| Polygamists under pressure, establish new colony in Colorado | |||||
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By Andrew Resnik KUSA 9 News Denver | |||||
MANCOS, Colo. - Scott Davis understands that when he shows up on somebody's doorstep, he's likely to get a bleak response. Davis is the deputy county assessor for Montezuma County, Colo. But when he approached a plot of land about five miles north of Mancos that had recently been purchased by David Allred, he got the type of reception he'd never received. "He did not act like a typical person does when I come out to evaluate the property," said Davis. The property consists of two 60-acre plots, with a barn, a few houses and several outbuildings. Davis said he was not permitted inside any of the buildings, which he described as unusual, but not illegal. At first, Davis suspected Allred was hiding a methamphetamine lab, which Davis says is not uncommon in the area. But then he did some research on the purchaser. "After that, to me, we were thinking about a cult," said Davis. Allred's name led Davis to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a spinoff sect that broke off from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago. The fundamentalists openly practice polygamy, touting the practice as the true path to Heaven. In the early part of the last century, they settled in Colorado City-Hildale, twin towns that straddle the Arizona-Utah state line. The town is run by the Church Prophet, currently Warren Jeffs, who demands complete obedience from his followers. Jeffs controls most of the land in Colorado City-Hildale, which is in a trust. Town marshals, themselves Church members, are the only police force in town, and they answer to Church leadership. Citizens are forbidden to watch television or listen to radio, and they do not read newspapers. An outsider visiting Colorado City-Hildale will not be greeted warmly. Mothers watching over their children playing outside will gather them up and hustle inside, sometimes watching through a crack in the blinds. The town marshals will patrol in a circle, keeping an eye on the outsider's whereabouts and actions. Virtually nobody in town will communicate with an outsider, but many who've escaped the grip of the FLDS are all too happy to talk. "They're brainwashed people," said Jenny Larson, who was raped by her cousin at the age of 7 and escaped the community in 1946 at the age of 12. "They think they're religious, but I'm sorry, their religion is a cult." Larson says incest is rampant in the community, and draws a flow chart to explain the complicated marriages and intermarriages that took place within her own family. "My dad's other wife was my mother's double cousin," she says with a look of bewilderment. Larson chronicles the typical path of a teenage girl in Colorado City-Hildale. Upon reaching the age of 14 or 15, she will likely be approached by one of the Church leaders, possibly even the Prophet himself. That person will inform the girl who she is expected to marry. The girl is usually given little warning. Often, the grooms are older men, polygamists who've curried enough favor to "earn" another wife. The men rarely earn enough money to support all the wives and children, meaning the family inevitably winds up receiving government assistance. The percentage of people in Colorado City-Hildale on welfare, food stamps and other government programs far exceeds the percentage in surrounding communities. Among the many victims of this system are teenage boys, who are seen by the older men as competition for wives. As the teenage boys become young adults many are excommunicated, cast off from the society and their friends and families. They are known as "The Lost Boys," and a group of them currently has a civil suit pending against Jeffs, who's not been seen publicly in more than a year. Victims also include women who've been abused, sexually and emotionally. Ruth Cooke surprised us by talking openly in the center of town. A fifth-generation native and divorced mother of eight who used to be in a polygamous marriage, Cooke appears disconnected from her community, though her clothing and hair would suggest otherwise. She discussed in vague detail her own history of sexual abuse, and shared her desires to help others. "I'm trying to get an organization together to help women who've been abused," said Cooke. While polygamy is illegal in Utah and Arizona, authorities have generally ignored the FLDS members. In 1953, Arizona staged a raid on the community, but the images of crying babies torn from their mothers that were transmitted around the country proved a colossal public relations disaster. Since then, the states essentially ignored the polygamists, hoping the problems in their communities would just go away. But the hands-off policy is changing. Attorneys general from Utah and Arizona held a town meeting in nearby St. George, Utah in March. At that meeting, they announced they would not target polygamists solely because of their lifestyle, but they would prosecute people for crimes such as underage or forced marriages, domestic violence, and welfare and tax fraud. Others in law enforcement are watching even more closely. Six months ago, Mohave County, Ariz. (home to Colorado City) hired Gary Engels to work in the community full-time in the hopes of building criminal cases. "One of my goals is to try to bring this place back into the 21st century," said Engels, on a recent tour of the community. Engels said he's heard of cases of forced marriages involving 14-year-old girls and suspects marriages have taken place involving girls even younger. Among the allegations he's looking into: child abuse, underage marriages, sexual assaults on children, and spousal abuse." It's a difficult job, as he's an outsider in a community where fear of outsiders runs deep. "They're very paranoid," said Engels. But Engels believes he's slowly making progress, building contacts and establishing cases. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle, and the pieces are slowly coming together," he said. Larson believes it's the beginning of the end for the polygamists in their longtime home. "The ship is sinking and they don't know how to jump off board yet," she said. Facing intense pressure from law enforcement and others, FLDS members are realizing Colorado City-Hildale is no longer safely under the radar from outside eyes. The group bought a large chunk of land in Eldorado, Texas, where they've built a church and several dormitory style buildings. They also bought the two plots of land in Mancos and have since built additional houses in a canyon not visible from the road. Only Jeffs and his inner circle of FLDS members know exactly what their plans are for the newly acquired land. Those who closely follow the group suspect the Texas land is intended for a new colony of perhaps 1,000 or 2,000 followers, transplanted from Colorado City-Hildale. The Mancos land is more mysterious. Some believe it was originally intended as a hideout for Jeffs, his bodyguards, and his favorite wives. Scott Davis is concerned about an episode like others that have occurred with religious fanatics. "Things like Waco go through your head, Jonestown," he said. Others in Mancos have a wait and see approach, citing the community's "live and let live" philosophy. "I don't necessarily feel like I should sit in judgment of anybody else," said Kristie Borchers, who runs a fire prevention company out of Mancos. Tammy Archuleta, a cook at Hamburger Haven, was less enthusiastic about the possible migration of polygamists to Mancos. "I just think it's wrong to have a lot of wives, and their kids will suffer," she said. For now, things are mostly quiet around the FLDS property north of town. Spring snows are melting off of the nearby peaks of the San Juan range. Things are greening up as temperatures rise. Nobody here is exactly sure why the polygamists have picked Mancos. And they do not expect their new neighbors to explain themselves. | |||||
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9news.com Originally broadcast April 30, 2005 | |||||
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