Determining who owns what in UEP
 
Editorials
The Spectrum
 
It appears that there may be some questions about who owns what in Colorado City and Hildale. It is important right now that everyone step back and wait for things to be worked out legally before trying to stake any claims.

The property and assets of the United Effort Plan of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are currently frozen under court order in Utah. New trustees will soon be appointed by the court to determine how things should be handled. In the meantime, it is unwise for anyone, regardless of what rights they feel they may have, to be moving into empty houses, remodeling or tearing down houses or taking property. The time will come when everyone will get their chance to prove their legal claim to various assets within the UEP.

We recognize that this is a difficult time of change for many in the FLDS community. Several men from the community were recently arrested in Arizona and both Utah and Arizona are seeking to arrest FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. There are residents in these two isolated, polygamist communities who may feel uncomfortable trusting outside authorities. However, at this time, trust in the legal system is what is needed most - not actions that can heighten the tensions that already exist.

The residents might have greater confidence in the authorities if they can see a greater law enforcement presence from the states of Utah and Arizona in their communities. After all, it is Utah which currently has control of the UEP while Arizona has jurisdiction over the several men who were recently arrested. Those who wish to wait for the system to work itself out need to have confidence that others will not step in and take advantage of the situation before that can happen.

Many people have waited a long time for the justice that is finally being brought about through the state taking control of the UEP. While this is an important step in the right direction, there are other steps that need to be taken before the process can be completed. It has been a long wait, but it is worth waiting a little bit longer to make sure things are worked out correctly.
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published August 1, 2005
 
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