The Boy Scouts inspired Norman Rockwell. His works will now help pay survivors of abuse

DALLAS (AP) — In one Norman Rockwell painting, a family proudly welcomes a beaming Boy Scout home from camp, his duffel bag in hand. In another of Rockwell’s achingly idyllic works, a Cub Scout stands on a chair to measure the chest of his older brother, a Boy Scout who has taped his fitness record to his bedroom wall.

Many of the works from the Boy Scouts of America’s collection are as interwoven into American life as the organization itself, having been featured on magazine covers, calendars and even used to sell war bonds. Next week, the works will begin to be auctioned off to help pay the compensation owed to tens of thousands of people — mainly men — who were sexually abused while in scouting.

The collection of over 300 works, including dozens by Rockwell, is estimated to be worth nearly $60 million — a tiny amount in relation to the organization’s multibillion dollar bankruptcy plan. Campgrounds and other Boy Scouts’ properties have also been sold to help pay the survivors.

“The idea that an iconic art collection that the Boy Scouts have assembled over many years is being liquidated in order to pay survivors recoveries and to bring them some measure of justice I think is very significant,” said Barbara Houser, a retired bankruptcy judge who is overseeing the survivors’ settlement trust.

This year, the 114-year-old organization based in suburban Dallas announced it is rebranding to Scouting America, a change intended to signal the organization’s commitment to inclusivity. The group now welcomes girls, as well as gay youth and leaders.

Hoping to survive a barrage of sexual abuse claims, the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in 2020. The $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan, among the nation’s biggest and most complex, allowed the organization to continue operating while it compensated survivors. It went into effect last year.

Houser said over 82,000 people filed claims during the bankruptcy case, and of those, over 64,000 have filled out a detailed questionnaire to assert their claims. Survivors will be paid according to the severity of the abuse they suffered.

“Many of these survivors have been waiting decades, literally, for there to be some recognition of what happened to them,” Houser said.

There could be multiple distributions of funds to survivors as money becomes available and further litigation plays out, and how much each survivor gets will depend on how much money the trust collects, Houser said.

So far, nearly 6,000 survivors have elected to receive one-time payments of $3,500, and different settlements are being determined for other survivors, with some payments beginning for them.

In addition to the art sale, those contributing to the trust include insurers and local Boy Scout councils. As of last month, over 30 council properties have been sold, Scouting America said.

Tom Krumins had only just started having conversations with family and friends about being abused as a middle-schooler at a camp in South Carolina when the bankruptcy was filed, and it took him months to decide whether to join the settlement.

“It’s the type of bravery and courage that an Eagle Scout should show but at the same time it does feel like you’re ripping away a part of yourself or losing yourself along the way,” Krumins said.

He said his focus has been the Boy Scouts’ commitments to youth protections, which survivors insisted be strengthened before they would vote in favor of the bankruptcy plan. The money will be helpful but what is most important is “making sure this never happens again,” he said.

Doug Kennedy, a survivor and co-chair of a committee representing victims in the bankruptcy case, said that more than three-fourths of claimants approved the plan, but that watching the process play out through the courts has been “agonizing” for survivors.

“The reality is for most survivors, all this resolves is the bankruptcy, it doesn’t resolve their pain and it doesn’t resolve what was taken away from them,” he said.

The collection will be sold by Heritage Auctions in Dallas in the coming years, including over two dozen works that are going on the block Friday.

The collection includes nearly 60 works by Rockwell, who worked for the organization’s magazine, Boys’ Life, at the beginning of his career, and maintained a relationship with scouting — including creating images for their calendars — for more than half a century.

A work by J.C. Leyendecker depicting a Scout signaling with flags was painted in 1911, a year after the organization was founded. It appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post and was reproduced many times on scouting materials. His 1918 painting of a Boy Scout clutching a sword in front of a flag-draped, shield-wielding depiction of Lady Liberty was adapted as a poster to sell World War I bonds.

“Many artists were really involved in sort of cementing the culture and the vision of the Boy Scouts,” said Aviva Lehmann, Heritage’s senior vice president of American art.

For the last four years, the works have been on display at the Medici Museum in Ohio. Before that, some had been on display at the National Scouting Museum.

