The Wall Street Journal-20080216-Cross Country- Philly-s War on the Boy Scouts

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Cross Country: Philly's War on the Boy Scouts

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Philadelphia -- As Michael Nutter was sworn in as the city's 98th mayor last month, he called for a new wave of public service to clean up drug-infested neighborhoods. If he is serious about renewing volunteerism, he'll start by putting an end to the city's campaign against the Boy Scouts.

On May 31, the Cradle of Liberty Council, the local Boy Scout chapter, will be evicted from its headquarters on 22nd and Winter Streets -- a space it has occupied since 1928.

The eviction isn't for a breach of contract. It comes at the behest of the City Council, which voted 16 to one last year to kick the boy scouts out unless they reverse the national Boy Scouts of America's ban on gays serving in the ranks or as scoutmasters or start paying "market rent" -- about $200,000 a year. Local chapters can't reverse national scouting policies. So it's a matter of paying up or moving out.

Throughout the city, there are about 56,000 Boy Scouts who spend countless hours cleaning parks, running food drives, and organizing meals for the needy. And, of course, helping young boys, many without strong male figures in their lives, develop skills that will serve them well in life.

"You think we'd be embraced by city officials," Scoutmaster J.R. Brockman told me recently. He's a human-relations consultant and father of twin 14-year-olds who volunteers to lead a troop of about 20 scouts and a dozen Cub Scouts out of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in west Philadelphia. On Fridays he can be found with his scouts at the church as the boys eat pizza and play Xbox. "It's an activity that keeps them off the streets and lets them spend time with their friends," he says.

But it's not all fun and games. Mostly Mr. Brockman focuses on steering kids clear of drugs and violence, which leads many of the city's youth to a stint in jail. "[T]he kids who have stayed in the program," he told me, "have stayed out of trouble." On weekends, his scouts go for hikes or campouts at local parks. In town, they renovate sections of the city's Fairmount Park, run food drives, and feed the homeless.

Irving Anglin, 16, is leading a renovation project in Fairmount Park. His aim is to become an Eagle Scout, an honor only a handful of scouts ever achieve. He joined the scouts as a first grader and admits he did so reluctantly. Today, however, he can't imagine life without scouting: "You get to know your limits and your strengths. You get to do different things, like swimming and sports that you otherwise wouldn't get a chance to do."

Mr. Brockman says that all of his scouting activities are made possible because he receives administrative support and help with recruitment from the of the Cradle of Liberty headquarters. Take away the scout building and Mr. Brockman loses the professional staff he relies on. As it is, he can't field all the calls he receives from single mothers looking to place their sons in his troop.

"I'm a volunteer with limited resources," Mr. Brockman told me. "I just can't do it all. And without the headquarters here, that will make my job even more difficult."

For the past 80 years, the scouts have leased their corner lot off of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a nominal fee. And they have made the site their own by building a three-story 8,928-square-foot Italian Renaissance-style headquarters with private funds. Scouting badges, ranks and emblems are etched in the limestone along the roofline. The scouting motto -- "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country . . . " -- is carved above the main entrance. In 1937 the scouts added the life-size iconic statue of "The Boy Scout" that greets visitors. And each year they spend about $60,000 on maintenance. In 1994, they spent $2.6 million on renovations.

Charles D. Hart, who was then president of the Cradle of Liberty Council, wrote of the building in March 1930: "It will show the public that we are here and here to stay and that we are recognized as being an important factor in the city's and nation's life."

But the city's attitude toward the scouts changed in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that the Boy Scouts, as a private organization, could exclude homosexual scouts and troop leaders. Following the ruling, local governments and organizations across the country took aim at the scouts.

The Philadelphia chapter lost annual six-figure donations from the United Way and the Pew Charitable Trusts, according to Mark Chilutti, vice chairman of the Cradle of Liberty Council. Today there are fewer than two dozen staff members serving the chapter, down from nearly four dozen. With dwindling resources the chapter is watching its membership dwindle as well. Membership in the council, which covers the city and parts of two neighboring counties, peaked at 95,000 in 2001. Today it stands at 65,000, with most of those in the city itself.

In 2003, the Cradle of Liberty tried to appease the city by adopting its own nondiscrimination policy, but was overruled by the national organization. That same year, Cradle of Liberty also revoked the membership of an 18-year-old scout who publicly announced that he was gay, leading to last year's City Council vote.

Mr. Brockman believes that if the focus is on the kids and what scouting offers in terms of leadership development and other skills, a solution can be found.

Here's one suggestion: Sell the scouts their building. Ask for fair market value minus a generous allowance for improvements the scouts have made to the property and the resources they have devoted to its upkeep and to the city. The scouts could raise money for the purchase without touching resources needed for programs for the boys. If the goal is a safer city with an engaged citizenry, Mr. Nutter could find a way to keep the Boy Scouts in Philadelphia.

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Mr. Ferris is an assistant editor and columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer.