Lansing, Michigan ACORN office closed after receiving threats

The Lansing State Journal reported yesterday that the ACORN office in Lansing, Michigan is closing its doors after receiving a threatening phone call (H/T Eric B. at Michigan Liberal):



This was a group that did some damn good. According to the article, last year the Lansing ACORN office:

* Registered 8,500 voters
* Helped 400 low-income families complete tax forms free of charge
* Worked with 200 homeowners in danger of losing homes

Now, thanks to the actions of a handful of ACORN employees in a different location, this office which has no history of malfeasance is closing up shop. The worst part of this story might actually be the comments the article received. Here's a sampling and they look like they come right off the pages of the Free Republic...

~snip~

Lansing is a town hit hard by this recession. There are multiple General Motors plants there (or were.) The unemployment rate is 12.7% which includes East Lansing where there's a major university so the numbers in Lansing proper are probably considerably higher. This is very much a blue-collar town and services like the ones offered by ACORN are in high demand. If this weren't so hurtful to people who really need these services, I would actually laugh at the right wingers who spend so much time and energy railing on ACORN...

~snip~

I believe this and I do think it's laughable that so much of what the right detests is laid at the door of ACORN. That said, a good organization doing good things is now closed. And that makes us all just a bit poorer.

I'm just sayin'...