Boy Scout Files Detail Decades of Alleged Sex Abuse

I read in the NYTimes and CNN that the Boy Scouts released more than 20,000 documents identifying more than 1,000 leaders and volunteers banned from the group after being accused of sexual or inappropriate conduct with boys. Going out to the site, searching by state, then by town, I was not surprised to see the name that came up for my home town, yet it shook me. I downloaded the PDF and recognized the pastor of the church I attended that was given as a reference for the former scout leader. It confirmed the leader’s identity to me.

I can see his face. I can hear his voice. Smells and sounds of the era resonate in my mind. I know who he is. And I do not think I will sleep well for quite some time . . .


Update: NPR's story on this has a great link from The Los Angeles Times that has a built a searchable database that includes the vast number of files, including some from more recent years that are not part of this release.

Pouch Camp

Dark Shadows, © 2011 Nathan Kensinger

via Nathan Kensinger Photography
“There are many strange things in the Blood Root Valley. There is the half-abandoned tuberculosis hospital. There is a 260-foot mountain made by Robert Moses. And there is Pouch Camp, a hidden 143-acre oasis with a 68-year-old lake, mountain ponds, rustic cabins and 55 lean-tos. For over 60 years, Pouch Camp has been a secret haven for New York City's boy scouts. Each year, thousands of scouts learn to swim and camp within the boundaries this vast idyllic refuge. Located in the heart of Staten Island, Pouch Camp is so large it even has its own private island, which is difficult to reconcile with the fact that the camp is situated inside the most populous city in the United States. Located just 10 miles from Wall Street, Pouch Camp has somehow remained largely anonymous…”
Read the rest here.