detail.html|title=ACORN Workers Indicted For Alleged Voter Fraud|date=2006-11-01}}</ref><ref name="SeattleTimes1">{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003806904_webvotefraud26m.html|title=Felony charges filed against 7 in state's biggest case of voter-registration fraud|publisher=The Seattle Times|date=2007-07-28 |first=Keith|last=Ervin|accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref><ref name="NYTIssues">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/22acorn.html?sq=ACORN&st=cse&scp=11&pagewanted=print|title=Acorn Report Raises Issues of Legality|publisher=New York Times|date=2008-10-22|first=Stephanie|last=Strom|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref><ref>Sheffield, Reggie. '']'' (Harrisburg, Penn.), July 24, 2008</ref> Jeff Ordower, ACORN's Midwest Director, observed, "There is no scenario where those people on problematic cards would show up at the polls."<ref>{{cite news|title=County rejects large number of invalid voter registrations|author=Bill Dolan|date=2008-10-02|publisher=The Times Media Company|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/02/news/lake_county/doc5399904569d23a75862574d600010e55.txt}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=ACORN defends fraudulent Lake voter drive|author=Bill Dolan|date=2008-10-23|publisher=The Times Media Company|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/23/news/top_news/doce273bd903d615e49862574ea00806d36.txt}}</ref> Of 26,513 registrations submitted by ACORN over a nine-month period in ], 4,655 were initially flagged, but 2,806 of those were later validated - a 7% error rate - compared to usually less than 5% for voter drives by other organizations, according to county officials.<ref name="san_diego_county">{{cite news|title=ACORN active in voter registration in county|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081016-1250-bn16acorn.html|author=Hiram Soto and Helen Gao|publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=October 16, 2008}}</ref> In a case in ] where 7 temporary employees of ACORN were charged with submitting fraudulent voter registrations, ACORN agreed to pay ] $25,000 for its investigative costs and acknowledged that the national organization could be subject to criminal prosecution if fraud occurs again. According to the prosecutor, the misconduct was done "as an easy way to get paid , not as an attempt to influence the outcome of elections."<ref name="SeattleTimes1"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/304877_acorn23.html|title=Reform group turned in 2000 suspicious voter registrations: County may make criminal inquiry|publisher=Seattle Post Intelligencer|date=2007-02-23|author=Rachel La Corte|accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref> In August, 2009, a former ACORN field director in ] pled guilty to "conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters" in connection with a quota system for paid registration staff.<ref> Associated Press, 2009-08-19.</ref> In November 2009, the former ACORN official, Christopher Edwards was sentenced to a year's probation and agreed to testify for prosecutors in charges against ACORN and against an ACORN regional director.<ref></ref>

In addition to registering voters directly, ACORN has worked to remove systemic obstacles to voter registration. In 2006, it brought a lawsuit in federal court in ] against the ], at that time ], and the Director of the ]. ACORN alleged that, during the period that included the ], the defendants had committed multiple violations of the ]. The district court dismissed the case, but that decision was reversed in 2008 by the ].<ref>{{Cite court
|litigants = Harkless v. Brunner |vol = ___|reporter = F.3d|opinion = ___ |court = United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit |date = October 28, 2008 |url= http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/08a0389p-06.pdf}}</ref> After extensive fact discovery in 2009, the parties agreed to a ], under which the defendants agreed to implement several measures to facilitate registration of low-income voters.<ref>{{cite web| title = Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio into Compliance with NVRA| publisher = ]| date = December 1, 2009| url = http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/project_vote/2009/12/federal-court-lawsuit-settleme.php| accessdate = 2009-12-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release| title = Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio Into Compliance with National Voter Registration Act-Hundreds of Thousands of Low-Income Ohioans to Benefit | publisher = ] | date = November 30, 2009| url = http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/projects/voting_rights/press_releases?id=0059| accessdate = 2009-12-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release| title = Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio Into Compliance with National Voter Registration Act | publisher = ]| url = http://www.projectvote.org/newsreleases/442-federal-court-lawsuit-settlement-brings-ohio-into-compliance-with-national-voter-registration-act.html| accessdate =2009-12-13 }}</ref> The '']'' characterized the settlement as "accepting the thrust of complaint."<ref>{{Cite news | title = Editorial: ACORN suit gets good result for Ohio voters | newspaper = ]| location = ]| date = December 10, 2009| url = http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/opinion/entries/2009/12/10/editorial_acorn_suit_gets_good.html?cxtype=feedbot| accessdate = 2009-12-14}}</ref>


===Gun control=== ===Gun control===
In 2006, ACORN intervened on behalf of ], ] in a lawsuit brought against the city challenging a local ordinance that limited individuals' handgun purchases to one gun a month.<ref name=toutant>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1166448999875 |title=N.J. Judge Voids City's Gun Control Law |first=Charles |last=Toutant |publisher=New Jersey Law Journal |date=2006-12-20 |accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref> The ] Superior Court struck down the ordinance on the grounds that it violated the New Jersey Constitution's ], and a state statute prohibiting towns and municipalities from enacting firearms legislation.<ref name=toutant/> In 2006, ACORN intervened on behalf of ], ], in a lawsuit brought against the city challenging a local ordinance that limited individuals' handgun purchases to one gun a month.<ref name=toutant>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1166448999875 |title=N.J. Judge Voids City's Gun Control Law |first=Charles |last=Toutant |publisher=New Jersey Law Journal |date=2006-12-20 |access-date=2007-11-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071013152238/http://law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1166448999875| archive-date= 13 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ] Superior Court struck down the ordinance on the grounds that it violated the New Jersey Constitution's ], and a state statute prohibiting towns and municipalities from enacting firearms legislation.<ref name=toutant/> On September 29, 2008, the ] Appellate Division denied ACORN's appeal of the ] Superior Court's decision striking down Jersey City's ordinance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, No. A-4443-06T2 and A-4708-06T2|date=September 29, 2008|url=http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/opinions/a4443-06a4708-06.pdf}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref>

