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December 31, 2005
Calling the Question of ACORN
Mark Winston Griffith brings up interesting points on the DMI Blog about the role of ACORN in big-city politics:
An issue that also deserves public debate is the role that ACORN continues to play in New York City politics and community development. From Bertha's famed spit swapping with Mike Bloomberg, to ACORN's penchant for striking shady, self-profiting, deals with huge corporate interests, ACORN has muddied the idea of community organizing as a process of developing grassroots leadership and building community power.
Giffith's comments have spurred additional commentary worth considering and debating:
"When community organizations play the real estate development game, the people who made up the game- real estate developers- will always win." — thfs
"Kudos to you Mark for daring to say what so many of us have only considered in hushed tones in fear of making the wrong people angry." — hushed
"What's the point of 50% "affordable" housing when a) they're evicting people who own homes already and b) no one will want to live in a congested nightmare that is going to become, as if it were even imaginable before, an even more congested nightmare?" — Brian F
Also included in the commentary is a comparison between ACORN and Sharpton's protests against Ratner in 2000 and their partnership in 2005 and political analysis by US Congressional Candidate Chris Owens.
Posted by lumi at December 31, 2005 6:22 AM