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Monday, September 14, 2009

The ACORN Broken Record Continues

First, here's the video.


Here's some things to keep in mind. New York city ACORN is controlled by Steve and John Kest. Despite what Glenn Beck says, all ACORN insiders say that the real power base in ACORN is currently derived from these two brothers. ACORN's current CEO, Bertha Lewis, used to head up the New York branch.

That said, the most recent video prior to this was from Washington D.C. That area was run by Marcel Reid, currently one of the principles in ACORN 8. She categorically denied any knowledge of the video though she said she knew the folks in the video on Glenn Beck. She said the same in an email to me right after the appearance. So, it's not necessarily a given that the Kest's knew about this behavior.

One thing that insiders tell me is that the Kest brothers want their own names out of the media. This video will do the opposite. It's also time to start speculating if and when these videos will bring down ACORN. This is the ultimate manifestation of the drip drip factor. It can't go on much longer before major funders follow the census withdrawing their money. This will hit ACORN in its most important place, the pocket book. It is money that leads to their ultimate goal, power. Their money will dry up first and then their power. These sets of videos, in my opinion, are going to finally once and for all bring down ACORN.

UPDATE:

Here's the press release I just received from ACORN 8

As members, former leaders and dedicated community activists; we are
saddened and troubled by the recent transgressions of the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now, especially the recent stories about
“pimps and prostitutes” condoned by ACORN staff from Baltimore, Washington,
DC and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of poor
governance, mismanagement and corruption within the once venerable
organization.

Margaret Williams, Maryland ACORN board member and Sonja Merchant-
Jones, Baltimore ACORN President both reported that the low level ACORN
employees caught on tape in the Baltimore office and two additional employees
from DC ACORN were immediately terminated for behaving unprofessionally; but
yet, senior staff members who assisted and concealed a million dollar Rathke
embezzlement remain employed.

While we commend these board member’s decisive action, we find it
extremely ironic since the board of directors do not actually control ACORN
employees; according to ACORN’s by-laws that authority is exclusively exercised
by the “Chief Organizer” formerly Wade Rathke. This fundamental disconnect
between an actual functioning board of directors and senior management is the
true problem and real scandal within ACORN, it causes low-income members and
staff to become mere pawns of senior management.


The existing board of directors has been dumbfounded by ACORN’s
complex organizational structure in the past – but the future is crystal clear. If
ACORN is to survive then the know nothing, see nothing, do nothing board of
directors must by replaced by individuals with the strength and capabilities to fulfill
their fiduciary responsibilities and the courage to reign in corruption by ACORN’s
senior management.

Ultimately, ACORN’s low-income workers are simply trying to meet and
fulfill unreasonable membership quotas set by senior staff, this undue
management pressure results in fraudulent voter registrations, tax assistance for
“pimps and prostitutes” or worse. However, all community based organizations
providing tax preparation assistance to low and moderate income individuals
should not become scapegoats for individual wrongdoers. Don’t fault poor
workers – blame the board!

DC ACORN President (and ACORN 8, LLC co-founder) Marel Reid was
physically removed from the DC ACORN office for fighting for truth, transparency
and accountability in the DC ACORN office. Carol Hemmingway, President of
Philadelphia ACORN was a member of the management committee that first
sought ACORN’s books and records following the discovery of the Rathke
embezzlement. We are simply trying to correct the saddest of sadness, the living
out of the proverb that corruption of the best becomes the worst. We are few but
we are mighty and we’ve been fighting for truth and transparency inside ACORN
for the last few years. We’ve filed lawsuits, sought injunctions, called for a boycott
and reported wrongdoers to the Justice Department.

Unfortunately, the media’s focus on the trivial and salacious actually
distracts and detracts from legitimate investigations and true reform efforts. For
instance, ACORN would much rather talk about Mickey Mouse or Tony Romo
voting rather than explain why there was never a forensic audit following the multi-
million dollar embezzlement.

Poor governance and lack of accountability are the real problems. Voter
Fraud or rather Voter Registration Fraud are mere red herrings. They are
symptoms of a far greater problem. And that is the lack of meaningful control and
accountability by the membership. ACORN has been hijacked by senior staff and
executive leadership who are acting in their own personal interest and not the best
interest of the association or its membership.

