Cracking ACORN
Philly didn’t take the bait. But there's still trouble afoot.
On the morning of July 24th, a call came in to Ian Phillips, legislative director for ACORN Pennsylvania, who works out of the organization’s Philadelphia office on Broad Street. The person on the other end of the line identified himself as James O’Keefe. He said he was thinking about running for office and wanted ACORN’s help. When Phillips told him that ACORN didn’t have anything to do with running campaigns, O’Keefe switched gears and said he needed help getting a mortgage for a female friend who was living on his boat. Phillips was accustomed to getting crank phone calls ever since John McCain accused ACORN of “destroying the fabric of democracy” during one of the Presidential debates last fall. Something about this call set off his BS detector, not the least of which was the fact that O’Keefe said he lived in West Philadelphia, yet the area code on the line he was calling from was 201, which is located in northern New Jersey. O’Keefe wanted to come in and meet in person, but Phillips rebuffed him, telling him he was too busy, but that he was welcome to call back after 3 p.m. “I wanted to Google this guy,” says Phillips.
Turns out that O’Keefe had called up a Planned Parenthood office in Ohio in the summer of 2008 posing as a racist donor who wanted to make sure that his money was earmarked specifically for the abortion of a black fetus because “there are way too many black people in Ohio.” An administrative assistant from Planned Parenthood took the call, and after laughing off O’Keefe’s comment about too many blacks in Ohio with a “whatever” told him that Planned Parenthood would accept his donation and that it could be earmarked for an African American mother looking to terminate her pregnancy. Unbeknownst to the woman, O’Keefe was taping the conversation, as he would do with similar calls to Planned Parenthood offices around the nation, and would later put together a gotcha YouTube video with an edited version of the audio that made it look like Planned Parenthood merrily targeted blacks for abortion. Phillips showed his co-worker Keith Crosby what he found on Google and told him about the suspicious phone call he had received earlier.
Twenty minutes later, Phillips received an angry text message from Katherine Conway-Russell, an ACORN Housing counselor who works downstairs from Phillips, wanting to know why he had referred a prostitute to her. When he called back to explain, Conway-Russell was in tears. O’Keefe and Hannah Giles had just left her cubicle, she said, after asking a number of questions that seemed weird and shady. They wanted to know if ACORN had security because Giles’ former boss was stalking her.
They never came out and said it, but Conway-Russell figured that, judging by her skimpy attire, Giles was a hooker and they were talking about her pimp. By this point Conway-Russell was getting a bad feeling about the pair and tried to cut the counseling session short, telling them she had a meeting to attend. “They said, ‘OK we just have one more question. We have these girls from El Salvador that we want to come live with us, do you know how to get them papers?’” says Conway-Russell. “I told them I didn’t know anything about that and ended the meeting.”
At this point, Phillips told Crosby that O’Keefe was in the building with a prostitute and the two raced downstairs as Crosby frantically dialed 911 only to see O’Keefe and Giles pull away in a shiny BMW. When they found Conway-Russell in her cubicle she was in tears and angrily asked Phillips why he had referred a prostitute to her for housing counseling. Phillips explained that they had just been punked. “She was crying and upset,” says Phillips. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her she had probably been recorded.”
There’s an old joke that goes like this: A pimp and a prostitute walk into an ACORN (Association of Community Organizations For Reform Now) office and ask for advice setting up a brothel and smuggling in underage Salvadoran girls to whore out for fun and profit. The punchline is the pimp and the prostitute were in fact a pair of twentysomething right-wing media provocateurs armed with a hidden camera.
Over the summer O’Keefe and Giles visited an undisclosed number of ACORN offices on the East and West coasts—including Philadelphia. While the Philly office didn’t take the bait, ACORN office workers in Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Brooklyn; San Bernardino and San Diego did appear to offer a sympathetic ear and helpful advice, including how to disguise illegal income from the IRS and where the best places are to smuggle illegals across the border.
Fox News thought this joke was very funny—not so much haha funny, but conservative agenda-advancing, score-settling, Democrat-hurting, Obama-bashing funny—and so they repeated the joke across the full spectrum of their broadcast platform, rolling out a new gotcha video every day for almost a week. It was, among other things, a potent antidote to the momentum the president was gaining for his health care reform initiative in the wake of a persuasive and well-received call for action before a joint session of Congress.