On September 29, 2008, the ] Appellate Division denied ACORN's appeal of the ] Superior Court's decision striking down Jersey City's ordinance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, No. A-4443-06T2 and A-4708-06T2|date=September 29, 2008|url=http://google.com/search/cache?ei=UTF8&p=www.judiciary.state.nj.us%2Fopinions%2Fa4443-06a4708-06.pdf&fr=yfp-t-501&u=www.judiciary.state.nj.us/opinions/a4443-06a4708-06.pdf&d=S490IULURjvc&icp=1&.intl=us}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref>


===Home Defender Program=== ===Home Defender Program===
In 2009, ACORN advocated allowing homeowners delinquent in their mortgage payments to remain in their homes pending a government solution to the housing ] crisis. ACORN introduced a program called the Home Defender Program, intended to mobilize people to congregate at homes faced with foreclosure to "defend a family's right to stay in their homes."<ref>{{cite web|title=ACORN Home Defender Program|url=http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2749/t/3071/signUp.jsp?key=2134}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/lake/doc853b6aa5c26aca0286257561007d5737.txt|publisher=The Times Media Company|title=ACORN plans local action to stem NWI mortgage foreclosures|author=Bill Dolan|date=2009-02-19}}</ref> One ACORN Web page advocated ] against foreclosure evictions stating that people in foreclosed homes should refuse to leave, and in some cases, move back in.<ref>{{cite web|title=Refusing to Leave: ACORN Members Step up Fight to Stay in Homes|date=2009-02-13| In 2009, ACORN advocated allowing homeowners delinquent in their mortgage payments to remain in their homes pending a government solution to the housing ] crisis. ACORN introduced a program called the Home Defender Program, intended to mobilize people to congregate at homes faced with foreclosure to "defend a family's right to stay in their homes."<ref>{{cite web|title=ACORN Home Defender Program|url=http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2749/t/3071/signUp.jsp?key=2134|access-date=February 18, 2009|archive-date=February 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213213914/http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2749/t/3071/signUp.jsp?key=2134|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/19/news/lake/doc853b6aa5c26aca0286257561007d5737.txt|publisher=The Times Media Company|title=ACORN plans local action to stem NWI mortgage foreclosures|author=Bill Dolan|date=2009-02-19}}</ref>
url=http://acorn.org/index.php?id=12439&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=22521&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=12387&cHash=5ef36d5092}}</ref>


==History== == Legal issues ==
In a 2007 case in ], in which seven temporary employees of ACORN were charged with submitting fraudulent voter registrations, ACORN agreed to pay ] $25,000 for its investigative costs and acknowledged that the national organization could be subject to criminal prosecution if fraud occurred.<ref name="SeattleTimes1" /><ref>{{cite news|author=Rachel La Corte|date=2007-02-23|title=Reform group turned in 2000 suspicious voter registrations: County may make criminal inquiry|newspaper=Seattle Post Intelligencer|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/304877_acorn23.html|access-date=2007-11-12}}</ref><ref>; ''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel'', August 7, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Archived copy|url=http://www.doj.state.wi.us/absolutenm/templates/template_share.aspx?articleid=2165&zoneid=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930145552/http://www.doj.state.wi.us/absolutenm/templates/template_share.aspx?articleid=2165&zoneid=1|archive-date=2011-09-30|access-date=2011-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Prosecutors: ACORN 2008 Milwaukee Voter Drive &quot;Marred by Fraud&quot; - 620 WTMJ - Milwaukee's Source for Local News and Weather|url=http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/86913867.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927155037/http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/86913867.html|archive-date=2011-09-27|access-date=2011-08-20}}</ref> In May 2009, six ACORN employees in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to charges of a combined total of 51 counts of forgery and other violations while registering voters during the 2008 election cycle.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roddy|first=Dennis B.|date=2009-05-08|title=7 ACORN workers charged with forgery|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09128/968661-178.stm}}</ref>
<!-- The info in this History section are well sourced in the Delgado book, except as separately cited -->


During the 2008 election season, ACORN gathered over 1.3 million voter registration forms in 21 states. ] estimated that 400,000 registrations collected by ACORN were ultimately rejected, the vast majority for being duplicate registrations submitted by citizens. Project Vote estimated that only a few percent of registrations were fraudulent, based on past years and samples from some drives in 2008.<ref name="NYTTally">{{cite news|last1=Falcone|first1=Michael|last2=Moss|first2=Michael|date=2008-10-23|title=Groups Tally of New Voters Was Vastly Overstated|newspaper=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/us/politics/24acorn.html|access-date=2010-03-27}}</ref> Project Vote estimated that 450,000 of the registrations collected by ACORN represented first-time voters, while the remainder were address changes submitted by citizens updating their addresses.<ref name="NYTTally" />
===1970–1975: Founding===
], founded ACORN in 1970, after the ] (NWRO) sent him to ] as an organizer.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Sol|last=Stern|journal=City Journal|title=ACORN’s Nutty Regime for Cities|url=http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_2_acorns_nutty_regime.html|date=Spring 2003|accessdate=2007-01-24}}</ref> Rathke had previously dropped out of ] to promote ] for ]. Gary Delgado and ] were also instrumental in its founding. ACORN's first campaign was to help welfare recipients attain their basic needs, such as ] and ]. This drive, inspired by a clause in the ] ] laws, began the effort to create and sustain a movement that would grow to become the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now, the beginnings of ACORN.<ref name=Delgado>{{cite book|last=Delgado|first=Gary|title=Organizing the Movement: The Roots and Growth of ACORN|publisher=]|year=1986|isbn=0-87722-393-9|oclc=12134922 59256995}}</ref>