Consequently, the ACORN national board of directors must wake up, step
up and right the ship – the crooks are not going to remove themselves. But
instead, the ACORN board members who stood up for fairness and righteousness
were improperly and illegally removed from the national board. By ejecting the
ACORN 8 from its national board of directors, ACORN and other alleged
perpetrators conspired to “injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate” these
members “in the free exercise or enjoyment of their rights or privileges secured to
them by the Constitution” and as dues-paying ACORN members; violating their
First Amendment right to speak out on matters of importance to ACORN
and petition government for related relief. Moreover, one or more of senior
staff members may have acted to avert liability for the referenced embezzlement, the
unlawful concealment of that crime, and/or other breaches of fiduciary obligations.

On January 7, 2009, ACORN 8 representatives submitted criminal
complaints to 15 different FBI and/or U.S. District Attorneys offices across
America including the District of Columbia. These complaints allege
violations of Title 18 U.S.C. §241 - Conspiracy Against Constitutional Rights, and
possible RICO violations. Additionally, a blistering report released by Rep. Darrell
Issa (R-CA), the Ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee, also supports ACORN 8 allegations of wrongdoing and
enterprise corruption; and presents compelling evidence that ACORN has evaded
taxes, obstructed justice, engaged in racketeering, and created a conspiracy to
defraud the United States.

Unfortunately, in the words of House Judiciary Committee Chairman
John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich), as reported on June 25, 2009 by the Washington
Times, the “powers that be” do not want an investigation of the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now.


ACORN 8 is a group of current and former board members that are acting as a watchdog group in an attempt to create reform within ACORN.

3 comments:

Chieftain said...

Let us be clear, this is the third such video that has popped up in just the past week. I think there's ample reason to begin a formal RICO investigation (including a formal audit of every single loan document ever submitted by anyone at ACORN), and because the defacto President of ACORN is in the White House, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that anyone will be looking at ACORN any time soon.

Trying to dry up their money is a great idea, but I'd rather see a bunch of these ACORN people prosecuted for loan fraud.

Unknown said...

The more information that comes out against Acorn is a good thing. Maybe the members will finally see what the Acorn 8 has been saying all a long is true. Sometimes people try not to see the forrest for the trees because its easier to focus on, but the truth is they are just plain afraid. If the members of Acorn would put their faith in God than the evilness with in the organization of Acorn, then maybe, just maybe they will find the forrest and the light of truth as well. God Bless the Acorn 8 for standing up to the wickness of Acorn. Only truth, transparency, and accountablility will set them free and hopefully save their souls from hell.

Unknown said...

Acorn's organization can never be fixed. Within the organization is corruption to its fullest. They have been living this way for so long that they have began to believe in their own lies and when they here the truth, it doesn’t even register. This type of behavior is pass down from top ranking officials in the organization to the lowest of lowest within in the organization. This organization not only organizes against people or corporations outside of its walls, but they organize against their own members as well. This is well document by the dismissal of the Acorn 8 board members who were only doing their duty as board members to find out the truth behind the embezzlement. To no avail, senior staff did not want its board members and/or members to know the truth because they may have found out that more than Wade Rathke's brothers had was in the pot, money pot that is. No matter what Acorn do from this point on, it only going to get uglier for them. God does not like ugly and sure does not like ugglie........and Acorn, it senior staff, its executive board, and its members who keep their heads plaster to the ground, sure are ugglie. They are the worst of the worst, because they claim to work and speak for the low to moderate income people, and yet they lie, cheat, manipulate, and steal behind their backs. They white wash the truth, while all along they are stabbing their members in their backs. How can they look at themselves or even sleep at night knowing the wrong they are doing. I can tell you how, they have no conscious and they are full of greed. What motivates this organization is not the members who they so call work for, but the money they can continue to rob from the American taxpayers every single day. People of America, please wake up to this corruption. It is not the white house you have to be concern with, it is your neighbor next door who are members of this corrupt organization that has blinders on and refuse to see the Forrest for the trees. They are the ones who continue to support acorn by sending in their ten dollars a month to keep their organization a float, even if the organization is corrupt. We need to be able to awaken their senses to the truth, so that their souls can be set free. So their senses can be awaken to the reality that they have be hijack by a corrupt group of individuals who constantly pimp them on a monthly basis. The video is a prime example of pimp or be pimped. Acorn has been in this business for a long time, that is why it was so easy for it employees to act in the manner that they did. The fruit does not fall far from the tree that it grew on and what you see is what you get. Wake up America we need truth, transparency, and accountability from this organization, and we will only win it through your voices. Let the white house and congress know that we want Acorn to be accountable for their crimes, not only from those who work in their branch offices, but from all those who knew about the embezzlement and continue to get away scott free. God does not like ugly and we shouldn't either!!!!!!