Per CNN, ACORN will close its community organizing operations.
The group's remaining state affiliates and field offices will shut down by April 1 and a plan will be developed to pay its debts, it said.
ACORN's statement below the fold.
ACORN cites money trouble as a result of the negative publicity as the reason for the closure. LINK
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.
This is especially disheartening considering the video that started all of this was a fake and the federal funding ban was unconstitutional.
ACORN's full statement, via Brad Blog
The ACORN Association Board met on Sunday March 21 and approved a set of steps to responsibly manage the process of bringing its operations to a close over the coming months. These include:
*Closing ACORN's remaining state affiliates and field offices by April 1st; and
*Developing a plan to resolve all outstanding debts, obligations and other issues.
ACORN's members have a great deal to be proud of--from promoting to homeownership to helping rebuild New Orleans, from raising wages to winning safer streets, from training community leaders to promoting voter participation --- ACORN members have worked hard to create stronger communities, a more inclusive democracy, and a more just nation.
Sad to see a good organization driven out by right-wing hysteria. Hopefully, they can continue to work for our communities under new oranizations. From Reuters:
Most of the 20 chapters of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which endorsed President Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign, have disbanded on their own and reorganized under new names, a source within the group said.
A quick reminder of what ACORN did, from their About page.
ACORN is the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in about 75 cities across the country. Since 1970, ACORN has been building community organizations that are committed to social and economic justice, and won victories on thousands of issues of concern to our members, through direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation. ACORN helps those who have historically been locked out become powerful players in our democratic system.
Expect to see lots of gloating from the Faux News crowd.