ACORN has fired employees for fraudulent registration practices and turned them over to authorities.<ref name="KC_MO">{{cite news|date=2006-11-01|title=ACORN Workers Indicted For Alleged Voter Fraud|publisher=KMBC=TV|url=http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/10214492/detail.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625215229/http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/10214492/detail.html|archive-date=2007-06-25}}</ref><ref name="SeattleTimes1">{{cite news|last=Ervin|first=Keith|date=2007-07-28|title=Felony charges filed against 7 in state's biggest case of voter-registration fraud|newspaper=The Seattle Times|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003806904_webvotefraud26m.html|url-status=live|access-date=2007-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117153636/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003806904_webvotefraud26m.html|archive-date=17 November 2007}}</ref><ref name="NYTIssues">{{cite news|last=Strom|first=Stephanie|date=2008-10-22|title=Acorn Report Raises Issues of Legality|newspaper=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/22acorn.html?_r=1&sq=ACORN|access-date=2007-11-19}}</ref><ref>Sheffield, Reggie. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212014541/http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1216864520180960.xml&coll=1|date=2008-12-12}}, '']'' (Harrisburg, Penn.), July 24, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Bill Dolan|date=2008-10-02|title=County rejects large number of invalid voter registrations|publisher=The Times Media Company|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/02/news/lake_county/doc5399904569d23a75862574d600010e55.txt}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Bill Dolan|date=2008-10-23|title=ACORN defends fraudulent Lake voter drive|publisher=The Times Media Company|url=http://www.nwi.com/articles/2008/10/23/news/top_news/doce273bd903d615e49862574ea00806d36.txt}}</ref> Of 26,513 registrations submitted by ACORN over a nine-month period in ], 4,655 were initially flagged, but 2,806 of those were later validated. County officials said this resulted in a 7% error rate by ACORN, compared to usually less than 5% for voter drives by other organizations.<ref name="san_diego_county">{{cite news|author=Hiram Soto and Helen Gao|date=October 16, 2008|title=ACORN active in voter registration in county|newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081016-1250-bn16acorn.html}}</ref>
ACORN's goal was to "unite welfare recipients with ] around issues such as ], ], ] rights, and emergency room care."<ref> acorn.org</ref>


In plea deals in a 2009 ] case, former ACORN field director Amy Busefink and ACORN official Christopher Edwards pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters," in connection with a quota system for paid registration staff.<ref>{{cite news|last=Friess|first=Steve|date=May 5, 2009|title=Acorn Charged in Voter Registration Fraud Case in Nevada|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/us/05acorn.html|access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> Edwards was sentenced to a year's probation and agreed to testify for prosecutors in charges against ACORN and against Busefink. Busefink appealed her case to the ], challenging the constitutionality of the statute.<ref>{{cite news|last=McCoy|first=Cara|date=November 23, 2009|title=Ex-ACORN official gets probation for voter registration plan|newspaper=]|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/23/ex-acorn-official-gets-probation-voter-registratio/|url-status=live|access-date=2011-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611232846/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/23/ex-acorn-official-gets-probation-voter-registratio/|archive-date=11 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="lvrj.com">; Las Vegas Journal-Review; April 6, 2011</ref> In April 2011, ACORN entered a guilty plea to one count of felony compensation for registration of voters, for which they were fined $5,000,<ref name="Fined">{{cite news|last1=McCabe|first1=Francis|date=2011-08-10|title=Judge fines ACORN $5,000 for voter registration scheme|newspaper=]|url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/judge-fines-acorn-5-000-for-voter-registration-scheme-127467598.html|access-date=2011-08-12}}</ref> but did not concede that the law was constitutional.<ref name="lvrj.com" />
===1975–1980: Growth beyond Arkansas===
In 1975, ACORN created branches in ] and ]. On December 13, 1975, sixty leaders from the three ACORN states elected the first associate Executive Board and the first ACORN president, Steve McDonald, to deal with matters beyond the scope of the individual city and state boards. Each year thereafter saw three or more states join ACORN, building to a total of 20 states by 1980. This expansion led to multi-state campaigns beginning with a mass meeting of 1,000 members in ] in 1978. At the end of the conference, ACORN convention delegates marched on the ] conference with the outline of a nine-point "People’s Platform" which would go on to become the foundation of ACORN's platform when it was ratified in 1979.


==ACORN International==
ACORN was active in the ] with the "People's Platform" serving as its standard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umsl.edu/~whmc/guides/whm0040.htm |title=Western Historical Manuscript Collection |publisher=] - St. Louis |month=June |year=1980 |accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref> It led ] aimed at both major party candidates; demanded to meet with ]; marched on the president's campaign finance committee chair's home; and presented its platform to the ] platform committee.


] was created in 2002<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Atlas |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RbEjF94o4ZUC&pg=PA22 |title=Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group |date=2010 |location=Nashville, Ten.|publisher=] |isbn=978-0-8265-1705-0 |language=en}}</ref> as an offshoot of ACORN to aid the spread of ACORN's model to other countries,<ref name="PP">D. Beck and R. Purcell (2013). ''International Community Organising''. Bristol: ].</ref> including Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru.<ref name="WDAD">{{citation |title=What does ACORN do? |url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2617 |access-date=2010-12-03 |publisher=ACORN |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927100927/http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2617 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first ACORN branch in the UK opened in Bristol in 2014 by three people, two of whom were graduates of the ].<ref name="AGMT"/>
===1981–1989: Reagan era===
By 1980, ACORN’s staff was stretched thin by the demands of meeting its expansion goals. Much of its resources and energy had been dedicated to the presidential primaries and national party conventions. ACORN launched ] campaigns in an attempt to obtain affordable housing, and encouraged ]s to refit the premises for comfortable living.{{Citation needed| date=September 2009}}


Other groups are affiliated with ACORN: for example, ] in Scotland<ref name="PS"/> and ] in France.<ref name="JT"/>
In June 1982, ACORN sponsored "] Ranches" in over 35 cities believing the president's focus to be on military as opposed to social spending. These ] were erected for two days and were met with resistance from the ], which tried repeatedly to evict the tenters. The protesters remained and then marched on the ] and testified before a ] about what they described as the housing crisis in America. The last Reagan Ranch was held at the Republican Convention in ] in 1984. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}


==See also==
In addition to protesting, ACORN also developed and strengthened its ]s and encouraged its members to run for office. For the ] ACORN wanted to endorse a candidate, setting a 75% support in polls among members as its requirement. No candidate reached that level, though there was strong support for ]. ACORN also established a legislative office that year in ]. During this period ACORN also focused on local election reform in a number of cities, including ], ], and ], encouraging the change of at-large legislative bodies to district representation.<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref>
* ]

* ]
ACORN grew to 27 states, adding chapters in ], ], and ] by the end of Reagan's first term.<ref name=Delgado /> During the ], ACORN held its National Convention in the same city as the Democratic Convention &mdash; ]. During the preceding four years ACORN had strengthened its ties with ] and accounted for 30 Jackson delegates. It also sponsored a march at the convention.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

ACORN's membership grew to more than 70,000 in 28 states during this time. It increased its legislative lobbying efforts in Washington, DC, and strengthened its ]s (PACs). It also developed what it called the ] (AM/FM). Starting with station ] in Dallas, AM/FM moved on to establish radio stations, ] television and ] programming. It also sought and received appointments to the ] (RTC) which was formed to dissolve the assets of failed ] resulting from the ].{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}

===1988–1998: Focus on housing===
]]]
While some of ACORN’s most notable efforts were in the area of housing, it has counted health, public safety, education, representation, work and workers’ rights and communications concerns among its victories. The 1990 ACORN convention in Chicago focused on the fast-breaking housing campaign. It featured a squatting demonstration at an RTC house. Later, ACORN members demanded cooperation from banks about providing loan data on low- and moderate-income communities and compliance with the 1977 ] (CRA). ACORN fought weakening of the CRA in 1991, staging a two-day takeover of the ] hearing room. It also established ACORN Housing Corporation to service people moving into homes under the housing campaign, rehabilitated hundreds of houses addressed by CRA. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

The ACORN convention in New York in 1992, called the "ACORN-Bank Summit", was organized to make deals with giant banks. When ], the nation’s largest bank, did not participate, conventioneers protested at its downtown ] headquarters, and won a meeting to negotiate for similar programs. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

ACORN supported and lobbied for the ]. After its passage, ACORN members attended ] signing ceremony. ACORN then pursued new registration laws in Arkansas and ] and filed suit in ], ], ], ], ], and ] as a result of the act. In 1993, ACORN also began a national campaign to fight ] ], a practice that put the gains made in other housing campaigns at risk. The campaign targeted ], hitting sales offices in 14 cities and a stockholders meeting. Allstate agreed to negotiate and signed an agreement in 1994 for a $10 million partnership with ACORN and ] for below-market mortgages to low-income home-buyers. ] agreed to a Neighborhood and Home Safety Program, linking access to insurance and lower rates to public safety programs. {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

===1998–2009: Building capacity===
ACORN's subsequent activities have included its "Living Wage" programs, voter registration, and ].

In 1998, ACORN helped form the ] in ] which counts increasing the ] as its centerpiece issue.

A March 27, 2003 decision of the ] found that ACORN tried to thwart ] efforts within its own organization by laying off two workers who were trying to organize.<ref name=nlrb>{{cite web| title = Decisions of the NLRB, 338–129| publisher = National Labor Relations Board| date = 2003-03-27| url = http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/Board%20Decisions/338/338-129.pdf| format = PDF| accessdate = 2006-10-12 }}</ref> The two workers, both field organizers with ACORN, began discussions with the ] and later sought to organize under ] in response to their $20,200 annual salary for a 54-hour work week.<ref>.</ref> The NLRB ordered the two employees be reinstated in their former jobs and that ACORN cease from interrogating employees about organizing activity.<ref name=nlrb /> ACORN has since strengthened its ties with the Service Employees International Union, which donated $2.1 million to ACORN in 2005,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116113323291895978-search.html?KEYWORDS=ACORN+%2B+union&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month |title=The Wal-Mart Posse |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |accessdate=2007-11-12 | date=2006-10-18}}</ref> often collaborating on issues (including health insurance costs and the minimum wage) and sharing office space.

In 2004, Florida ACORN helped to raise Florida's minimum wage by $1.00 per hour, by lobbying for a minimum wage amendment to be placed on the ballot. Over 1 million Florida employees were affected by the raise, which is adjusted annually for ]. That year, ACORN became an international organization, opening offices in ], ], and beginning work in ]. Since then offices have opened in ] and ].

===2010: ACORN disbands===

On March 19, 2010, '']'' reported that ACORN was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy; 15 of the group's 30 state chapters had disbanded over the past six months, and other chapters (including the largest, in New York and California) renamed themselves and severed all ties to the national organization.<ref name=bankruptcy/> Two unnamed ACORN officials told the ''Times'' that the following weekend, a teleconference was planned to discuss a bankruptcy filing; "private donations from foundations to Acorn all but evaporated," and the federal government had distanced itself from the group.<ref name=bankruptcy/> "ong before the activist videos delivered what may become the final blow, the organization was dogged for years by financial problems and accusations of fraud."<ref name=bankruptcy/> "That 20-minute video ruined 40 years of good work," said Sonja Merchant-Jones, former co-chairwoman of ACORN's recently closed Maryland chapter. "But if the organization had confronted its own internal problems, it might not have been taken down so easily."<ref name=bankruptcy/>

On March 22, 2010, National ACORN spokesman Kevin Whelan says the organization's board decided to close remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1 because of falling revenues.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Smith |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0310/Acorn_folds.html?showall |title=ACORN Folds |publisher=] |date=March 22, 2010 | accessdate=2010-03-22}}</ref> Some other national operations will continue operating for at least several weeks before shutting for good.<ref name=Politico /> On April 20, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis reported that ACORN was "still alive. We're limping along. We're on life support."<ref name="AP 4-20">{{cite news|publisher=Associated Press|title=ACORN CEO outside court: 'We're on life support'|author=Larry Neumeister|date=2010-04-20|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_lawsuit}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref> Lewis said that ACORN's annual budget had been reduced from $25 million to $4 million, and that its staff of 350 to 600 people had been reduced to four.<ref name="AP 4-20"/> Lewis explained the controversies had left a stain on ACORN, "sort of like a scarlet letter," forcing the group to spend money defending itself against "one investigation after another."<ref name="AP 4-20"/>

