Centennial Park Action Committee




Centennial Park Action Committee
Lori Adamski-Peek for Newsweek Centennial Park, Arizona is home to about 1,000 believers of a fundamentalist brand of Mormonism who practice polygamy. This group split off from the polygamists of Hildale and Colorado City over differences in philosophy in 1986 and began a new sect just down the road. Many of the community's members are related to the members of the FLDS across the highway. Centennial Park residents want polygamy decriminalized. They say plural marriage is ordained by God, and they should not have to live under a stigma because they follow His religious teachings. They have formed the Centennial Park Action Committee, a group that lobbies for decriminalization of the practice of polygamy, and are working with Principle Voices, a pro-polygamy group based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Below are news articles about this other group of polygamists living on the Arizona Strip. These articles are in chronological order.


One Arizona town puts on best face for polygamy critics
By Linda Valdez The Arizona Republic Originally published July 24, 2005
What grew in isolation and secrecy now wants a place in the sun. News of the twin towns of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah, is about the efforts of law enforcement to dig into allegations of child sexual abuse and other brutalities that offend common decency. It's not about religion. Getting to the bottom of these allegations is a continuing process that has led to numerous criminal indictments and the first-ever offer of a cash reward by the Arizona Attorney General's Office for the capture of the polygamous cult's fugitive "prophet," Warren Jeffs. But there is another polygamous community not far from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Colorado City/Hildale. This other community raises questions its residents say are about religion. And those questions will be far more difficult to answer. Centennial Park, Ariz.is home to about 1,000 believers of a fundamentalist brand of Mormonism who also practice polygamy. Unlike their brethren in Colorado City/Hildale - many are related - they wear modern, but modest, clothing. They take pride in the quality of their schools, which include an eye-popping charter school and a private high school. They tout the educational attainment and career accomplishments of women whom they say thrive in the "liberating" and "uplifting" lifestyle of plural marriage. Read more


'Sister Wives' Describe Bright Side of Polygamy
Members of a Polygamist Community Say Their Marriages Work for Them
Primetime ABC News Originally broadcast March 2, 2006
March 2, 2006 � In 2004, "Primetime's" John Quinones interviewed 17 women from Centennial Park, Ariz., who are in what they call "plural" marriages. All said their plural marriages work for them. In their households, they live with one husband and anywhere from two to a dozen or more women they call "sister wives." "And for us, it works 'cause we love it. We want it to work," said a woman named Susan. The women are teachers, nurses, businesswomen. They are modern, savvy � and if you ask them � liberated. Linda Earl lives in a multimillion-dollar, 30,000-square-foot mansion. She says there's plenty of room for more than one wife and many, many children. "I'm pretty independent," Earl said. "I don't want to have to dote on a guy every night. I don't want to make sure that he has a meal every night. Let somebody else do it that likes it." The kitchen is the size of a cafeteria. After all, there are dozens of mouths to feed in Earl's home � from newborns to teenagers. Thirteen-year-old Derek said he doesn't know how many brothers and sisters he has. "Nobody really knows, 'cause we don't count the numbers," he said. Read more


Polygamists, Unite!
They used to live quietly, but now they're making noise.
By Elise Soukup Newsweek - Society section March 20, 2006 issue
Marlyne Hammon knows what it's like to feel hated and hunted. In 1953, when she was an infant, her father�along with dozens of other men in her tiny community of Short Creek, Ariz. � was arrested and sent to jail on charges of polygamy. She, her mother and siblings were forcibly exiled from the community and sent to live with a family in a nearby city. Her father was released after a week, but because the family feared further prosecution, they lived apart and corresponded in secret for the next six years. "Our community had this idea that we should live our lives quietly to avoid trouble," she says. "We were taught not to make a big ruckus." Not anymore. Hammon, who's involved in a polygamous relationship, is a founding member of the Centennial Park Action Committee, a group that lobbies for decriminalization of the practice. She's among a new wave of polygamy activists emerging in the wake of the gay-marriage movement � just as a federal lawsuit challenging anti-polygamy laws makes its way through the courts and a new show about polygamy debuts on HBO. Read more


