Mainstream media did not give ACORN a pass

You don't have to be a raving Republican to question the antics of ACORN organizers and recruits, as has been in the news of late.

A couple years ago, I reported on efforts by the activists to ramp up support on the San Francisco peninsula. Something seemed a little off about the group to several reporters at the San Mateo County Times, where I worked, so I took a look at who the group was and what it sought to accomplish. Here's a snippet:

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now makes a big noise when it pops into new cities, vowing to help low-income residents get better traffic safety, cleaner streets and more overall attention from local governments.

Sometimes the group is welcomed as a refreshing voice of the people, many of whom wouldn't otherwise join the public debate. Other times, ACORN stirs the pot so much that it becomes the center of attention instead of the problems it highlights.

In Daly City, the group is being checked into by police after some residents complained to the City Council about door-to-door soliciting for new members. Mayor Maggie Gomez said she worried about the group signing up members to have a minimum $10 a month deducted automatically from their accounts.

"Seniors easily give their credit cards over and what have you," she said. "We're concerned about our citizens, you know, we just have to make sure our citizens aren't taken to the cleaners."

David Sharples, an organizer for the San Francisco-based nonprofit that is looking for office space in South City, likened the membership fees to union dues or church-group donations.

"We're not committing elder abuse," Sharples said. "We're bringing people together in the community to get power in numbers in order to win real improvements in their neighborhoods."

Gomez said some of the issues ACORN has raised are already on the radar of local homeowner associations. A push by the group for a new Bayshore supermarket is beside the point because the city has been planning to build exactly that near the Cow Palace for years, she said.

"They're reinventing the wheel is what they're doing," Gomez said, adding that she plans to meet with Sharples soon to clarify the group's mission. "Why would citizens have to pay dues to voice something they can come to the City Council and speak freely about?"

An earlier article I wrote focused on ACORN's effort to clean up the Crocker neighborhood in Daly City and a futile effort to address supposed speeding in San Bruno:

One recent ACORN push that didn't work out was a campaign in San Bruno for a new traffic light at Sixth and San Bruno avenues. City staffers said a pricey new light is not warranted three blocks from an existing light at Third Avenue and two blocks from the Highway 101 interchange.

City Manager Connie Jackson said allegations by residents of cars going 90 mph on San Bruno Avenue and claims of high accident rates there were unsubstantiated. But she said the city will consider other traffic-safety measures besides a new light in the vicinity.

ACORN garnered criticism last year from local officials who felt ambushed by the group, known for collecting $10-a-month fees from members and charging ahead with protests instead of exploring all the options with local governments.

"I feel that if you are an activist, you learn the rules first, and then you respect them," said longtime San Bruno activist and ACORN member Alice Barnes. "I feel that ACORN is learning how to move into City Hall and deal face-to-face with officials rather than bushwhacking them on the street."

By the way, my favorite moment on a recent edition of Sean Hannity's angry white man program was when contributor Juan Williams chastized him for attacking lil ol' ACORN with such vehemence instead of going after Blackwater, the military contractor, for ripping off the government at a far vaster financial magnitude.

Because they protect the country, Hannity replied. Yes, and they rip off the country at the same time -- kind of a patriotic/anti-patriotic two-fer, I guess.