The full protest report

I set up outside BSA headquarters at 7:oo am on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. Here is a piece of video showing where I set up:






Here's another piece that better illustrates my uniform, which demonstrates how much I had invested in Scouting:





One person who didn't appreciate my little demonstration:





I didn't receive any reaction from the BSA until after WFAA Channel 8, the ABC affiliate in Dallas, showed up to give me an on-camera interview. Soon after the cameraman left, someone came out to talk to me (Sorry about the traffic noise, it was full on rush hour at that point):




I took them up on their offer to come in and discuss my situation. I met with two men named David Burke and Bill Steele. Mr. Burke is the head of communications for the BSA, and was the person in the above video who approached me and invited me to chat. I neglected to note which position Mr. Steele currently occupies with the BSA.

The main points from our discussion (from memory, as I did not tape the meeting):

1. Both men were polite and respectful, as was I. Mr. Burke apologized for the lateness of their replies to my written and telephoned requests, claiming that it was an organizational problem that they are currently attempting to rectify.

2. Neither man could believe my claim that no one from Scouting ever offered any help whatsoever to me. Well, believe it, because it (didn't) happen.

3. Mr. Burke informed me that he did not know of any formal program on the national level to assist victims of sexual abuse by Scout leaders. He did subsequently email me and informed me that he had looked into matters and that such a program did exist, although he did not furnish details.

4. The only time the meeting became uncomfortable for me was when I compared Scouting's previous handling of sexual abuse cases to the Catholic church's system of archbishops transferring "problem" priests from parish to parish. Mr. Burke strongly objected and stated (paraphrased), "As a Catholic, I don't believe that the archbishops did such things".

To me, this underscores the naivete of Scouting's national leadership to their own problem. Why? To me there is overwhelming evidence that church officials did precisely what they are accused of doing and many juries agree with me, as the many multi-million dollar judgments against the Catholic Church prove. Anyone who believes otherwise is deluding themselves and possesses a dangerous blind spot about their own organization, in my opinion.

5. In summary - they told me that Eagle Scout is a youth award, and that my chances of receiving it at this late date are slim to none, which is pretty much the answer I expected out of them. If they don't see the value in correcting their predecessors' past mistakes, so be it. I believe that it's pretty small of them, however, and that their policy of not allowing former Scouts that were damaged on their organization's watch to complete their Eagle award, however late it may be, graphically shows that they don't follow their own stated values.

I also still believe that they don't go nearly far enough to protect boys against sexual victimization, and that any counseling program isn't adequate, if the head of communications doesn't know about it and subsequently has to undergo research to verify that it in fact exists.

In my view, the BSA still has a long, long way to go in this area, and we plan on being around to make sure that it either improves its track record significantly (and soon), or else we will dedicate ourselves to putting it out of business.

I'm working on it

I apologize for the delay in getting the full report about the demonstration posted. I'm having some video editing issues, having never performed that task before.

In the meantime, here's a question: If abuse in Scouting is so rare, then why are other people researching whether anyone has engaged in precisely the kind of protest that I accomplished on Tuesday?

A successful protest, I must say

A full report will be coming shortly. In the meantime, here's a couple of still photos (sorry about the lighting, it's quite dark at 7 am there):

Upon further reflection

When I rolled into town yesterday, I drove past the hotel and up the three blocks or so to BSA headquarters in order to make sure I knew where it was, and also to figure out where I'm going to be standing today. I drove into one entrance, passed through their parking lot, and exited out the other driveway in order to turn around and go back to the hotel.

As I cruised through the lot, I made eye contact with a man who was just emerging from the building, presumably on his way home. I now wonder if the only reason I received the email described below a few scant minutes later was because they saw that I was indeed in town and determined to go through with my protest. Otherwise, why not just mail me a response?

Or am I being overly cynical?

Just a wee bit too little, too late

How's this for a coincidence?