Polygamy gaining media attention
By Amanda Belcher Opinion BG News - Bowling Green, Ohio Originally published April 25, 2006
Polygamists unite! Not something you'd expect me to be opening up with, is it? Well it certainly wasn't something I expected to see atop a Newsweek article as I sat in the waiting room at my doctor's office. Believe me - it's not something I would normally say, nor truly believe, but it's something that sparked my interest. The movement that has, yet again, risen out of the small towns of Utah is the polygamist's movement. Whether they call themselves the Centennial Park Action Committee or Principle Voices, they have one goal in mind: to legalize polygamy. This movement hasn't only sparked the interests of Newsweek and myself, but of other accredited news sources. A show offering a sympathetic look at a polygamous family airing on HBO, titled "Big Love," as well as upcoming anti-polygamy legislation has brought added attention to the issue. Jumping on the gay marriage bandwagon, these activists have taken the stance that if a child can have two mommies, they also can have two mommies and a daddy. They also point to Canada where, in January, work began to decriminalize polygamy. Read more


Correspondents Discuss Stories Behind the Stories
ON THE STORY CNN Originally broadcast May 13, 2006
Gary Tuchman went to the Arizona-Utah border, where families ignore legal and religious bans on polygamy. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They won't allow us inside with the camera, but we can tell you it is very busy, as you might expect. There are many households and you can see there are some angry people here who don't want the camera to be here. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No cameras allowed here. TUCHMAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry, this is private property. No cameras allowed. (END VIDEO TAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) TUCHMAN: Would you like to have 10 more wives like your father did? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. Why not? the more the merrier. (END VIDEO TAPE) VELSHI: CNN is ON THE STORY here at the George Washington University in the nation's Capitol. And we are ON THE STORY in Arizona, along the Utah border, where polygamy is common. It's a lifestyle that's been glamorized in a TV series and back in the headlines this week as the FBI named a polygamist leader to its most wanted list. Read more


Riding coattails of rights for gays
Polygamists seek decriminalization
By Linda Valdez The Arizona Republic Originally published July 9, 2006
Someday, we'll look back on this as a quaint time when the law prohibited same-sex marriage. With luck, we'll also look back on it as a time when some self-identified evangelical Christians got a firm and solid "no" from the conservative movement they look to for validation. They want the conservative majority that controls our government to repeal laws against polygamy. Mark Henkel is founder of TruthBearer.org, which he says is a nationwide non-denominational group that's busy "building a constituency" to give Congress the "political cover" necessary to decriminalize polygamy. "We are the next civil rights movement," he says. I have no idea how effective or large his movement is. He won't give numbers except to say it is "smaller than 100,000." Ten is a number smaller than 100,000, but he suggests it's much bigger than that. His area code puts him in Maine, but he echoes sentiments I've heard from a polygamous community in northern Arizona named Centennial Park. Read more


When Marriage is Illegal
Polygamy is notoriously hard to prosecute, but a recent legal victory may open the door for more cases
By Peta Owens-Liston TIME Magazine - Nation section Originally published July 18, 2006
When Kelly Fischer drove by in his white pick-up with his teenage step-daughter seated between him and his legal wife, his neighbor Isaac Wyler knew something was up. Sure enough, the next time Wyler saw the girl, who was about 15 or 16 years old, she was pregnant. Wyler, an ex-member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints (FLDS), was no stranger to the signs of polygamy. His suspicions proved true: Fischer had "spiritually" married his own step-daughter in a secret ceremony, a practice common among polygamists in the FLDS community in Colorado City, Ariz. Testimony from Wyler and another former FLDS member, Richard Holm, coupled with birth certificates, swayed a Mohave County jury on July 7 to find Fischer guilty of sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor. Wyler and Holm testified in court on how polygamous marriages work and gave eyewitness accounts of Fischer and the girl's "flirtations behavior." But the verdict was unusual � and, to critics of the alleged abuses in polygamous marriages, especially significant � in that it came without the testimony of the alleged victims. In the FLDS community that populates the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., finding victims willing to speak out is rare. "The nature of this community is opposed to the crimes themselves," explains Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "Victims have been taught from the cradle up not to cooperate with the outside or to disagree with their leaders." Read more


