ACORN calls on Obama to spend more time meeting Katrina victims

The embattled community group ACORN this weekend called on President Barack Obama to spend more time meeting Lower Ninth Ward residents during his visit to New Orleans this Thursday.

ACORN joins a chorus of Louisiana lawmakers who have criticized Obama's itinerary for his planned visit; most say the president has spent enough time touring damaged areas during his five post-Hurricane Katrina visits and would rather him talk to people face-to-face.

The Lower Ninth Ward was one of the hardest hit areas during the 2005 storm, which killed over 1,800 people. Obama is planning to tour a charter school in the Lower Ninth Ward. His town hall event will be held at the University of New Orleans, which is several miles north of the neighborhood.

"Here, we want to talk, we want you to listen, and then we want to hear what you think," ACORN leader Vanessa Gueringer said on Saturday, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "And you need to take time for that type of conversation with people from this neighborhood and others like it."

ACORN has come under fire for alleged voter registration fraud during the 2008 elections. The scrutiny surrounding the group was magnified recently when ACORN officials in other cities were caught on camera giving tax advice to two individuals posing as a pimp and prostitute.

Both chambers of Congress have passed measures barring federal funding to the organization.

The paper reported that a White House official defended the trip, saying that the president scheduled a town hall event so that he could hear from affected residents.

Among lawmakers calling on Obama to spend more time in affected areas is Rep. Steve Scalise, a Lousiana Republican. Scalise is holding a news conference this afternoon to request that President Obama extend his trip to visit more areas hit by Katrina.