Hours before Obama addressed Congress and the nation on Sept. 9, Glenn Beck took to Fox’s airwaves and teased the ACORN stink bomb he was planning to drop on the following day’s program: “Tomorrow—tomorrow, things change,” Beck promised. “I think things change a lot for those in power. The tides are about to turn, and that will be on tomorrow’s broadcast,” Beck hinted ominously, adding: “Trust me. Everybody now says they’re going to be talking about health care. I don’t think so.”
The next day Fox devoted 17 segments on six programs— Fox & Friends; America’s Newsroom; Happening Now; Live Desk; Glenn Beck; and Special Report —to the ACORN gotcha footage, which soon went viral on the Internet. Eventually the scandalous story migrated to the more centrist precincts of mainstream media and soon even the reality-based community of the great American middle was in on the joke.
The fallout was almost immediate: The U.S. Census Bureau announced it was severing ties with ACORN, as did the IRS, which had previously partnered with the organization to provide free tax preparation services for the poor. The House of Representatives voted 345-75 to defund ACORN. Smelling blood in the water, Republicans went on the warpath and Democrats ran for cover—including Rep. Allyson Schwartz and Rep. Joe Sestak, two democrats whose districts include Philadelphia, who voted to defund. Even President Obama, who once provided legal representation to a coalition that included ACORN in a case regarding enforcement of Illinois’ National Voter Registration Act, called for an investigation into the grassroots group.
Bank of America, whose partnership with ACORN Housing began in 1990 and helped make 55,000 low-income people first-time homeowners, announced that it too was severing ties with ACORN.
With little more than a reported $1300, grandma’s fur coat, a micro mini-skirt, a few leading questions, a lot of nerve and a hidden camera, O’Keefe and Giles did what the Bush White House, Karl Rove, the Gonzalez-era Justice Department, a dozen federal prosecutors, Fox News, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and the entire right wing blogosphere had been trying unsuccessfully to do for years: drop a poison pill in the Olympic- sized pool of good deeds ACORN has done for the poor and the disenfranchised in the course of its nearly 40-year history. According to the political Geiger counters of every partisan stripe, ACORN was officially radioactive.
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1. outraged said... on Oct 6, 2009 at 10:28PM
“James O'Keefe is a massive tool, on par with Chris Hanson imo...
Their little prank was incredibly outlandish. It is highly unlikely that in real life a prostitute and pimp would actually walk into these offices. More plausible would be if they found a more believable case, say an illegal immigrant who needed help fudging papers so he could be legalized -- that would be plausible and a valid concern.
ACORN does have problems with its hiring, as evidenced by the video I believe. Many of the employees appear to be unprofessional, and I wouldn't be surprised if many are employed for political reasons, much like how Marion Barry uses non-profit organizations to distribute his political patronage. That is an internal management problem. But O'Keefe's attack is along a right-wing conspiracy fantasy line of thought. It's utterly absurd.”
2. Carmen said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 07:38AM
“Its nice to actually read an article about ACORN, and the war being waged on it, that tells the truth and puts this McCarthyite moment into perspective. ACORN has been active here in Philly for 33 years and is a key piece of the progressive infrastructure in PA and around the country. ACORN is one of the only groups that even attempts to organize low income people, and has done so with incredible success over the years. Attempts by the right wing to kill it is largely a reaction to that success, including registering hundreds of thousands of voters in PA and 1.3 M nationally in the last election cycle. (What, Black and Brown people actually voting-Horrors!) If they succeed in killing ACORN, who's next? Progressives in this country need to stand up and see this for what it is. To see lame ass Democrats like Allyson Schwartz running for the hills and selling out ACORN is embarrassing and scary.”
3. Mac said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 09:55AM
“These two courageous youngsters should not be lambasted for the questions they asked. It is the answers given by the ACORN staffers that should be questioned. O'keefe did not tell the ACORN staffers how to answer the questions, and I am amazed that the author of this article is so cool with having 14 year old children smuggled into the U.S. to be forced into prostitution. Is that how ACORN helps the poor? Call it what you want you sick pathetic perverts.”