Judge Barbara Houser responds to a question during an interview at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, as she sits by a collection of paintings from the Boy Scouts of America's storied collection that will be going up for auction. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Aviva Lehmann, Heritage Auction's senior vice president of American art, responds to a question as she stands by paintings in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, that are some of many works from the Boy Scouts of America's art collection — including some paintings by Norman Rockwell — that will go up for auction this month to help compensate tens of thousands of people, mainly men, who were sexually abused while in scouting. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Judge Barbara Houser poses for a photo at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, by a collection of paintings from the Boy Scouts of America's storied collection that will be going up for auction. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Aviva Lehmann, Heritage Auction's senior vice president of American art, responds to a question as she stands by paintings in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, that are some of many works from the Boy Scouts of America's art collection — including some paintings by Norman Rockwell — that will go up for auction this month to help compensate tens of thousands of people, mainly men, who were sexually abused while in scouting. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A painting that hangs at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, is just one of many works from the Boy Scouts of America's art collection — including some paintings by Norman Rockwell — that will go up for auction this month to help compensate tens of thousands of people, mainly men, who were sexually abused while in scouting. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Aviva Lehmann, Heritage Auction's senior vice president of American art, responds to a question as she stands by paintings in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, that are some of many works from the Boy Scouts of America's art collection — including some paintings by Norman Rockwell — that will go up for auction this month to help compensate tens of thousands of people, mainly men, who were sexually abused while in scouting. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Aviva Lehmann, Heritage Auction's senior vice president of American art, responds to a question as she stands by paintings in Dallas, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, that are some of many works from the Boy Scouts of America's art collection — including some paintings by Norman Rockwell — that will go up for auction this month to help compensate tens of thousands of people, mainly men, who were sexually abused while in scouting. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A senior police officer warned Tuesday of calls for more rioting in Amsterdam, after dozens of people armed with sticks and firecrackers set a tram on fire Monday night and the city faces tensions following violence last week targeting fans of an Israeli soccer club.

Olivier Dutilh, of the Amsterdam police force, told a court hearing that “we have signals that there are calls for similar” unrest in the west of the city. Streets in the area were relatively calm as evening fell, and the security presence was low-profile.

The Amsterdam mayor, chief of police and top public prosecutor published a report Monday outlining what happened last week, including new details about actions by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ahead of the Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax soccer match.

Local authorities had decided against banning the game, but beefed up security. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were banned by local authorities from gathering outside the stadium.

The day before the game, authorities reported incidents and saw social media posts threatening Maccabi fans. Around midnight, Israeli fans ripped a Palestinian flag off a downtown building and several of them took off their belts and attacked a cab, the document said. Cab drivers sought to mobilize online in response, and centered on a casino where some 400 Israeli fans were gathered. Police mobilized to avoid a major confrontation.

The morning of the game, authorities were “specifically worried about the Maccabi fans and the reaction of cab drivers,” the document said. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema pleaded with the Israeli ambassador for officials in Israel to make clear “that this is about a sporting event and should not be mixed with politics.”

In the afternoon, social media posts hardened and antisemitic terms were used. After the 5-0 win of Ajax over Maccabi, parts of a large group of Maccabi supporters “are running around with sticks destroying things,” the document said. There were also “rioters, moving in small groups, by foot, scooter or car, quickly attacking Maccabi fans before disappearing,” the City Hall timeline said.

The police commander said that those incidents had “an antisemitic character — there is talk about a Jew hunt and people are asked about their nationality.” Rumors then surfaced about missing people and hostage-taking, which proved unfounded.

Police said the fire Monday was quickly extinguished and riot officers cleared the square. Images online showed people damaging property and setting off firecrackers. A police vehicle was later burned out in a nearby street and police said they suspect arson.

Police said it wasn't clear who started the unrest and whether it was related to what happened last week. Some rioters could be heard on video shared on social media using slurs against Jewish people.

Police said they detained three suspects and appealed for witnesses, including of the assault of a cyclist who was beaten up as he rode past the unrest.

Police noted the tense atmosphere in the city since five people were treated in the hospital and dozens detained Thursday following the soccer match. Youths on scooters and on foot went in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing to evade police, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof met Tuesday with members of Amsterdam's Jewish community to discuss antisemitism in the wake of the violence. Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism and violence have been on the rise in Europe since the start of the war in Gaza.

A total of eight people are in custody in the investigation into last week's violence, between the ages of 16 and 37, from Amsterdam and nearby cities, according to police.

Police said they have identified over 170 witnesses and have taken forensics evidence from dozens. The prime minister said they were also examining videos posted to social media.

The mayor has banned all demonstrations in the city and declared several parts of Amsterdam risk zones where police can stop and check anyone. Dozens were detained on Sunday for taking part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Amsterdam that had been outlawed.

A small demonstration was ended by police Tuesday outside Amsterdam City Hall during a debate about the unrest, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

Casert reported from Brussels. Mike Corder and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed.

In this image taken from video, a person looks at a damaged tram in Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo)

In this image taken from video, police officers patrol in riot gear on the streets of Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo

This image taken from video shows a damaged tram in Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo)

In this image taken from video, police vehicles and personnel patrol the streets of Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo)

This image taken from video shows a damaged tram in Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo)

In this image taken from video, police officers patrol in riot gear on the streets of Amsterdam, Monday Nov. 11, 2024, as the city is facing tensions following violence last week. (AP Photo)