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Arkansas Community Organization for Reform Now aka Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now With all the news going on about ACORN I have yet to hear any history of the organization dating back to 1970 when ACORN was originally created with the help of Wade Rathke, coming to Little Rock, Arkansas and inspired by a clause in the Arkansas Welfare Laws. Below are two paragraphs taken from some 20 pages of history from the ACORN website. You can see from the two red highlighted sentences, they exercised illegal methods, by their own admission to accomplish their means. That was almost 30 years ago. And look how it has evolved.
"When Rathke arrived in Little Rock in 1970, he began a campaign to help welfare recipients attain their basic needs - clothing and furniture. This drive, inspired by a clause in the Arkansas welfare laws, began the effort to create and sustain a social justice movement that would grow to become the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now - ACORN." "Turning adversity into opportunity, ACORN launched a campaign to obtain affordable housing. Long before it became fashionable to be concerned about the homeless, ACORN was fighting for homes for low- and moderate-income people. Noting that economic upheaval had forced many people to default on mortgages, ACORN sought to place needy people in the resulting vacant homes. This required the forceful and illegal (though logical and moral) seizing of the properties - squatting. The squatting campaigns involved personal, community and political dimensions. The personal needs of people without homes attracted many to advertisements ACORN placed in papers asking "Do you need a home?" The squatting campaign required a personal commitment to move into a vacant, usually poorly kept house and refit it for comfortable living. It also involved the risk of arrest if local authorities refused them the legal occupation of the home. Nevertheless, the response was great." |
ACORN 
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