Children of 'plural families' to rally
Purpose of Aug. 19 rally in S.L. is to defend their lifestyle
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, August 10, 2006
They're making banners that say things like "Justice and Liberty For All," "Intolerance Hurts Kids" and "I Love ALL My Moms." Hundreds of children from polygamous families plan to stage a rally next week to stand up for their families, their communities and their faiths. "I hope that they'll see there's good people in happy families," said Maranda, an 18-year-old who lives in a plural family in the Salt Lake Valley. Like most of the teenagers involved in the rally, she declined to give her last name to protect her family. The pro-polygamy group Principle Voices is organizing the Aug. 19 rally at the Salt Lake City-County building. It will feature mostly youth speakers. "Our teenagers wanted to defend their lifestyle," rally organizer Anne Wilde told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday. "Often they're perceived as the victims. They want to say no, they don't consider themselves the victims. They feel like this should be a free choice." Members of the Apostolic United Brethren, The Davis Co-operative Society, Centennial Park and independent fundamentalist groups are expected to be in attendance. Organizers said the Fundamentalist LDS Church was also invited to participate, but there has been no response. The rally is also in response to the heat that's been put on polygamous communities since fugitive FLDS Church leader Warren Jeffs was put on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Read more


Arrest raises reactions in polygamist groups
By Rachel Tueller The Spectrum Originally published August 30, 2006
ST. GEORGE - The arrest of polygamist group leader, Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, raised strong reactions Tuesday among others often grouped with, but not affiliated with, Jeffs and his followers. Some believe the issues surrounding Jeffs have blackened the eye of polygamy culture. "We're not like the FLDS, we are willing to talk to government officials. We don't want abuse, neglect and domestic violence - we believe in being hard-working, paying our taxes and taking care of our children that come into our families," said Susie Timpson, who serves as chairwoman for the Centennial Park Action Committee. CPAC conducts public outreach and education and represents the views of a group that broke away from the FLDS church years ago and now lives in the community of Centennial Park, Ariz., which neighbors Colorado City. CPAC's mission is to combat the negative focus media most often center reports of polygamy on, Timpson said. "We've realized that it's important for people to come into our community and to see our people, to see our schools, the culture - so that the only thing out there isn't negative things that are just swirling around in the media," she said. Read more


Polygamy comes out of the closet
By Mindelle Jacobs Edmonton Sun Originally published September 3, 2006
Once upon a time, journalists had a tough time getting polygamists to talk because plural-marriage practitioners shielded themselves from the world's prying eyes. But with the arrest of infamous polygamous leader Warren Jeffs, polygamists have become media darlings. Suddenly, it's impossible for a curious Canadian columnist to get an interview with a pro-polygamist group in the U.S. The Centennial Park Action Committee would love to talk to me. But they can't. ABC's Primetime is doing a documentary on the Arizona polygamous community and the network apparently doesn't want CPAC speaking to other media. "For the month of September our whole committee is pretty nearly booked but if you don't mind sending your request at a later date we might be better able to spend the time," CPAC spokesman Marlyne Hammon explains apologetically in her e-mail. Go figure. Polygamists have achieved the same star quality as, say, Paris Hilton. And with a lot less baring of skin. They've become instant celebrities. It's polygamy-mania. Read more


