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Bitter religious prejudice against the FLDS people surfaced again last week in Custer County, Colorado, and in Washington, D.C.

 

In the Denver Post of July 12, 2008, Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe is reported as stating that the FLDS have moved into four “compounds” in Custer County and two in Fremont County. “We don’t want them here,” Jobe said. “I just don’t want them to think they’re gonna move in and take over the county.”

 

A public meeting of about 200 residents was held in the Custer County Middle School gym on July 10 at the urging of an anti-FLDS group called Step Up. Laurie Allen, a former member of a polygamist sect, presented a “documentary” entitled “Banking on Heaven,” in which she gave an account of mind control, labor violations, and hunger in Colorado City, Arizona. She mocked the FLDS religion, likening it to the Taliban, and derided its members as unchristian followers of Old Testament Jews.

 

“Allen—who encourages raids on the group such as the one this year in Eldorado, Texas—raised fears Thursday about the sect propagating like rabbits, drowning deformed babies, taking over county government and engaging in Waco-like standoffs, Jonestown-like mass suicides, Auschwitz-like incinerations and other un-neighborly acts of blood atonement.”

 

“They have no regard for their life,” she said. “If their prophet tells them to kill your children, they’ll do it. Don’t underestimate them.”

 

Denver Post reporter Susan Greene was not swayed by the inflammatory language as were the sheriff and other locals and reminded them that there had been no evidence of wrongdoing among the FLDS in Custer County. “I’m assuming there is still religious freedom,” she said, “and the presumption that we are innocent until proven guilty.”

 

“No evidence so far,” said the sheriff. “But just because we don’t see anything criminal when we go in doesn’t mean there’s nothing criminal going on.”

 

Greene further noted in her article, “While Jobe admonished me for asking if he is on an FLDS witch hunt, others in the crowd were comfortable with the term.” She quotes Jeff Thomas as stating, “If what happened with these folks in other communities happens here, you can bet we’re gonna have a witch hunt, and you can bet it’s gonna be big.”

 

Sheriff Jobe and local law enforcement made an examination of the FLDS property last week after obtaining a search warrant to allow them to accompany Custer County Zoning Director Jackie Hobby in investigating complaints of zoning violations. Hobby obviously had been influenced by rumors alleging that the FLDS are a violent people and requested law enforcement to accompany her for her own safety. She is quoted by 9News.com as stating, “I just thought it would be the right thing because of their reputation.”

 

Hobby cited the property owner for a few zoning violations: having too many connections on a septic system and constructing buildings without permits.

 

In spite of the convenient excuse to conduct a witch hunt, law-enforcement authorities failed to find any evidence of criminal activity. Sheriff Jobe’s statement to the Deseret News indicates the real reason for accompanying the zoning director: “Had we seen any criminal activity in plain sight we could have taken action. But that was not the case. We saw no criminal activity.”

 

In Washington Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is attempting to promote a federal witch hunt among the FLDS by gathering witnesses to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 24. Among his potential witnesses are Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, and ex-FLDS members Carolyn Jessop and Dan Fischer. Reid is assuring a collection of ex parte testimony by failing to invite any FLDS members or supporters.

 

In a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in April, Reid solicited his help to fight “pervasive criminal activity” in polygamous groups, particularly the FLDS.   Jon Summers, an employee in Reid’s office stated to the Salt Lake Tribune, “He is trying to step up federal enforcement against abuses that often occur in these polygamous sects.” Both of these statements indicate the prejudiced view that the FLDS people must be guilty of crimes and that with sufficient investigation something is bound to turn up.

 

A federal civil rights investigation of the FLDS Church in 1985 concluded that the Church “was doing nothing worth prosecuting,” and the investigation was dropped without any charges being filed. (See “Targeting” the FLDS)

 

It would be well to look beyond the inflammatory language and the deep-seated prejudices against the FLDS people and examine their actual behavior. When law-enforcement authorities at the YFZ community in Texas were invading the temple grounds and breaking open the door of the sacred site, the FLDS men fell to their knees in prayer rather than provoking the violent confrontation that authorities had anticipated. Sheriff Doran and crew, carefully coached by Flora Jessop and other “reliable” informants, had expected to find evidence of blood atonement and a crematorium in the temple, but they did not. Doran even had brought in cadaver dogs, presumably to roam the land and sniff out the bodies of deformed children or teenage boys. A much more careful search was made than Sheriff Jobe and his forces conducted in Colorado, yet no evidence of criminal activity was discovered.

 

Over half a century ago, Arizona authorities conducted a similar raid on the peaceful community of Short Creek. Although they also came prepared for a violent confrontation, they found the FLDS people gathered around the flagpole on the school grounds singing hymns. The FLDS are not an irrational, violent, or abusive people.

 

Following the 1953 raid on Short Creek, FLDS Prophet Leroy S. Johnson told his followers that they would never triumph in the courts until they could remove all bitterness from their hearts and forgive even those who had brought the persecution upon them.

 

In our present situation we would prefer to avoid even verbal confrontation, but the persecution against us has been so intense that silence is no longer a virtue and we have been forced to speak out in our own defense and make the truth known.

 

To contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee click here:  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=SSJU

 

To contact other Federal and State Elected Officials click here:  http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml