CITY'S BOY SCOUT BAN PROTESTED.Byline: Jennifer Hamm Staff Writer Angry over recent actions to scale back programs run by the Boy Scouts of America Noun 1. Boy Scouts of America - a corporation that operates through a national council that charters local councils all over the United States; the purpose is character building and citizenship training and keep the group from using city property for free, some 200 people rallied downtown on Saturday in support of the youth group. ``The children we serve are definitely going to suffer,'' said Hugh Travis, Scout executive for the Western Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Council. ``We've got to speak up. We've got to take a stand.'' City officials began to distance themselves from the Boy Scouts after the group won the right from the U.S. Supreme Court to exclude homosexuals and atheists from Scouting. Protesters called on the City Council to reverse its new policy to charge troops a fee to use city facilities. The council also voted to cut the police department's ties with the Boy Scouts in its Police Explorer program
The Explorer program was the United States's first successful attempt to launch an artificial satellite. . Many protesters signed a petition urging Sheriff Lee Baca Leroy David Baca (b. May 27 1942, East Los Angeles, California) is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School (Los Angeles) in 1960, Baca worked his way through East Los Angeles College before starting with the L.A. to keep the Sheriff's Explorer Program intact. Baca is considering dissolving the Sheriff's Department's involvement with the group. ``It's a shame that Sheriff Baca would want to excommunicate ex·com·mu·ni·cate tr.v. ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ed, ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ing, ex·com·mu·ni·cates 1. To deprive of the right of church membership by ecclesiastical authority. 2. the Scout program,'' said state Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Arcadia. ``That they would want to kick them out for political correctness, I say boo.'' The effort to sever ties with the Scouts was largely led by former City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who is lesbian and now serving in the state Assembly. Citing the Scouts' discrimination, the council voted 11-0 last month to cut ties with the Scouts. Former state Assemblyman Bruce Thompson, R-Riverside, told the protesters that the recent actions show that the gay community has launched a war against the Boy Scouts of America. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. why (homosexuals) want to destroy it, but make no mistake, they want to destroy the Boy Scouts,'' Thompson said. Boy Scout officials say they don't make an effort to find out about a person's sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. but also don't believe an ``avowed a·vow tr.v. a·vowed, a·vow·ing, a·vows 1. To acknowledge openly, boldly, and unashamedly; confess: avow guilt. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. To state positively. homosexual'' is a good role model for Scouts, according to a press release issued by the group. ``We have never locally removed anyone from the program over sexual orientation,'' Travis said. ``We regard the national policy to apply to those who place sexual advocacy above their Scouting involvement.'' Travis said by making access to public facilities increasingly difficult, the city may make some troops unable to meet. He estimates some 100,000 children throughout Los Angeles could be impacted. Many protesters said they support the Boy Scouts' policy and believe the recent actions by the City Council are damaging a group that promotes strong morals and values. ``It grieved me very much that they are tearing down and pulling apart one of the strongest organizations that I know of,'' said Rodney Dyrud, a 21-year-old adult Scout. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kenneth Fisher of Troop 73 in Anaheim joins a demonstration denouncing recent efforts by the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. to bar Boy Scouts from city programs and facilities. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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