Polygamy proposal called 'witch hunt'
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, September 14, 2006
Polygamous groups are upset over a Nevada senator's call for a Justice Department probe into their lives and activities. "It is disconcerting to have a senator take a real strong position on that," said one Utah polygamist, who asked the Deseret Morning News not to use his name. He said all of his wives are consenting adults. "It appears to be a reaction to (Warren) Jeffs and the FLDS culture." In a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Senate Minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., reacted to the capture of Fundamentalist LDS Church leader Warren Jeffs and suggested creating a federal task force to look into polygamous communities in Western states. "For too long, this outrageous activity has been masked in the guise of religious freedom. But child abuse and human servitude have nothing to do with religious freedom and must not be tolerated," Reid wrote. "Individuals who force minors into adult relationships and marriage must be brought to justice." Members of the polygamous community of Centennial Park, Ariz., called Reid's request a "modern-day witch hunt." Read more


Polygamy case in court
Trio asks 10th Circuit to overturn longtime Utah ban on the practice
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Monday, September 25, 2006
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver today will take up the case of three people suing for the right to become husband and wife � and wife. Court briefs are due this morning in the case of Bronson vs. Swensen, a lawsuit that is challenging Utah's ban on polygamy. It's a case that has people who practice plural marriage hoping it will legalize their relationships. "Eventually, we will have the right to live our religion," said Laura Fuller, a member of the Davis County Cooperative Society, a fundamentalist community composed of members of the Kingston family. "A person should have the right to choose their mate, not the state." Fuller, who is also a law student, has followed the case closely. So have other members of polygamous communities. "It will be interesting to see whether the court addresses the freedom of religion issue in this case or whether they keep it strictly within the bounds of civil rights for multiple marriage partners," said Susie Timpson with the Centennial Park Action Committee, a pro-polygamy group in the border community of Centennial Park, Ariz. "We will be watching and praying with interest," she said in an e-mail Saturday to the Deseret Morning News. Read more


Mother Claims Father Snatched Children from School
John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL-TV channel 5 Originally broadcast October 16th, 2006
A West Jordan mother says a faulty court order and careless school officials allowed her six children to be snatched away by their divorced father into a polygamist lifestyle. School officials say they just followed the law and raised questions about whether a letter from the principal might have been partly fabricated. One child was at Jefferson Junior High, five others were at Jim Bridger Elementary. School officials handed over all six to a constable, placing them in the custody of their father, Nathan Burnham. Randy Ripplinger, Granite School District: "The constable was the one bearing the court order. We gave the children to the custody of the constable, as we were ordered to do." The kids' mother, Laurice Jessop, says she divorced Burnham when he started moving back into the polygamist religion they both grew up in. Laurice Jessop, Mother: "That's his main concern, to get another wife." She says a judge who heard both sides granted her custody, but the husband got a custody order from a different judge who heard only his side. She says she doesn't want her kids growing up in the polygamist culture she fled. Read more


Mother Reunited with Children
KSL-TV channel 5 Originally broadcast October 17th, 2006
(KSL News) -- A woman who fled the polygamous lifestyle had a joyous reunion today with her children. Laurice Jessop met her children in Colorado City, Arizona. Earlier this month her ex-husband, Nathan Burnham, went to West Jordan where the children lived with their mother. Even though she had custody, the ex-husband loaded the children up and took them away to Colorado City. Laurice hadn't seen them since October 6th. Laurice Jessop, Former Polygamist: "And now we just have to get them back up there to go to school and get 'em back into having a normal life and hope that it doesn't happen again." Laurice Jessop vows to do whatever it takes to keep her children from the polygamous culture she fled. See photo


I'm not a slave to polygamy
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published October 20, 2006
In response to the article, "Polygamy needs federal probe," I cannot in good conscience allow such untruth to stand uncontested. Anyone who knows the story of the 1953 raid, the story of Vera Black, the stories of polygamous families torn apart by political office seekers and self-righteous do-gooders knows that Utah and Arizona were not dragged kicking and screaming into the fray. I was raised in a polygamous family in Colorado City during an era when we were trying to put our lives back together after the devastation of the 1953 raid. We learned to keep our mouths shut in order to protect our families and the homes we loved. Because that was our habit, we have not spoken up in protest when vicious lies have circulated about polygamy. We who have been still in the midst of the storms of accusation and lies are the victims whose voices have not been heard. The voices that have been heard are from a few people who have suffered abuse in polygamous households, much like many children in monogamous household have suffered. They claim that polygamy did it. Any sane person knows that marriage does not commit the crime. People do. They have become emboldened by our lack of protest. No lie is too bold, such as, a "graveyard for murdered children and a death rate of 50 percent of children." There is hardly a shred of truth in that whole article. Such claims are insane. If it were even remotely true, you know the law would be swarming all over it. Such people are crusaders who would incite a frenzy to destroy the very lives of those whom they claim to be trying to save, the children of polygamy. Read more