I arrive in Irving, Texas, pick up my sign, and check into my hotel around 5 pm local time. No sooner do I drop my bags on the floor in relief after a long day of travel when my Blackberry buzzes.

Surprise!! It's an emailed letter from the Boy Scouts, sent out just minutes before. After almost two months, I finally get a response, mere hours before my planned protest. Let's see what took them so long to compose, shall we? (My comments in bold.)


December 8, 2008

Mr. Douglas J. Hester

Dear Mr. Hester:

The Chief Scout Executive, Robert Mazzuca, is travelling and has asked me to respond to your recent letter.

He's been traveling all this time, eh? No one's been around to attend to his correspondence at all? That's funny, because every time I called, he was in the office, just "in a meeting". Which story is correct?

You're the patsy that's been picked to try to stop the oncoming freight train of bad publicity, I see. I almost feel badly for you.

Let me assure you that the Boy Scouts of America deeply regrets any suffering or injury that you may have sustained as a result of the actions of David Rankin in 1987. Mr. Rankin was removed from Scouting immediately when the local council learned of his activities.

Well, duh. You mean because he was sitting in jail at the time? Yeah, I know he was removed. It's what your organization didn't do (and still don't do to this very day, as far as I know) for the many victims of pedophile Scoutmasters that's got me peeved.

You have requested that you be permitted to earn an additional merit badge and complete an Eagle Scout leadership service project in order to be awarded the Eagle Scout rank. We apologize if your earlier inquiry was not handled in a courteous manner.

That's one way of putting it, if you count ignoring it completely as being "not courteous".

However, our response must be the same, as there is simply no provision for retroactively completing significant segments of the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank.

There's no reason for you not to change the policies to at least partly compensate documented victims of sexual assault by your members. You merely choose not to do so.

The example you cited in your letter involved paperwork and not the performance of actual physical requirements for the award.

I already explained why I wasn't able to fulfill my requirements. I had to quit, because your organization member was sexually abusing me. If your administration can't see that my Eagle requirements weren't finished for a very good reason, then I might as well quit wasting my breath arguing my position. Where were the administrators, counselors and other people who could have helped me when I was still a minor? Why was my plight, and the similar plights of thousands of other boys, simply ignored by you?

While the Eagle Scout board of review and presentation of the award may take place after the Scout’s 18th birthday, our advancement policy states that all other requirements for the rank of Eagle must be completed by his 18th birthday. We recognize that the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank are stringent; this is why the rank is held in such high regard. Only 5 percent of all Boy Scouts ever attain this rank.

If my campaign is successful, 5 percent of zero won't be much to brag about.

We are sorry to learn of your unfortunate experience. However, we cannot comply with your request regarding the Eagle Scout Award.

That's certainly your prerogative, just as it's mine to continue my plans for protesting outside of your building tomorrow.

I would be happy to meet with you to discuss this issue if you feel that a meeting would be helpful.

Sure, come on out in front of your building tomorrow at about 7:00 am and we'll chat. I'll be the guy with the big black and white sign.

Sincerely,
Bill Evans
Youth Development
Team Leader


If that's the letter the BSA paid the big fancy PR firm to come up with, they were badly cheated.

I didn't come all this way to be deterred by a last-minute, half-hearted attempt to mollify me by some designated lackey. Besides, I don't want to disappoint all of the news organizations who are so interested in interviewing me tomorrow about my story.

Someone's panicking

A high-powered (and expensive, no doubt) public relations firm has decided to check out my amateurish scribblings.

Fellas, it would no doubt be much easier on your wallets to just do right by your organization's victims. That doesn't cost anything.

What a convenient itinerary

DFW airport to Fedex/Kinko's (To pick up the sign) - 7.59 miles

Fedex/Kinko's to Courtyard by Marriott - 2.14 miles

Courtyard by Marriott to BSA headquarters - 0.27 miles

Speaking up for and protecting victims of Scouting everywhere? Priceless.