==Budget==

Until the controversies of 2008 and 2009, ACORN had an annual budget of approximately US$25 million, with approximately 10% of those funds coming from federal sources, a smaller figure from state sources, and the rest coming from supporters and membership. ] estimates that ACORN received $42 million since the 2000 budget year while the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee estimates that ACORN received $53 million in federal funds since 1994.<ref name=msnbc>{{cite news|publisher=]|title=Did ACORN get too big for its own good?|date=2009-09-19|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32925682/ns/politics-more_politics/}}</ref>

==Controversies==

ACORN was a ] organization, but its legally separate political action arm frequently endorsed causes and candidates, including the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee ].<ref name="about-acorn">{{cite web|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342|title=Who is ACORN? (organization homepage)|accessdate=2009-09-15}}</ref><ref name="wsj0731"/><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=289192|date=2008-02-23|title=ACORN: Obama Gets It|author=Katrina vanden Heuvel|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name="endorse_obama">{{cite press release|publisher=ACORN|title=ACORN’s Political Action Committee Endorses Obama |url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=8539&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=4&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=21759&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=8538&cHash=ff99d11068 |accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> ACORN lobbied every ] since ]<ref name=a730>{{cite web|publisher=ACORN|url=http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=730|title=Detailed History of ACORN: The ACORN 80 Plan|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> and had members elected as ]s to those conventions;<ref name=a730/> ACORN also lobbied at ] conventions.<ref name=a730/> ACORN was criticized by Republicans for its support of Democratic candidates and for its general support of political positions that are more often favored by Democrats.<ref name="wsj0731"/>

In a report released in October 2008, the ] ] concluded that ] ] fired ] ] for political reasons after Iglesias failed to prosecute a ] ACORN chapter. The report said claims Iglesias was fired for poor performance were not credible, and the "real reason for Iglesias's removal was the complaints from New Mexico Republican politicians and party activists about how Iglesias handled voter fraud ."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/s0809a/final.pdf |format=PDF|author=US Department of Justice Inspector General|title= An Investigation into the Removal of Nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006, pgs 156-167 and 190}}</ref>

During the debate on the ], some commentators claimed that a draft provision (omitted in the adopted bill) to give money to funds run by the ] could potentially lead to money flowing to groups like ACORN.<ref name=wsj0731>{{cite news | last =Williamson | first =Elizabeth | coauthors =Mullins, Brody | title =Democratic Ally Mobilizes In Housing Crunch | work =] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =July 31, 2008 | url =http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745181676698197.html | accessdate = }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_ayo08b28.html|publisher=US House of Representatives|title=Draft bill|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref> When asked how much money ACORN or other community groups would get, a spokesman for ] ] ], said, "Absolutely none. All funds would go to state and local governments."<ref name=cbs/> Critics also claimed that ACORN's complex organizational structure allowed it to escape public scrutiny.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95696267|title=ACORN Has Long Been In Republicans' Cross Hairs|author=Peter Overby|accessdate=2010-12-03}}</ref>

===2008: Presidential campaign===

ACORN was a political issue in the 2008 United States Presidential Election over allegations of conflict of interest and voter registration fraud. During the ] ACORN's national political action committee, ACORN Votes, endorsed Barack Obama. Obama, with several other attorneys, had served as local counsel for ACORN in a 1995 voting rights lawsuit joined by the ] and the ].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/11/us/politics/11acorn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|title=On Obama, Acorn and Voter Registration|author=Stephanie Strom|date=2008-10-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-debate16-2008oct16,0,5385470.story|title=McCain, Obama duel in caustic debate finale|last=Barabak|first=Mark Z.|coauthors=Seema Mehta|date=2008-10-16|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-10-17}}</ref> Obama's campaign hired an ACORN affiliate for $800,000 to conduct a get-out-the-vote effort during that primary,<ref name=davidbrown>{{cite news|publisher=Pitsburgh Tribune Review|url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/election/s_584284.html|title=Obama to amend report on $800,000 in spending|author=David M. Brown|date=2008-08-22}}</ref><ref name=yanooz>{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081009/ap_on_el_ge/voter_fraud_6|title=Missouri officials suspect fake voter registration|author=Bill Draper|date=2008-10-08|agency=Associated Press}}{{Dead link|date=November 2008}}</ref> but did not retain ACORN for the general presidential election.<ref name=davidbrown/><ref name=yanooz/>

Throughout the election season, supporters of Republican candidates portrayed ACORN's submission of invalid voter registration applications as widespread vote fraud. In October 2008, the campaign for Republican presidential candidate ] released a Web-based advertisement claiming ACORN was responsible for "massive voter fraud," a point that Sen. McCain repeated in the final presidential debate. ] called this claim "breathtakingly inaccurate," but acknowledged that ACORN had problems with phony registrations.<ref>{{cite web|last=Novak|first=Viveca|title=The Whoppers of 2008 -- The Sequel|publisher=factcheck.org|url=http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_whoppers_of_2008_--_the_sequel.html|date=2008-10-31|accessdate=2009-01-23}}</ref> The ads also claimed that home loan programs ACORN promoted were partly responsible for the sub-prime mortgage crisis. '']'' and Factcheck.org also found these claims to be exaggerated and inaccurate.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Newsweek|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/164722/page/1|title=ACORN Accusations|author=Jess Henig|date=2008-10-18}}{{Dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref>

A poll released in November 2009 by the ] organization found that 52% of Republican Party members it surveyed, and 26% of respondents overall, believed in a ] that ACORN "stole" the election for ]. The Democratic polling organization commented that this was somewhat higher than belief in the ] conspiracy theories.<ref></ref>