Polygamy at center of custody battle
By Mike Watkiss / 3TV reporter KTVK-TV - Phoenix Originally published November 6, 2006
Laurice Jessop, 35, and her husband, Nathan Burnman, were once a happily married couple, wed for nearly 13 years and the parents of six beautiful children. The four girls and two boys range in ages from 6 to 12. The youngest are an adorable set of triplets who are now at the center of an ugly and bitter custody fight. "Problems developed in the marriage because Mr. Burnham wanted to return to polygamy," said Michael Parks, Jessop's attorney at the time. According to Laurice Jessop, her marriage to Burnham broke up in 2004 because Burnham wanted to start taking additional wives and practice polygamy. In fact, since the divorce, Burnham has allegedly taken a 19-year-old bride and moved his home to the polygamist community of Centennial Park, Ariz. More than 20 years ago, most of the residents of Centennial Park broke off from the more notorious and repressive polygamists in the community of Colorado City, which is just a couple of miles away. Today, a new polygamist prophet named John Timpson guides most of the lives of Centennial Park's people. Read more


Polygamists Fight to Be Seen As Part of Mainstream Society
By John Pomfret Washington Post Originally published Tuesday, November 21, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY -- In her battle to legalize polygamy, the only thing Valerie hasn't revealed is her last name. The mother of eight has been on national TV; her photo along with that of her two "sister-wives" has graced the front cover of a glossy magazine dedicated to "today's plural marriages." She has been prodded about her sex life: "He rotates. It's easy -- just one, two, three." Quizzed about her decision to share a husband with two other women: "You really have a good frame of reference when you marry a man who already has two wives." Interrogated about what it's like to live in a house with 21 children: "Remodeling a kitchen, that's no small feat with three wives and a husband involved." All the while, the petite brunette with a smile as bright as Utah's sky has insisted that she's just like you and me: "I'm a soccer mom. My kids are in music lessons. They go to public school. I'm not under anyone's control." Valerie and others among the estimated 40,000 men, women and children in polygamous communities are part of a new movement to decriminalize bigamy. Consciously taking tactics from the gay-rights movement, polygamists have reframed their struggle, choosing in interviews to de-emphasize their religious beliefs and focus on their desire to live "in freedom," according to Anne Wilde, director of community relations for Principle Voices, a pro-polygamy group based in Salt Lake. In recent months, polygamy activists have held rallies, appeared on nationally televised news shows and lobbied legislators. Before the Nov. 7 elections, one pro-polygamy group issued a six-page analysis of all Utah's state and local candidates and their views on polygamy. "We can make a difference," the group told supporters. Read more


Exhibit redefining 'family'
Utah Pride Center extends invitation to polygamists, others
By Deborah Bulkeley and Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, December 10, 2006
Is your family "traditional"? Maybe you have two moms or two dads. Maybe you're a single parent. You might consider your roommates to be your family. Or maybe you have one dad and several moms. Whatever the case, the Utah Pride Center is seeking families to be photographed and interviewed for an upcoming exhibit titled "FAMILIES ... It's All Relative." The invitation includes a long list of family types � from traditional marriage to polygamy � to be displayed at the downtown Salt Lake City library as part of the annual Winter Pride festival, which celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Nathan Measom of the Utah Pride Center acknowledges that including polygamy could raise some eyebrows. But, he insists, the exhibit isn't meant to be controversial. "It's just to show there are different types of families that maybe aren't traditional families, but that are maybe just as much a family," Measom said. "We want to give the people this idea that there are these alternative families in Utah." Read more


