ACORN forum canceled, official says
Published 12:23 pm Thursday, September 17, 2009
EVERETT – A forum on economic issues planned for tonight in downtown Everett by the community organizing group ACORN has been canceled.
At least two elected officials from Snohomish County planned to attend the forum. The cancellation was confirmed by Josh Watler, the state director for Washington ACORN. He didn’t give a reason why and instead referred calls to a county ACORN organizer.
A conservative Web site, Sound Politics, urged people to attend the forum, which had been planned months ago.
ACORN has become the center of controversy this month after a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute on the East Coast secretly videotaped themselves appearing to get advice to lie about the woman’s profession to get housing help.
It led the U.S. Senate on Monday to vote 83-7 to cut off Department of Housing and Urban Development funding to the organization. The Census Bureau also dropped ACORN as a national unpaid partner helping promote the 2010 Census. ACORN also drew negative attention during last year’s presidential campaign because of charges of voter-registration fraud.
ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also has offices in Everett, Burien and Tacoma. The state-level organization reports having helped nearly 400 households handle foreclosures and 600 people get food stamps.