===2008-2009: Investigation of embezzlement===

'']'' reported on July 9, 2008, that Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN's founder Wade Rathke, was found to have ] $948,607.50 from the group and affiliated charitable organizations back in 1999 and 2000.<ref name="nytstrom">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/us/09embezzle.html |title=Funds Misappropriated at 2 Nonprofit Groups |publisher=The New York Times |first=Stephanie |last=Strom |date=July 9, 2008 |accessdate=2008-10-13}}</ref> ACORN executives decided to handle it as an internal matter, and did not inform most of the board members or law enforcement, and instead signed an enforceable restitution agreement with the Rathke family to repay the amount of the embezzlement. $210,000 has already been repaid, and a donor, ], has offered to pay the remaining debt.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/us/17acorn.html?pagewanted=print</ref> ''The Times'' reported that, according to Wade Rathke, "the decision to keep the matter secret was not made to protect his brother but because word of the embezzlement would have put a 'weapon' into the hands of enemies of ACORN, a liberal group that is a frequent target of conservatives who object to ACORN's often strident advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income families and workers." A whistleblower revealed the embezzlement in 2008. On June 2, 2008, Dale Rathke was dismissed, and Wade stepped down as ACORN's chief organizer, but he remains chief organizer for Acorn International L.L.C.<ref name=nytstrom/>

In September 2008, following revelations of Dale Rathke's embezzlement, two members of ACORN's national board of directors filed a lawsuit seeking to obtain financial documents and to force the organization to sever ties with Wade Rathke.<ref></ref> ACORN's executive committee voted unanimously to remove the two, "because their actions—such as releasing a confidential legal memo to the press—were damaging the organization."<ref></ref>

In October 2009, ] Attorney General ] claimed in a subpoena that ACORN's board of directors found that a larger amount—$5 million—had been embezzled from the organization. Bertha Lewis, ACORN's CEO, said the allegation is false.<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref> On November 6, following up on the subpoena, Caldwell served a search warrant at the ACORN headquarters in New Orleans.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2009/11/attorney_general_serves_search.html |title=State investigators taking dozens of computers from ACORN office on Canal Street|publisher=] |date=2009-11-06 |first=Martha |last=Carr |accessdate=2009-11-06}}</ref> Caldwell stated, "This is an investigation of everything—Acorn, the national organization, the local organization and all of its affiliated entities."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07acorn.html |title=Acorn offices in New Orleans Are Raided|publisher=New York Times |date=2009-11-06 |accessdate=2009-11-10}}</ref>

===2009: Undercover videos controversy===
{{Main|ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy}}
The '''ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy''' started in September 2009 when conservative activists ] and ] publicized ]<ref> FOX News; April 1, 2010</ref><ref> CNN; September 29, 2009</ref><ref name = "CA AG Release" /> ] recordings through ] and ] website ].<ref name="CA AG Report" /> In the videos, Giles posed as a ] and O'Keefe posed as her boyfriend in order to elicit damaging responses from employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).<ref name="CA AG Report">{{cite web|url=http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/press/pdfs/n1888_acorn_report.pdf
|title=REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ON THE ACTIVITIES OF ACORN|date=April 1, 2010}}</ref> The videos were recorded over the summer of 2009 while visiting ACORN offices in eight<ref>According to the California Attorney General's investigation report, page 8, the recordings occurred in ACORN offices in eight cities: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino.</ref> cities and purported to show low-level ACORN employees in several cities providing advice to Giles and O'Keefe on how to avoid taxes and detection by the authorities with regard to their plans to engage in ], ], and ].<ref name="NYT20090919shane">{{cite news | last = Shane | first = Scott | title = A Political Gadfly Lampoons the Left via YouTube | work = ] | date = 2009-09-19 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/us/19sting.html?pagewanted=print | accessdate = 2009-09-26}}</ref> After the videos were made public, the U.S. Congress voted to eliminate federal funding to ACORN. Although the resolutions were later nullified in a federal court ruling that the measure was an unconstitutional ], on August 13, 2010, a federal appeals court upheld the congressional act that cut off federal funding for ACORN.<ref name="times-acorn-lorber"/><ref name="TAYLOR">{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Andrew|coauthors=|title=Senate votes to deny funds to ACORN|work=|pages=|language=|agency=]
|date=2009-09-14|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxhq8CPN8LdLntDEDtE5NrEBQ2IgD9ANF3F01|accessdate=2009-09-15}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref><ref name="FOX">{{cite news|publisher=]
|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551533,00.html|title=House Votes to Strip Funding for ACORN|date=2009-09-17|accessdate=2009-09-17}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>Hays, Tom. . ], August 13, 2010.</ref> In March 2010, ACORN announced it would be closing its offices and disbanding due to loss of funding from government and private donors.<ref>{{cite web|title=ACORN disbanding because of money woes, scandal|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100322/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_closing_down|date=2010-03-22}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref>

On December 7, 2009, the former ], after an independent internal investigation of ACORN, found the videos that had been released appeared to have been edited, "in some cases substantially". He found no evidence of criminal conduct by ACORN employees, but concluded that ACORN had poor management practices that contributed to unprofessional actions by a number of its low-level employees.<ref> December 7, 2009</ref><ref></ref><ref>, ''Atlantic Monthly'', Dec. 8, 2009</ref><ref>, ''The Nonprofit Quarterly''</ref> On March 1, 2010, the ]'s office for Brooklyn determined that the videos were "heavily edited"<ref> New York Magazine; March 2, 2010</ref> and concluded that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the ACORN staff in the videos from the Brooklyn ACORN office.<ref name="NYT2010Newman">{{cite news | last = Newman | first = Andrew | title = Advice to Fake Pimp Was No Crime, Prosecutor Says | work = ] | date = 2010-03-01 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/nyregion/02acorn.html | accessdate = 2010-03-07}}</ref><ref name="Salon2010Madden">{{cite web | last = Madde | first = Mike | title = Brooklyn prosecutors clear local ACORN office | work = ] | date = 2010-03-01 | url = http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/01/acorn_cleared | accessdate = 2010-03-07}}</ref> On April, 1, 2010, an investigation by the ] found the videos from Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino to be "heavily edited,"<ref name="CA AG Report" /> and the investigation did not find evidence of criminal conduct on the part of ACORN employees.<ref name="CA AG Report" /><ref name="CA AG Release">{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=Brown Releases Report Detailing a Litany of Problems with ACORN, But No Criminality | date=2010-04-01 | publisher= | url =http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1888& | work =California Office of Attorney General | pages = | accessdate = 2010-04-03 | language = }}</ref> On June 14, 2010, the US ] (GAO) released its findings which showed that ACORN evidenced no sign that it, or any of its related organizations, mishandled any federal money they had received.<ref> Huffington Post; June 15, 2010; John Atlas</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/14/congress.acorn/index.html | work=CNN | title=Preliminary report clears ACORN on funds | date=2010-06-15}}</ref>

