10 Years Ago Today: Census Bureau Cuts Ties With ACORN

(New York, NY) – In September of 2009, journalists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles released a series of undercover videos exposing Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”).

On September 12th of 2009, two days after the release of the first installment of the video series, the United States Census Bureau ended its “partner” relationship with ACORN.  In a letter to the president of ACORN, Acting Director of the Census Bureau, Robert Groves, wrote that ACORN had become a “distraction.”

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the Census Bureau partnered with ACORN to publicize and encourage participation in the 2010 Census.

The termination of the Census Bureau’s partnership in ACORN would be the first instance in a string of bad luck for the organization.  Later in 2009, ACORN would lose all federal funding and in 2010 ACORN would shut its doors permanently after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

You can watch the full recap of the 2009 ACORN series HERE.