ACORN News November 25, 2003
colist at comm-org.utoledo.edu
colist at comm-org.utoledo.edu
Fri Nov 28 14:51:32 CST 2003
[ed: this is one of the regular ACORN updates.]
From: "Camellia Phillips" <acornnews at acorn.org>
Voter Registration Update: ACORN Registers 73,000
Voters Since July 2003
1. ACORN and Household Reach Settlement in Class
Action Lawsuit
2. Rhode Island Wins Utilities Assistance Program
3. ACORN Chapters Protest Proposed LIHEAP Cuts
4. "Shark Hunter Caravan" Warns Californians about
Wells' Predatory Lending
5. New York Rallies for Affordable Housing
6. Minnesota Wins Temporary Shut-down of Mortgage
Foreclosure Scam Artist
7. Seattle Saves Crossing Guards
8. Philadelphia Introduces City Resolution against
Refund Anticipation Loans
9. Third National Living Wage Conference a Success
10. ACORN and MoveOn Release TV Ad Criticizing Bush
Economic Policies
11. Cincinnati ACORN Opens
ACORN News November 25, 2003
VOTER REGISTRATION UPDATE: ACORN REGISTERS
73,000 VOTERS SINCE JULY 2003
As we move into 2004, ACORN, with the
assistance of Project Vote, is spearheading a
massive voter registration, voter education,
and get-out-the-vote project in critically
important states all across the nation. Since
July 2003, ACORN has already registered 73,684
voters in low and moderate income, African
American and Latino neighborhoods. Several
ACORN offices have already topped 5,000
registrations, including:
a.. Twin Cities, MN with 13,845
b.. Kansas City, MO with 10,473
c.. Portland, OR with 6,431
d.. Miami, FL with 5,779
ACORN AND HOUSEHOLD REACH SETTLEMENT IN
CLASS
ACTION LAWSUIT
ACORN and Household International Inc., now
owned by HSBC Holdings, announced November 25
that they have reached a proposed settlement of
a national class action lawsuit brought against
the company by ACORN in 2002. The centerpiece
of the settlement is a $72 million Foreclosure
Avoidance Program (FAP) which will provide
relief to Household borrowers who are
delinquent on their payments and at risk of
losing their homes. Components of the program
include: interest rate reductions, waivers of
unpaid late charges, deferral of accrued unpaid
interest, and loan principal reductions. ACORN
President Maude Hurd commented that ACORN is
"especially pleased that this program will help
families stay in their homes, and preserve all
they have poured into them." The settlement
follows a three-year campaign by ACORN to
change Household's lending practices, and a
$484 million settlement earlier this year
between Household and a group of State
Attorneys General initiated by ACORN's work
with Household victims to file formal
complaints. For more information, contact Lisa
Donner at acorncampaign at acorn.org or
718-246-7900.
RHODE ISLAND WINS UTILITIES ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
Rhode Island ACORN members and Governor
Donald Carcieri announced the creation of
a special utility restoration fund for
low-income consumers at a November 19
press conference.
On November 19, Rhode Island ACORN members and
Governor Donald Carcieri held a press
conference to announce the creation and funding
of a special utility restoration fund. The fund
will provide assistance to Rhode Islanders
whose gas or electricity have been disconnected
and are eligible for LIHEAP, but who owe more
in bills and fees for service restoration than
LIHEAP can provide. ACORN members have been
working to win a utilities assistance program
in the state for the last three years. This
summer, ACORN leaders turned out over 250
residents to hearings on a proposed "affordable
energy bargain" which the Public Utilities
Commission sent back to its working group for
revision earlier this fall. ACORN also held a
series of meetings with the State Attorney
General and the governor, organized a candle
light vigil at the home of Southern Union Gas
Co.'s CEO, the parent company of New England
Gas Co., and held an action at the main office
of New England Gas Co. demanding assistance for
low-income families. The new utility
restoration fund will help hundreds of families
restore their heat for winter, and represents
the first step in creating a long term
affordable energy solution for low and moderate
income Rhode Island residents. For more
information, contact Aimee Olin at
riacorn at acorn.org or 410-780-0500.
