E-mail
Print
Text
CommentsThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform, better known as ACORN, has come to Tacoma.
Members of a new Tacoma chapter of the group that gained national attention during last years presidential election showed up at the Tacoma City Council meeting Tuesday to ask for city help cracking down on speeders and criminals on the citys East Side and South End.
Specifically, they asked for city help in forming a pilot project to address their concerns. They want the city to assign one staff person for six months to ensure its success.
Mayor Bill Baarsma thanked the group and told them the city is very concerned about neighborhoods. We want neighborhoods safe and clean, Baarsma said.
ACORN members spoke during Citizens Forum, a once-per-month chance for citizens to address council members about items that are not part of the meeting agenda. Others in the group sat in the council chambers, and all of them wore red.
A few hours earlier, council members heard an update on the citys so-called Safe and Clean initiative, which aims to cut crime in half and clean up the city.
The ACORN members who spoke were critical of the police department, but they stopped short of attacking city officials.
Afterward, ACORN spokesman Mike Swenson said the group made a conscious decision not to appear militant. The group is new in Tacoma and hoping to form more chapters throughout the city, he said. Theyre trying to avoid the stereotype portrayed in the media during the election.
We dont want to be misunderstood, Swenson said, adding that the Tacoma chapter has both Republicans and Democrats among its members.
Voter registration forms submitted by ACORN workers were the focus of fraud investigations in several states last fall, and the in 2007 two ACORN employees admitted falsifying registrations in Pierce County.
Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell spoke with some of the ACORN members following the meeting and said he would connect them with police officers in their neighborhood.
Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542 blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics
Comments
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service.
Comments are displayed newest first. If you would like to read a thread from beginning to end, select "Oldest first" from the drop down menu.
