ACORN Circles the Wagons: Our Staffers 'Are Victims'

What has been ACORN's response to the devastating undercover revelations of abject corruption, mismanagement, tax evasion, and human sex-slave trafficking? Why, blame everyone else, decry racism, and claim victimhood, of course.

Here's the ACORN CEO's previous statement:

ACORN chief organizer Bertha Lewis would not defend the employees in the video, but insists that the videos "are doctored, edited, and in no way the result of the fabricated story being portrayed by conservative activist ‘filmmaker’ [James] O’Keefe and his partner in crime. And, in fact, a crime it was—our lawyers believe a felony—and we will be taking legal action against Fox and their co-conspirators."

Also, from the Los Angeles Times, "ACORN Circles the Wagons":

Critics charge that that adversarial mind-set, which helped make ACORN one of the most formidable community organizing groups in the country, may also prevent the group from conducting an honest reckoning with any flaws that the videotapes may have revealed.

"They have a very bunker mentality," said Marcel Reid, a former national ACORN board member who left the organization because she had problems with its leadership. "They perceive everyone as a threat. You're either with them or against them, and there's no space in between" ....

At the ACORN's well-worn office in downtown Los Angeles, staffers have been working overtime doing damage control, talking to reporters during the day and community members at night, said Amy Schur, the group's lead organizer in California.

"People see this for what it is," she said. "They see that there are big-pocketed forces in this nation that want to bring our organization down. Our communities are used to being attacked."

Schur acknowledges that the staffers on the tapes erred and thinks it's right that they were fired. But, she said, "the staff who fell for this ridiculous charade are victims. Since when do you indict an entire organization based on the actions of a couple of employees who were victims of what essentially was a sting operation?"

What's interesting is how vigorously the media's playing up the ACORN victimoloogy line. As Allah noted yesterday with regard to an Associated Press hit peice on Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe:

Even Jon Stewart’s sneering at big media these days for needing two twentysomething right-wingers to do their investigative work for them. And yet, not only does this piece drip with skepticism that O’Keefe and Giles did it all on their own, it’s freighted with the sense that there’d be something … untoward if conservative big media were found to be involved.

See also, Big Government, "Obama Administration Moves to Shutdown Disclosure of Big Labor-ACORN Connections." And, check for developments at Memeorandum.

Image Credit: The People's Cube.