With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Report: Homophobic Boy Scouts Were A Safe Haven For Pedophiles
With each passing day, the similarities between the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church seem to grow and grow, at least in terms of their handling of allegations of sexual abuse over the years. Just look at the L.A. Times, which got its paws on 1,600 confidential Boy Scout files from between 1970 and 1991—and put a number of them online to make you feel ill—and you'll see what we mean. Apparently, the full Boy Scouts motto should read: "Be prepared (to cover up and deny abuse)."
Basically, it appears that, whatever the case with the extremely heterosexual BSA is now, for quite a long time the beloved organization was systematically covering up and not reporting sexual abuse of its charges. Y'know, for the sake of the kids! While the majority of cases were apparently reported to authorities first, "in more than 500 instances, the Scouts learned about it from boys, parents, staff members or anonymous tips." Of those, about 400, or 80 percent, appear to never have been reported to the police. Worse? "In more than 100 of the cases, officials actively sought to conceal the alleged abuse or allowed the suspects to hide it." All of which made it easier for the sexual abuse to happen again.
And by hide it, they really do mean hide it. The Times goes through quite a few disturbing cases from the files, but here is one example to get your blood boiling:
With 50 years in Scouting, Arthur W. Humphries appeared to be a model leader, winning two presidential citations and the Scouts' top award for distinguished service — the Silver Beaver — for his work with disabled boys in Chesapeake, Va. Unknown to most in town, he also was a serial child molester.
A few months after Humphries' arrest in 1984, local Scouting official Jack Terwilliger told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper that no one at the local Scout council had had suspicions about Humphries.
But that was not true. Records in Humphries' file show that six years earlier, Terwilliger had ordered officials to interview a Scout who gave a detailed account of Humphries' repeated acts of oral sex on him.
"He then told me to do the same and I did," the 12-year-old boy said in a sworn statement in 1978.
Officials not only failed to report Humphries' alleged crime to police, records show — they also gave him a strong job reference two years later, when he applied for a post at a national Scouting event.
"I believe the attached letters of recommendation and the newspaper write-up will give you a well rounded picture of Art," Terwilliger wrote. "If selected, I am sure that he would add much to the handicapped awareness trail at the 1981 Jamboree."
Humphries continued to work with Scouts and molested at least five more boys before police, acting on a tip, stopped him in 1984. He was convicted of abusing 20 Boy Scouts, some as young as 8, and was sentenced to 151 years in prison.
By then, one of the Scouts he'd abused a decade earlier had become his accomplice. He was convicted of molesting many of the same boys at Humphries' house.
Humphries and Terwilliger are both deceased.
Support for LAist comes from
Sadly, many of these cases appear to be past statutes of limitations, but that doesn't mean this isn't going to get worse—and get a lot more press—before it gets better. In June, the Oregon Supreme Court ordered that 1,247 of the Scouts' confidential files be released (many of which appear to overlap with the ones that the Times obtained). Thank goodness the Boy Scouts won't let homosexuals anywhere near their charges, right?
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.” -
While working for the county, the DA’s office alleges that 13 employees fraudulently filed for unemployment, claiming to earn less than $600 a week. -
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to declare immigration enforcement actions a local emergency. -
Tens of thousands of workers across Southern California walk out over pay and staffing issues. -
People in and around recent burn scars should be alert to the risk of debris flows. Typical October weather will be back later this week. -
Jet Propulsion Laboratory leadership says the cuts amount to 11% of the workforce.
Best of LAist