Father Flanigan's Boy's Town, Charges of Rape and Abuse

Father Flanigan's iconic Boy's Town is located right next to Iowa so probably many Iowa children have been housed there. In recent decades it has accepted both boys and girls. Unfortunately, it has had on its staff people with backgrounds of child molestation. Today's headlines in Iowa are about cases of abuse. Some convictions had taken place, other allegations remain pending.

There have been 12 cases of alleged rape and over 100 cases of physical abuse. Yet, it is an institution that has been so successful at presenting itself as a magnificent institution it has excelled at fund raising. It has so much money it does not reveal the amount. Like "Priests for Life," another organization of questionable integrity, Boys Town used a Catholic front name, "Father Flanagan" to help raise money. The scandals surrounding Boy's Town are not only abuse, they include paying huge sums to fundraisers. 

Among the famous alums of Boy's Town was the legendary baseball player, Babe Ruth. 

Visitors to the campus tell of extraordinary buildings that have been built from pleading for money. Boy's Town is yet another example of using religion as a solution to human problems. In the case of some institutions like Boys Town there are children involved and child sex abusers are attracted and apply for positions. One of the abusers had a public history of abuse before coming to Boy's Town but was hired anyway. 

Boy's Town has raised so much money it has franchised itself and there are Boy's Town places at many other locations. This is a scary development.   

To limit public access to abuse and neglect records, Boys Town has its own police department and Police Chief. Requests by the press for reports from abuse cases has always been denied. The only window to abuse has come from lawsuits against the place files by former residents.

One conclusion made time and again is the in the U.S., religion gets a pass on violations of the law more than any other industry.