http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3388
By Joseph A. Slobodzian
The Boy Scouts of America’s http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3879 chapter has sued the City of Philadelphia in federal court to block the city’s May 31 deadline for the scouts to open membership to gays and atheists, or vacate their historic 1928 headquarters off Logan Square.
The civil rights lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Center City, contends that the city’s ultimatum violates the scouts’ rights under the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions.
“The City has imposed an http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2446 condition upon Cradle of Liberty’s receipt of a benefit that Cradle of Liberty has enjoyed for nearly eight decades, and that many other organizations that limit members or services to members of a particular group continue to enjoy without punishment or the threat of punishment,” the scouts’ lawsuit reads.
City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith said the city would respond to the federal lawsuit and would likely file an eviction motion next week.In the meantime, Smith added, the beginning of litigation would preserve the status quo pending a court ruling. Until that ruling occurs, Smith said, the scouts will be able to continue using the headquarters building.
The suit asks the court to permanently block city officials from attempting to evict the Scouts from their building, which sits on a half-acre of city land at 22d and Winter Streets.
The Cradle of Liberty Council’s predicament is one that has faced local scouting councils nationwide since a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court case the scouts won.