ACORN CHAPTERS PROTEST PROPOSED LIHEAP
CUTS
ACORN members in Missouri, Delaware, Rhode
Island, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are
protesting the House Republican Leaderships'
attempts to cut LIHEAP (Low Income Heating
Assistance Program) funding by almost $300
million. In these cities, ACORN members have
been taking over Republican offices and
demanding that officials fax letters to House
Majority Leader Tom Delay and Labor-HHS and
Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair
Ralph Regula asking that they include $2
billion for LIHEAP in the omnibus
appropriations bill. Last year, states had
approximately $2 billion available to serve
low-income families. Any lower amount this year
would directly affect access to utilities for
working families, seniors, and disabled
individuals. For more information, contact
Rachel Burrows at rburrows at acorn.org or
202-547-2500.
"SHARK HUNTER CARAVAN" WARNS CALIFORNIANS
ABOUT
WELLS' PREDATORY LENDING
From November 17-19, ACORN members traveled the
state of California as part of the "Shark
Hunter Caravan" to warn borrowers about the
predatory lending practices of Wells Fargo. The
caravan traveled to six major California cities
- San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Jose,
Sacramento and San Francisco - to join local
residents in protests outside of Wells offices.
Over 200 community members attended the rallies
in six cities, delivering a strong message to
their elected officials and the State Attorney
General regarding Wells' practices. Protesters
included ACORN members and Wells victims
dressed in shark suits, flyers about Wells'
predatory lending, vans decorated with shark
fins, giant blow-up shark awards, and chants
such as "Wells Fargo - Predatory Lender,
Criminal Offender." Earlier in the month, on
November 14, ACORN members in Albuquerque
kicked off the caravan with a protest at a
Wells office in an ACORN neighborhood. For more
information, please contact Lisa Donner at
acorncampaign at acorn.org or 718-246-7900.
NEW YORK RALLIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
On November 20, 500 ACORN members and ten City
Councilmembers rallied to support passage of
affordable housing legislation in New York
City. There are currently three pieces of
legislation developed by ACORN under
consideration by City Council committees which
would: change the affordable housing income
guidelines to create thousands of units
affordable to households earning less than
$40,000 per year; reform the City's policy of
auctioning off public land in low-income
neighborhoods without any requirements for
improvement or development; and increase
disclosure requirements for the City's
affordable housing programs to better track who
is benefiting. At the press conference and
rally, ACORN members presented data and
anecdotal evidence about the city's affordable
housing crisis and policies towards vacant
land. All ten City Councilmembers attending
pledged their support for the measures, and
promised to push the City Council Speaker to
hold hearings on the bills. For more
information, contact Bertha Lewis at
nyacornbrk at acorn.orgor 718-246-7900.
MINNESOTA WINS TEMPORARY SHUT-DOWN OF
MORTGAGE
FORECLOSURE SCAM ARTIST
On November 20, Minnesota ACORN members held a
joint press conference with State Attorney
General Mike Hatch to announce a court order
requiring mortgage foreclosure rescue scam
operator Hendrie Grant to cease all
transactions, including evictions, acquiring
new properties and selling existing properties.
At the press conference, victims of Grant and
other foreclosure rescue scam operations shared
their stories, and highlighted the need for
additional legislative action. Following up
commitments made at an October 28 town hall
meeting organized by ACORN, a dozen State
Legislators and the Attorney General restated
their commitment to coauthoring legislation
during the next legislative session to protect
homeowners from increasing numbers of
aggressive foreclosure rescue scams. State
Attorney General Hatch credited the successful
court order in part to ACORN's work to
publicize the problem through its Foreclosure
Rescue Scam Campaign. For more information,
contact Becky Gomer at mnacorn at acorn.org or
651-642-9639.
SEATTLE SAVES CROSSING GUARDS
In November, Seattle ACORN members and local
crossing guards joined together to successfully
preserve funding for crossing guards at busy
intersections near schools. In Seattle,
crossing guards are paid for through the police
department budget, and are primarily retired
community members who work three hours per day
ensuring that children are able to safely cross
dangerous streets. In response to the mayor's
budget which included major cuts in funding for
the crossing guards, ACORN members worked with
crossing guards in their neighborhoods to
organize protests at two City Council budget
hearings, and hold a community forum on the
issue. As a result, the City Council voted to
fully fund crossing guards for the coming year.
For more information, contact Jenny Lawson at
waacorn at acorn.org or 206-723-5845.
PHILADELPHIA INTRODUCES CITY RESOLUTION
AGAINST
REFUND ANTICIPATION LOANS
Pennsylvania and Delaware ACORN members
protested H&R Block's misleading
marketing of Refund Anticipation Loans at
a North Philadelphia H&R Block office.
On November 20, Philadelphia City Councilwoman
Marian Tasco introduced two ACORN-initiated
city resolutions to fight predatory financial
service providers. The first condemned the use
of Refund Anticipation Loans by predatory tax
preparers and the second promoted the use of
the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Program. ACORN members attended the City
Council session in support of the resolutions,
and held signs reading "Rapid Refunds Hurt Our
Neighborhoods!" Following the meeting, ACORN
members held a joint press conference with
Councilwoman Tasco and Jean Hunt of the
Campaign for Working Families, which
coordinates Philadelphia's VITA Program.
Earlier in the month, on November 14, ACORN
members from Philadelphia, Harrisburg,
Pittsburgh and Delaware organized a rally at a
North Philadelphia H&R Block office to protest
the company's deceptive use of Refund
Anticipation Loans, which strip millions of
dollars from low and moderate income tax payers
every year. For more information, contact Ali
Kronley at paacorn at acorn.org or 215-765-0042.
THIRD NATIONAL LIVING WAGE CONFERENCE A
SUCCESS
Over 100 living wage organizers and activists
gathered in Baltimore November 14-16 for
ACORN's third National Living Wage Campaign
Training Conference. Representatives from 44
different campaigns - both veterans and
newcomers - participated in 16 workshops on
topics such as effective coalition building,
campaign research, supporting unions and new
directions in living wage organizing. A subset
of attendees also went through a day-long media
training, presented in collaboration with the
SPIN Project, where they focused on honing
their messages and engaging media more
effectively in their campaigns. For
information on the training made available at
the conference, contact Jen Kern at
natacorncam at acorn.org or 617-740-9500.
ACORN AND MOVEON RELEASE TV AD CRITICIZING
BUSH
ECONOMIC POLICIES
On November 25, ACORN members in Pittsburgh
(PA), Columbus (OH), Cleveland (OH),
Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) and Little Rock (AR),
held joint press conferences with MoveOn
representatives announcing the release of a new
television ad criticizing the Bush
administration's handling of the economy. The
ad highlights how since Bush took office in
2000 more than 2 million jobs have been lost -
the most jobs lost during any single
administration since Herbert Hoover was
president from 1929-1933. At the press
conferences, ACORN members who are unemployed
or still struggling to pay the bills despite
full-time employment, testified about the
impact Bush's economic policies have had on
their lives - including this year's huge tax
cuts benefiting the nation's wealthiest tax
payers. For more information, contact Rachel
Burrows at rburrows at acorn.org or 202-547-2500.
CINCINNATI ACORN OPENS
In November, ACORN opened a new office in
Cincinnati, Ohio, marking ACORN's fourth
chapter in the state. New ACORN members in the
city will be working on neighborhood campaigns,
including neighborhood clean-up and predatory
lending. For more information, contact Diedre
Murch at 513-258-3097.
DONATE TO ACORN
Membership dues and chapter-based fundraising
programs pay for 75 percent of ACORN's budget.
But ACORN also needs financial support from
non-member allies, people who do not live in
neighborhoods with ACORN chapters but who
support the work ACORN is doing. For more
information, link to
http://acorn.org/?4 or contact Steve Kest at
natexdirect at acorn.org or 718-246-7900.
ACORN, the Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now, is the nation's
largest community organization of low- and
moderate-income families, with over 150,000
member families organized into 700 neighborhood
chapters in 51 cities across the country. Since
1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories
on issues of concern to our members. Our
priorities include: better housing for first
time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for
low-wage workers, more investment in our
communities from banks and governments, and
better public schools. We achieve these goals
by building community organizations that have
the power to win changes -- through direct
action, negotiation, legislation, and voter
participation.
Check out ACORN's website at
http://www.acorn.org.
To subscribe to ACORN's Email list go to
http://acorn.org/?52
To unsubscribe go to http://acorn.org/?1168
Camellia Phillips
ACORN - Association of Community Organizations
for Reform Now 88 3rd Ave, Floor 3 Brooklyn, NY
11217
phone: 718-246-7900 x227
fax: 718-246-7939
acornnews at acorn.org
http://www.acorn.org
------- End of forwarded message -------
More information about the Colist
mailing list