Cradle moves out
As the Boy Scouts of America Cradle of Liberty Council moved out of a city-owned building this week, LGBT advocates had mixed feelings about the departure.
“I’m pleased that discrimination inside the city-owned headquarters building is coming to an end,” said LGBT advocate Arthur Kaplan. “But Cradle is receiving a parting gift of $825,000 in taxpayer dollars courtesy of the Nutter administration. And for that, I’m disappointed.”
Cradle waged a five-year battle to remain in the building, even though it refused to allow participants covered by the city’s antibias rules, including gays and atheists.
In May, Cradle agreed to vacate the premises as part of a settlement. In return, Cradle will receive $825,000 in city taxpayer dollars for improvements reportedly made to the building.
Cradle had until June 30 to depart the building, located on 22nd Street near the Ben Franklin Parkway.
R. Duane Perry, another LGBT advocate, expressed dismay that Cradle apparently will continue to discriminate, despite the lengthy ordeal.
“I hope the building — or proceeds from the sale of the building — will be used for programs that discourage homophobic bullying, along with other forms of bullying,” Perry added.
He said efforts to end discrimination in the Parkway building were worthwhile.
“It’s important just to recognize that we had an impact on the national debate about discrimination,” Perry noted. “We hope it will be an ongoing dialogue, and eventually the national BSA will stop discriminating.”
Cradle spokesperson Kera Armstrong had no comment for this story.
Oral arguments set for church dispute
The state Commonwealth Court has scheduled oral arguments for October in the appeal to preserve an old Catholic church formerly owned by AIDS agency Siloam.
The old Church of the Assumption is located at 1123-33 Spring Garden St.
It was built in 1848, and has ties to saints John Neumann and Katharine Drexel.
But it’s been vacant since the Archdiocese closed it nearly 20 years ago.
The Callowhill Neighborhood Association wants the church preserved as a historic landmark but the city contends the structure is in danger of collapse and wants permission for its demolition.
Oral arguments on the dispute have been tentatively set for Oct. 7 at the Widener Building, 1339 Chestnut St.
Siloam owned the church for about six years prior to selling the structure to developers John Wei and Mika He last July.
Siloam continues to operate in an old Catholic rectory adjacent to the church.
Samuel C. Stretton, an attorney for CNA, said the church shouldn’t be demolished.
“It’s real clear, the church should never be demolished,” Stretton told PGN. “It’s a wonderful building, and it can be preserved. We’ve presented evidence, demonstrating that it can be preserved in a reasonable fashion.”
Andrew S. Ross, a city attorney handling the matter, had no comment.
Wei and He also had no comment.
Alleged assault victim seeks payment from city
Attorneys for a man who says Officer Michael A. Paige sexually assaulted him while he was on duty have filed notice that they expect the city to pay legal costs resulting from the incident.
In March 2007, Paige allegedly forced James Harris to perform oral sex on him in a secluded area of Fairmount Park, according to court records.
The following year, Paige was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
But in June 2012, a federal jury awarded Harris $165,000 in damages due to the alleged assault.
Brian F. Humble, an attorney for Harris, asked U.S. District Judge Robert F. Kelly June 14 to determine how much Paige owes Harris in additional legal costs. Then, Humble plans to seek payment of those costs from the city.
A hearing on Humble’s request hadn’t been scheduled at presstime.
In a prior interview, Humble estimated that Paige owes Harris about $500,000.
Mark McDonald, a spokesperson for the Nutter administration, had no comment.
Brian M. Puricelli, an attorney for Paige, also had no comment.
— Tim Cwiek
Panel on SCOTUS ruling
Locals questioning the impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling are encouraged to attend a town-hall meeting, 6-8 p.m. June 27 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St.
Sponsored by Mazzoni Center and the Philadelphia Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee, the event will explore the impact of the striking of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act on Pennsylvania residents.
— Angela Thomas