4. Carmen said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 11:10AM
“Mac-Dude, the tapes, for one, were doctored and selectively edited! ACORN and government investigators request for the full, unedited tapes have not been met. The San Bernardino tape shown here has an ACORN staffer playing along and playing with O'Keefe and Giles, one-upping them in outrageousness! Beck and O'Keefe never caught on that they were the ones punked there. The ACORN staffer in San Diego called the police afterwards to report O'Keefe and crew. And of course, we never see the videos of the hundred other ACORN offices that O'keefe and Giles were thrown out of, including here in Philly. If you have a hidden camera and the ability to edit, and your intent is to punk someone, and you have no ethics, you can do it.
On top of that, no paperwork in any of these cases was filed, no assistance was actually given. It was stupid for the couple of ACORN front-line staffers to actually talk with these two pranksters, but NO HARM WAS ACTUALLY DONE (except to ACORN!)”
5. Anonymous said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 12:59PM
“Yes, assisting drug dealing and underage prostitution is a very bad thing.
But then, what is the criticism of ACORN again? The right had this weird paranoid fantasy that ACORN was a nefarious vote-stealing empire, (oddly enough, quite the 30 million juggernaut...) not that it was a drug dealing people smuggling criminal enterprise.
The scenario put forth has more to do with O'Keefe's vivid imagination than with a plausible scenario of ACORN.
This kid is a privileged BMW-driving punk. Really, I expected more savaging of O'Keefe's idiocy than of ACORN, as that's the real story.”
6. Mr. Philly said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 04:45PM
“Whats the difference if Mr. O'Keef or some govt. agency wanted to checkup on acorn. The acorn staffers were in the wrong and thats all that should matter.”
7. Weaver said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 07:54PM
“In a large grass roots organization like Acorn there are going to be some loose canons. Being politically correct is not the number one concern as it is in the corporate world. The number one goal at Acorn is to help people and it is a sad story that it could be laid low by some attention seeking punks with a camcorder in a paper bag.”
8. 95 South said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 08:16PM
“Please stop the journalisitc fellattio of Obama? Please?”
9. Anonymous said... on Oct 7, 2009 at 09:30PM
“Acorn political vision has run amuck. It is a laughing stock.”
10. ritabootoo said... on Oct 8, 2009 at 11:22AM
“#8. 95 South: You said a "mouthfull"! Yep, pun intended...
Unfortunately, won't happen. True journalism in this administration is dead.”
11. Anonymous said... on Oct 8, 2009 at 03:31PM
“Carmen said: "ACORN has been active here in Philly for 33 years and is a key piece of the progressive infrastructure in PA and around the country. " I think therein lies your problem. ACORN is supposed to be a non-partisian organization. They're receiving Federal funds. The mere fact that they're progressive and promoting a political agenda automatically makes them tax frauds. Their non-profit status is dependent upon them being unbiased. And to suggest that ACORN has done this country and the poor good, is to openly admit that you're completely uneducated. In fact, admitting that your a progressive is like saying: "Yes, please take away all of my freedom. Please make me a slave to the government. I really don't know how to provide for myself and I really don't need my hard earned money. No matter how hard I work, make sure you punish me for it by taking more of what I earn. Yes, please take my money and instead of me spending it on my family, give it someone who's lazy."”
12. Anonymous said... on Oct 8, 2009 at 03:37PM
“Good GOD could this, ahem, journalist be more biased? How can someone overlook the fact that ACORN was flat out wrong. I'd understand if it happened once or twice, but at least five different locations behaved way beyond the pale. In fact, one guy wanted in on the illegal minor human trafficking. WOW. How can someone be so blind? ACORN is a criminal organization. Check your facts, don't listen to liberal pinko commies or righites. Do you own homework and then you decide.”
13. Carmen said... on Oct 9, 2009 at 08:00AM
“FACT: no one, other than the rightwing filmmakers, have seen the full, unedited tapes
FACT: there is evidence in most of the released "snippets" of splices and overdubbing
FACT: Authorities in NY and LA have demanded them and filmakers still refuse to release
FACT: No paperwork was ever filled out, no assistance was ever given based on whatever conversations actually happened. In other words: no crime was even close to being committed
FACT: In over a dozen offices, filmakers we're booted out; in Philly, cops called
FACT: ACORN has never been convicted of a crime, ever!
