Marred by scandals both real and hyped, community organizing group ACORN has suspended most operations nationwide, effective today. In September, Congress voted to cut funding for the group, which came under investigation last year because some employees were accused of submitting false voter registration forms with names such as "Mickey Mouse." (ACORN had received $53 million in taxpayer funds since 1994, according to Nebraska senator Mike Johanns.) The vote came in the midst of the infamous "undercover pimp/prostitute" videos, which were carefully edited by a young conservative gadfly to suggest that an ACORN employee in NYC was advising a young woman how to hide prostitution money from the IRS. (Before all that, there was the embezzlement of funds by the group's founder, and, as Norman Oder recalls, the shady acceptance of $1.5 million bailout from Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner.)
In New York, ACORN has become New York Communities for Change, under the same leadership as before. The new group has taken over the lease of ACORN’s office at 2-4 Nevins Street in Brooklyn, City Hall news reports. Nationwide, other ACORN offices have relaunched; in California, ACORN has become the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. In Massachusetts, it's now New England United for Justice. In other areas, lack of funds have forced the closure of offices and disconnection of phone lines. Even ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis's phone has reportedly been disconnected. (Please make a note of it.)
