Thread: ACORN Border-crossing tips dispensed on video UPDATED

ACORN flap has a local angle

Border-crossing tips dispensed on video

By Matthew T. Hall
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. September 17, 2009

NATIONAL CITY — A duo posing as a prostitute and a pimp who secretly recorded themselves getting financial advice from the community-organizing group ACORN in various cities conducted a similar operation in National City in July, an ACORN spokesman confirmed yesterday.

A 37-second clip aired last night on Fox News showed someone identified as an ACORN employee in San Diego answering questions about how to get people across the U.S.-Mexico border. A second, 15-second clip showed the same ACORN employee asking the woman how much her services cost.

Sean Hannity, the Fox News personality who aired the footage last night, called the actions crimes, but local ACORN spokesman David Lagstein said the employee's comments in the video were taken “completely out of context.â€

We need more citizen journalist to do these type of stings. Safety, though, must be considered first. No one should do anything in a dangerous way.

The real question is what if anything will the gov't do about it?

ACORN chief executive Bertha Lewis said in a written statement that her group will work with its advisory council, which includes prominent supporters of President Barack Obama, such as John Podesta, president of the nonprofit Center for American Progress, and Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, to name an independent auditor and investigator

Now there's a group we can all trust......right?

ACORN official respond to video sting

By Eleanor Yang Su
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
4:46 p.m. September 17, 2009
FROM THE U-T
ACORN flap has local angle

NATIONAL CITY – At a news conference Thursday afternoon, local ACORN spokesman David Lagstein said the organization is “furiousâ€

Lagstein said that ACORN is standing behind local employee Juan Carlos Vera, whom he said will not be disciplined.

More of the film has been released and Juan Carlos Vera has now been fired according to San Diego TV 10 news.

ACORN worker fired over video sting

By Eleanor Yang Su
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
4:46 p.m. September 17, 2009

The complete National City video can be found on BigGovernment.com

From the U-T
ACORN flap has local angle

NATIONAL CITY - Local ACORN officials reversed an earlier decision Thursday afternoon and fired a community organizer who was caught on video providing advice about human smuggling to a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute.

In an afternoon press conference, Lagstein said he believed his employee, Juan Carlos Vera, did his best to deal with a challenging situation, and would not be disciplined.

But two hours later, Lagstein stated he had reevaluated the videos posted online in which Vera was secretly filmed answering questions about smuggling people across the Tijuana border. Lagstein said in his earlier evaluation, he had only found a short, 52-second video, and not a longer seven-minute video. After consulting with supervisors and state ACORN officials, he decided Vera had contradicted his earlier statements and his conduct was "unacceptable."

The recording showed Vera appearing to suggest he could help get people across the border and asking the woman posing as a prostitute how much her services cost.

At the news conference, Lagstein said the organization is "furious" that hidden cameras filmed employees of the community-organizing group, and he called such actions "immoral if not illegal."

He also added that "we accept the imperfections that it exposed."

Vera was at the news conference and he gave an emotional recounting of what happened. He broke into tears at least twice.

He said that English isn't his first language and that he was confused about what was going on. He said he was just trying to help.

Lagstein said at the news conference that Vera ended up contacting a family member who works for police, and he said that shows that Vera knew what was happening was wrong.

Lagstein also said that he believes the timing was politically motivated, as it coincided with the day that President Obama gave a speech on health-care reform.

Eleanor Yang Su: (619) 542-4564;

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ser/?metro

A huge bunch of you-know-what!!

The complete National City video can be found on BigGovernment.com

RELATED

ACORN scaling back or shutting down in many cities

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-171558.html