FACT: You, anonymous, are the one without facts
”
14. jj said... on Oct 11, 2009 at 04:44PM
“another white hater org. bites the dust so what?”
15. Scott B said... on Oct 21, 2009 at 12:15PM
“You idiots! Philadelphia Weekly and all other media sources that reported that the Philadelphia chapter did not take the bait did not know the facts.
Check the facts you idiots:
http://biggovernment.com/2009/10/21/acorn-video-prostitution-scandal-in-philadelphia-pa-part-i/
If you have any self respect you will devote the same amount of space to a retraction.
You idiots!!!”
16. Michael said... on Oct 21, 2009 at 01:11PM
“Carmen... check your facts. ACORN has been indicted and convicted in CO and WI and is under investigation in 13 more states for voter fraud... FACT, the woman in this story LIED in her TV interviews... since the tapes were released today, she has been EXPOSED as a liar and PW and CCN and all the other "real news" networks missed it. Even before today. Conway-Russell went on TV and said that the two were not dressed in any obvious way, yet in this very article she notes the "skimpy" outfit and the fact that the girl looked like a "prostitute." She said on air that they NEVER mentioned prostitution, but the tape reveals TWO references to prostitution. The "immediately kicked them out line" is also false as are the charges filed. Filing a false police report is also a crime.”
17. DHM said... on Oct 21, 2009 at 01:47PM
“You know you don't even have to rely on O'Keefe's video to know that ACORN lied? Katherine Conway-Russell has a video up on youtube where she completely contradicts the story she appears to have told her boss.
On that video tape she says the O'Keefe and Giles NEVER mentioned prostitution, yet in this story she says they did.
On that video tape (which she made of her own volition) she says Giles wasn't dressed in any unusual or outlandish fashion, yet here she says Giles was dressed like a hooker.
On that video tape she says they were 'kicked out' of the office, yet here she says she merely told them she had another appointment and had to go.
Why does she tell such radically different stories? And didn't this reporter do any actual investigative journalism? Her youtube video was made for Media Matters, so it was easily available and should have thrown up all kinds of red flags for this reporter.
Jonathan, you've been used by ACORN.”
18. DHM said... on Oct 21, 2009 at 02:12PM
“Did I miss the part of the ACORN story here where Rathke's brother embezzled upwards of five million dollars from ACORN's coffers, was allowed to stay on board after his brother found out about it, had the embezzlement hidden from the public AND from ACORN's own board, even after it was discovered, Rathke covered up the crime further by letting people think it was 'only' a million that had been stolen from the poor that the money was intended to help?”
19. Anonymous said... on Oct 21, 2009 at 03:02PM
“Hopefully Ms. Russel will give O'Keefe and biggovernment.com permission to post the audio portion to the videos.
I suspect that Acorn figured that the lawsuit against O'Keefe and Giles in Maryland would prevent them from posting the Philadelphia video. It only resulted in it being delayed until Acorn and Ms. Russel had entrapped themselves in lies.
As Nixon found out. It ain't the crime that causes the problem ..... it's the attempted cover-up.”
20. Anonymous said... on Oct 22, 2009 at 02:20AM
“According to this piece of fiction, Russell was already in tears when Phillips called her on the telephone, and the two reporters had "just left her cubicle". Then Phillips told Crosby about the reporters, and the two of them managed to get downstairs and see the reporters pulling away in their car. So... Ms. Russell must have burst into tears immediately after telling the two reporters goodbye.
There is no hint of that on the video. Things were very pleasant, right up until the time the two left. There is no hint of distress on the part of Ms. Russell, much less any sign that she was about to burst into tears. Does she frequently go from being happy to crying fits? Is she that emotionally unstable? Of course not. The truth is, when the video of their meeting was not released, they assumed that it did not exist. And they felt safe making up this little one-act drama. But now they're busted, because there was video, and it totally contradicts everything they made up.
ACORN is also busted in New York for rigging an election with stolen identities. Unfortunately for them, some of the people found out that their names had been used on fraudulent ballots. It's against the rules to post a link here, but it's easy enough to find. Just search for Working Families Party and ACORN.
Let's not talk about the "Olympic sized pool of good deeds" done by ACORN. It has been obvious for much too long that many, many people have been urinating in that particular pool.”