=== The Defund ACORN Act ===

In 2009, in light of various scandals a number of Democrats who once advertised their connections to ACORN began to distance themselves, as Republicans began to use ACORN to portray Democrats as corrupt.<ref>{{cite news|agency=]|work=] |title=Did ACORN get too big for its own good?|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091902865.html|date=2009-09-19|author=Sharon Theimer and Pete Yost}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref> In light of the controversies, the United States House and Senate, by wide margins, attached amendments to pending spending legislation that would temporarily prohibit the federal government from funding ACORN, or any agency that had been involved in similar scandals — including money authorized by previous legislation. President Obama signed the bill into law on October 1.<ref name=Barron>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/us/politics/28acorn.html |title=Justice Department Says Acorn Can Be Paid for Pre-Ban Contracts |accessdate=12-03-2009 |author=Charlie Savage |date=2009-11-27 |publisher=New York Times}}</ref> ACORN sued the United States Government in the United States District Court in Brooklyn over the measure, known as the "Defund ACORN Act," claiming it was a ], and therefore unconstitutional. Experts varied on the merit of the case. One argument was that while government funding choices do not generally qualify as bills of attainder, the lack of a non-punitive regulatory purpose for the legislation may give a court "sufficient basis to overcome the presumption of constitutionality."<ref name=suit>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/nyregion/13acorn.html?_r=1 |title=Acorn Sues Over Funding Vote in House |accessdate=11-13-2009 |author=Kareem Fahim |date=November 12, 2009 |work=] |publisher=}}</ref><ref name=CRS>{{cite web |url=http://volokh.com/files/acornattainder.pdf |title=The proposed "Defund ACORN Act": Is it a "Bill of Attainder?" |accessdate=11-14-2009 |author=Kenneth R. Thomas |work= |publisher=Congressional Research Service}}</ref><ref name=heritage>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.org/Research/Legalissues/wm2630.cfm |title=Defunding ACORN: Necessary and Proper, and Certainly Constitutional |accessdate=11-13-2009 |author=Hans von Spokavsky |date=September 27, 2009 |work=] |publisher=}}</ref> The court issued a preliminary injunction that nullified the act.<ref name="times-acorn-lorber" />

In response to an inquiry from a ] lawyer, David Barron, the acting assistant attorney general for the ], wrote a five-page memorandum concluding that the law does not prohibit the government from paying ACORN for services already performed.<ref name=Barron/> On December 11, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon issued a preliminary injunction blocking the government from enforcing its temporary spending ban, a week before it was set to expire.<ref name=WSJ>{{cite news |first=Nomaan|last=Merchant|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126057881607388239.html|title=Judge Blocks U.S. Ban on Funding for Acorn |accessdate=12-12-2009 |date=December 12, 2009|publisher=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> The ] (GAO) opened an investigation of ACORN in December, 2009.<ref name=Politico>{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30742.html |title=GAO Opens ACORN Investigation |accessdate=12-17-2009 |author=Jake Sherman |date=December 17, 2009 |work=] |publisher=}}</ref> In June, 2010, the GAO released a preliminary report stating the investigation has found no sign the group or related organizations mishandled the $40 million in federal money they received from nine federal agencies.<ref> CNN; June 14, 2010</ref>

On August 13, 2010 the 2nd District Court of Appeals in New York reversed Judge Gershon's decision.<ref name=AP-08-13-10 /> The appeals court cited a study finding that only 10% of ACORN's funding came from federal sources, and stated, "We doubt that the direct consequences of the appropriations laws temporarily precluding ACORN from federal funds were so disproportionately severe or so inappropriate as to constitute punishment."<ref name=AP-08-13-10 /> The ], which had argued the case on ACORN's behalf, was considering a request for a rehearing by more judges of the 2nd Circuit.<ref name=AP-08-13-10 />

===ACORN name changes===
As part of a re-branding effort by ACORN leadership, '''ACORN International''' changed its name in 2010<!-- when exactly? --> to '''Community Organizations International'''.<ref></ref> As part of the effort by some chapters to stay afloat by severing ties with the national organization, '''California ACORN''' changed its name to '''Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment,'''<ref></ref> '''New York ACORN''' renamed itself '''New York Communities for Change,'''<ref name=bankruptcy/> and an offshoot of the ACORN organization called '''Acorn Housing''' changed its name to '''Affordable Housing Centers of America'''<ref></ref> yet has retained the same tax and employee identification numbers that it held under its former name.<ref></ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist|30em}}


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |first=Gary |last=Delgado |title=Organizing the Movement: The Roots and Growth of ACORN |location=Philadelphia |publisher=] |year=1986 |isbn=0-87722-393-9 |oclc=12134922 59256995}} *{{cite book |first=Gary |last=Delgado |title=Organizing the Movement: The Roots and Growth of ACORN |location=Philadelphia |publisher=] |year=1986 |isbn=0-87722-393-9 |oclc=12134922 |url=https://archive.org/details/organizingmoveme0000delg }}
*{{cite book |first=Heidi J. |last=Swarts |title=Organizing Urban America: Secular and Faith-based Progressive Movements |location=Minneapolis |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8166-4839-9 }} *{{cite book |first=Heidi J. |last=Swarts |title=Organizing Urban America: Secular and Faith-based Progressive Movements |url=https://archive.org/details/organizingurbana0088swar |url-access=registration |location=Minneapolis |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8166-4839-9 }}
*{{cite book |first=John |last=Atlas|title=Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America´s Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group|location=Nashville|publisher=] |year=2010|isbn=978-0-8265-1705-0 }} *{{cite book |first=John |last=Atlas|title=Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group|url=https://archive.org/details/seedsofchangesto0000atla |url-access=registration |location=Nashville|publisher=] |year=2010|isbn=978-0-8265-1705-0 }}
* ''Acorn and the Firestorm'' (2018). New York: ]. A ] written and directed by ] and ].


