AG opens polygamy summit Shurtleff convenes meeting in St. George on abuse, illegal activity in polygamist communities

By Rachel Olsen The Spectrum

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff talks before an overflow crowd Friday at a "Polygamy Summit" in St. George. Shurtleff said his office will aggressively prosecute child abuse and underage marriage in polygamous communities. Polygamy supporters, however, asked for laws to be changed to legalize plural marriage so that incidents of abuse could be reported without fear of prosecution.     A group of women listen to a speaker Friday at a "Polygamy Summit" in St. George. Some of the women seated in this area identified themselves as coming from the town of Centennial Park, Ariz., which is composed of a splinter group of polygamists from neighboring Colorado City, Ariz.     Linda Knudson speaks in support of plural marriage and the community of Centennial Park, where she is a resident. ST. GEORGE -- It's only a beginning, but Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff feels it's a beginning that eventually will help eradicate any child abuses, tax fraud and other possible crimes occurring within religious polygamist communities, such as Colorado City and Hildale. The Utah Attorney General's office organized Friday's polygamy summit in St. George, the first of its kind where government agencies from Arizona and Utah came together in open and closed meetings to start the process of rooting out illegal activities. "Fifty years ago may have been a mistake, but it's a bigger mistake to ignore it," Shurtleff said. "(We are) calling on people outside and within polygamy. We all need to get involved ... to protect our children." In the open meeting, with those involved in polygamist communities and those outside polygamist communities, Shurtleff called on those who knew of abuses to come forward and, on sheets provided outside the meeting room, write down information to assist agencies in finding abuses. However, some expressed concern that even though they attended the summit, they were worried that speaking up would lead to criminal charges just for practicing their religious beliefs. "Do not attack innocent people out there trying to live their religion. ... Do away with law that prevents us from living the religion we have chosen," said Linda Knudson, a follower of religion that adheres to the teachings of polygamy. Shurtleff addressed those concerned by saying Utah has only prosecuted those who had committed a crime. And while polygamy is a crime, there are neither the resources nor anyone looking to prosecute consenting adults merely in a polygamist marriage where no other abuses have occurred. Members of the audience said the law on polygamy should be changed to recognize the practice among religious groups. Shurtleff countered that both Utah and Arizona were unique in that their Constitutions prohibiting polygamy. However, Shurtleff said the state constitution did not mandate that polygamy must be a felony and could possibly be reduced to a misdemeanor charge. Such actions would need to occur in legislation and some believed that all other perceived abuses would be stagnant until the issue of polygamy was out of the way. "If this is not about religion, we stand behind you 100 percent. ... We are simply asking for a place we can live in (with) the religion we have prescribed to," Knudson said. Those seeking for the changes assured that prosecution was not about religion, but the believed abuses to children and the system. "I'm concerned about minors. ... (They need) a safe haven, somewhere they know they can go," said Carla Holm, 23, who left the polygamist community in Hildale seven years ago. Others who had left such communities also voiced their concern about abuses in families, but Ron Jessup, another follower of religion that adheres to the teachings of polygamy, said such abuses could be found all over the world. After the open session, invited participants broke into a separate, closed meeting of agencies concerned with legislation-type issues, including a meeting for law enforcement officers. The legislative meeting included agencies such as the Department of Workforce Services, county attorneys, the Department of Child and Family Services and more. Bob Curran and Vicky Prunty, both involved with groups that vocalize against abuses within polygamy, also discussed the legislative-type issues. Both Curran, of Help the Child Brides, and Prunty, of Tapestry Against Polygamy, injected comments into the closed meeting, but no representatives from polygamist communities attended the session. Rodney Parker -- counsel for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the United Effort Plan Trust and many members of the communities of Hildale, Colorado City, and Bountiful, British Columbia - said the meeting was not a true summit because members of the polygamist culture were not invited, while anti-polygamy representatives, such as Curran and Prunty, were invited to attend. "A true summit would include members of the plural culture and would be an effort to build bridges and mutual respect between government and that culture," Parker said Thursday in a letter addressed to Shurtleff. However, during the summit, Shurtleff said actions required help from people inside and out of the community. Behind closed doors to the public, Shurtleff and government agencies discussed ways to proceed with changes. One change was a potential sheriff substation located in the Apple Valley area to increase the presence of the county's law enforcement. Agencies also discussed interlocal agreements with Arizona. Issues included education in the two towns of Colorado City and Hildale, the need to train individuals for careers if they ever choose to leave the community and the use of food stamps and welfare. The summit ended with the knowledge that more collaboration would be needed before changes could occur. "This confrontational and non-inclusive approach is what got us where we are and it's not going to get us anywhere else (now)," Parker said of the summit.

TheSpectrum.com Originally published August 23, 2003

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