Nov 12, 2009 11:57 am US/Eastern
ACORN Sues, Says Congress Crossed Constitution
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, take part in an early voting rally, Tallahassee, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2007.
AP
ACORN has filed a lawsuit claiming that Congress crossed the Constitution when it passed a law cutting off federal funding to the organization.
The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the lawsuit on ACORN's behalf Thursday in Brooklyn federal court. It claims the law was unconstitutional because it punitively targeted an individual organization.
Messages for comment left at the White House and the federal agencies named in the suit were not immediately returned.
ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis says in the lawsuit that she first thought the organization could survive, but she underestimated the impact of the Congressional action. She says state, local and most private funds have been cut off as well.
In a CBS 2 story in September, New York congressmen, who supported the grassroots group, stayed mum about why they voted to continue funneling millions in federal funds to ACORN after a series of embarrassing undercover videos were made public.
Long Island Rep. Peter King voted to shut off the spigot of federal funds to the controversial community group, and he's damn proud of it.
"ACORN is an absolute disgrace. They've taken in over $50 million in federal money, so much of that money has been abused, the recent videos where you actually see them being involved in teenage prostitution," King said.
Yes, the videos. One was shot in Brooklyn by independent filmmakers posing as a pimp and a prostitute who want a mortgage to open a brothel. They are told to hide the cash in the backyard
"You get a tin and bury it down there," ACORN housing coordinator Volda Albert says on the video.
And lie to get the loan.
"Honesty is not going to get you a house," Milagros Rivera says on the video.
Then there was the California ACORN worker who bragged about killing her ex-husband and getting away with it.
"I shot him. I shot him and then I just picked up the gun and said '---- you,' and I shot him and he died right there," Teresa Kaelke said.
The House voted 347 to 75 to cut off ACORN's funding. Many of NYC's congressmen didn't agree, but they hid when asked to explain their votes.
Not one of the eight city congressmen who voted to continue funding ACORN would agree to be interviewed. Congressman Charles Rangel, D-Harlem, put out a statement saying cutting off funding is unconstitutional.
"Our founding fathers wrote protections into the constitution precisely for times like these," Rangel said, "when momentary and fleeting passions might indict and convict groups of people without proper due process."
In addition to Rangel, those who refused to explain their support included Congressmen Joseph Crowley of Queens; Eliot Engel of the Bronx; Gregory Meeks of Queens; Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan; Jose Serrano of the Bronx; Edolphus Towns of Brooklyn and Nydia Velasquez of Brooklyn.
"I would say it's immoral to continue to giving money to a group such as ACORN," Rep. King said. "ACORN does not have any constitutional right to federal money."
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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