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|ACORN}} {{Commons category|ACORN}}
* - with information about ACORN branches in various countries
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Socio-economic community advocacy group
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
AbbreviationACORN
Formation1970
TypeNon-governmental organization
Legal statusActive; defunct (US)
Region served
  • United States
  • Peru
  • Argentina
  • Mexico
  • India
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is an international collection of autonomous community-based organizations that advocates for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. They, along with a number of other community unions, are affiliated under ACORN International.

Organization

In the US, ACORN was composed of a number of legally distinct nonprofit entities and affiliates including a nationwide umbrella organization established as a 501(c)(4) that performed lobbying; local chapters established as 501(c)(3) nonpartisan charities; and the national nonprofit and nonstock organization, ACORN Housing Corporation. ACORN's priorities included: better housing and wages for the poor, more community development investment from banks and governments, better public schools, labor-oriented causes and social justice issues. ACORN pursued these goals through demonstrations, negotiation, lobbying for legislation, and voter participation.

Unlike in the US, ACORN groups in other countries have little organizational funding. Under the ACORN model, most members are volunteers. Employed union organizers come from those working in local ACORN campaigns rather than from existing organizations and are paid a low wage. The union works on local and national level campaigns.

History

Further information: History of ACORN in the United States

Founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado, at its peak ACORN had over 500,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S. In 2002, ACORN International was created to aid the spread of ACORN's model to other countries. There are currently ACORN affiliates in Cameroon, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Peru, Scotland, Tunisia, United States, and Wales.

In the US, ACORN suffered a damaging nationwide controversy in the fall of 2009 after James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles secretly made, edited and released videos of interactions with low-level ACORN personnel in several of their offices, leading to several investigations by state officials that concluded the videos were inaccurately portraying the personnel as encouraging criminal behavior. The organization didn't recover from the negative publicity in the US and dissolved, with ACORN members and organizers forming new organizations such as the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action. ACORN groups outside of the US continued unaffected. ACORN, under ACORN International, still works within the US through its Home Savers Campaign, for example.

Issues and actions

Predatory lending and affordable housing

ACORN investigated complaints against companies accused of predatory lending practices. ACORN also worked to support strict state laws against predatory practices, organized against foreclosure rescue scams, and steered borrowers toward loan counseling; Following a three-year campaign, Household International (now owned by HSBC Holdings and renamed HSBC Finance Corporation), one of the largest subprime lenders in the country, and ACORN announced on November 25, 2003, a proposed settlement of a 2002 national class-action lawsuit brought by ACORN. The settlement created a $72 million foreclosure avoidance program to provide relief to household borrowers who were at risk of losing their homes. The settlement came on the heels of an earlier $484 million settlement between Household, Attorneys General, and bank regulators from all 50 U.S. states.

Voter registration

Since the 1980s, ACORN conducted large-scale voter registration drives, focusing primarily on registering poor and minority citizens.

Education

In 2001, ACORN opposed the privatization of some New York City schools, favoring its own Charter School plan.

Gun control

In 2006, ACORN intervened on behalf of Jersey City, New Jersey, in a lawsuit brought against the city challenging a local ordinance that limited individuals' handgun purchases to one gun a month. The Hudson County Superior Court struck down the ordinance on the grounds that it violated the New Jersey Constitution's Equal Protection clause, and a state statute prohibiting towns and municipalities from enacting firearms legislation. On September 29, 2008, the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division denied ACORN's appeal of the Hudson County Superior Court's decision striking down Jersey City's ordinance.

Home Defender Program

In 2009, ACORN advocated allowing homeowners delinquent in their mortgage payments to remain in their homes pending a government solution to the housing foreclosure crisis. ACORN introduced a program called the Home Defender Program, intended to mobilize people to congregate at homes faced with foreclosure to "defend a family's right to stay in their homes."

Legal issues

In a 2007 case in Washington state, in which seven temporary employees of ACORN were charged with submitting fraudulent voter registrations, ACORN agreed to pay King County $25,000 for its investigative costs and acknowledged that the national organization could be subject to criminal prosecution if fraud occurred. In May 2009, six ACORN employees in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to charges of a combined total of 51 counts of forgery and other violations while registering voters during the 2008 election cycle.

During the 2008 election season, ACORN gathered over 1.3 million voter registration forms in 21 states. Project Vote estimated that 400,000 registrations collected by ACORN were ultimately rejected, the vast majority for being duplicate registrations submitted by citizens. Project Vote estimated that only a few percent of registrations were fraudulent, based on past years and samples from some drives in 2008. Project Vote estimated that 450,000 of the registrations collected by ACORN represented first-time voters, while the remainder were address changes submitted by citizens updating their addresses.

ACORN has fired employees for fraudulent registration practices and turned them over to authorities. Of 26,513 registrations submitted by ACORN over a nine-month period in San Diego County, California, 4,655 were initially flagged, but 2,806 of those were later validated. County officials said this resulted in a 7% error rate by ACORN, compared to usually less than 5% for voter drives by other organizations.

In plea deals in a 2009 Las Vegas case, former ACORN field director Amy Busefink and ACORN official Christopher Edwards pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters," in connection with a quota system for paid registration staff. Edwards was sentenced to a year's probation and agreed to testify for prosecutors in charges against ACORN and against Busefink. Busefink appealed her case to the Nevada Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the statute. In April 2011, ACORN entered a guilty plea to one count of felony compensation for registration of voters, for which they were fined $5,000, but did not concede that the law was constitutional.

ACORN International

ACORN International was created in 2002 as an offshoot of ACORN to aid the spread of ACORN's model to other countries, including Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. The first ACORN branch in the UK opened in Bristol in 2014 by three people, two of whom were graduates of the Community Organisers programme.

Other groups are affiliated with ACORN: for example, Living Rent in Scotland and Alliance Citoyenne in France.

See also

References

  1. ^ D. Beck and R. Purcell (2013). International Community Organising. Bristol: Policy Press.
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