Letter from ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis
December 9, 2009

In late September, ACORN and its Advisory Council asked former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to lead an independent inquiry into the circumstances and implications of the videos that led to the intense responses in Congress and the media in September and October.

Today Mr. Harshbarger released his report. ACORN’s leadership is pleased that this evaluation shows even the low-level employees portrayed in the videos did not engage in any illegal activity or seek to encourage it as the heavily-edited videos seek to imply.[1]

Harshbarger’s report stated unequivocally: “While some of the advice and counsel given by ACORN employees and volunteers was clearly inappropriate and unprofessional, we did not find a pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staff; in fact, there is no evidence that action, illegal or otherwise, was taken by any ACORN employee on behalf of the videographers. (pg. 2-3)

Indeed, it is important to note that the transcripts published by the undercover videographers themselves (and referred to in Mr. Harshbarger’s report) show that these ACORN employees consistently advised the couple in the video tapes to pay taxes, not to evade them. Those transcripts also show that Giles and O’Keefe, identifying himself not as a pimp but as Giles’ boyfriend, pleaded with the ACORN staff to assist with housing to protect her and underage girls from a violent pimp.
But we asked for a report that went beyond the videos, for a tough and independent inquiry assessment of everything our organization needs to do to survive, thrive, and fulfill its mission. And we sure got it.

Mr. Hashbarger pulled no punches is stating the ways in which ACORN needs to improve our administration, management and governance in order to regain the public trust.

The report makes nine specific recommendations about how ACORN should strengthen its training, management, and supervisory structures. The recommendations are good ones. The Harshbarger report makes plain that many of them have already been underway over the last 18 months.

“The ACORN leadership is aware of these issues, and has initiated action steps to remedy them. Organization leaders appear committed to effect reform and are on their way to preserving ACORN and its mission…” (pg. 10)

The ACORN Board, management and Advisory Board will be reviewing each of the nine recommendations in detail. We are committed to achieving the goals they set out as rapidly as possible working with our supporters to raise the resources needed to do so.[2]

“The findings of our review are neither an epitaph nor an absolution for ACORN. They are a roadmap for reform and renewal,” Harshbarger said.

The past several weeks have been a very difficult time for the dedicated community leaders and organizers who have worked with ACORN to save homes, strengthen neighborhoods, and encourage millions to participate in democracy.
We thank Mr. Harshberger and his team for their work and thank the many organizations and citizens who have extended their support during recent weeks.
Along with the challenges and pitfalls, the remarkable women and men who do ACORN’s work every day have made tremendous achievements. There are thousands of families today with roofs over their heads, grocery money in the bank, and stronger, safer communities because of what they have done.
You can get more information, including the full report itself, my statement to the press, ACORN’s press release, and an analysis of the video transcripts, all at http://www.acorn.org.

This work must go on, and it will.

In solidarity and strength,

Bertha Lewis
ACORN CEO and Chief Organizer

[1] The Harshbarger report has this to say about the videos: “The unedited videos have never been made public. The videos that have been released appear to have been edited, in some cases substantially, including the insertion of a substitute voiceover for significant portions of Mr. O’Keefe’s and Ms.Giles’s comments, which makes it difficult to determine the questions to which ACORN employees are responding. A comparison of the publicly available transcripts2 to the released videos confirms that large portions of the original video have been omitted from the released versions.” (pg. 11-12)

[2] The report notes the following about the timing of the videotape controversy: “It erupted just as ACORN’s reform leadership was about to complete an ambitious and professionally directed organizational and cultural transformation designed to revisit its mission, reshape its scope and charter, and meet squarely its legal, governance and compliance responsibilities.” (pg. 2)