Southern Utah won't be out of the spotlight anytime soon
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published December 17, 2006
It's not too often that Southern Utah steps into the national spotlight. Sure, the St. George area is well known for being a retirement destination, and the Utah Shakespearean Festival has helped gain Cedar City notoriety. Both of those are things to be proud of. But our region hit the national stage again this week when the preliminary hearing for polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs wrapped up with an order for Jeffs to stand trial beginning in April on charges of rape as an accomplice. That's not so good. It's important that Jeffs finally gets his day in court. The rumors have been floating around for years about sexual abuse of young girls and welfare fraud running rampant among at least some members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At least in this one case - in which a woman has accused Jeffs of forcing her to have sexual relations with her 19-year-old cousin when she was just 14 - Jeffs gets the opportunity to refute the charges and stand up for his faith. His attorneys already have hinted that they intend to show that the prosecution of Jeffs is really persecution of his religion. That appears to be a stretch. First, Jeffs is innocent until proven guilty. But if he is convicted of the charges, he will be convicted because criminal activity was proven, not because he was legally practicing his religion. So, while religion isn't really part of this case, religion does surround it. Read more


Seifert's statement on polygamy foolish
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Spectrum Originally published December 28, 2006
In his column, Dec. 17, Editor Todd Seifert said, "Should the practice of polygamy be illegal so long as no crimes are broken?" Either he is trying to compete with President Bush in producing goofy statements or he intended to say "laws" rather than "crimes." But even that substitution results in a nonsense sentence since any action that breaks a law is, by definition, illegal. Current law in Utah makes the practice of polygamy illegal, so polygamists are lawbreakers. Attempting to work around that fact results in foolish statements such as Mr. Seifert's. Thomas J. Wright St. George


WARRANT ARREST � CENTENNIAL PARK (AZ STRIP)
Mohave County Sheriff's Office Press Release Originally published January 3, 2007
Mohave County Sheriff�s deputies arrested Norman Deloss Hammon, 55, of Centennial Park, Tuesday (1/2) morning on a felony warrant on two counts of child molestation issued by Moccasin Justice Court. The arrest of Hammon is a result of an on-going investigation which began October 29, 2006, involving two young female victims that were molested in 2004. Approximately 11:15 a.m., deputies contacted Hammon near Berry Knoll Boulevard and Taylor Avenue regarding his outstanding warrant. Hammon was taken into custody without incident. He was transported and booked into the Mesquite Jail. Investigation is on-going and more charges may be pending.


Man Arrested; Charged With Sex Offenses
e-Press Tri-State News Network Originally published Tuesday, January 9, 2007
County resident has been charged with sex offenses involving two young girls. Spokeswoman Trish Carter said deputies arrested Norman Deloss Hammon, 55, on January 2nd. Carter said an investigation begun late last October led to charges that Hammon violated sisters, aged six and ten, in the community of Centennial Park in 2004. Carter said additional charges are pending a continuing investigation.


Bill to regulate custody for polygamous parents
By Amanda J. Crawford The Arizona Republic Originally published February 2, 2007
Two women who fled polygamous marriages told legislators on Thursday that state custody law needs to change to protect children and encourage women to seek their freedom. Laurice Jessop, 34, described her long battle to win custody of her six children after fleeing a polygamist community in Utah and the fears that haunted her of her own daughters being forced into marriages as child-brides. Jessop and her cousin, Flora Jessop, executive director of the non-profit Child Protection Project, testified before the House Human Services Committee in support of House Bill 2325, which would bar courts from giving sole or joint custody to someone who engages in polygamy or child bigamy. The committee unanimously recommended passage of the bill, with one member absent. It still must pass the House Judiciary Committee before going to the full House for a vote.


2 X�S THEFT � CENTENNIAL PARK (AZ STRIP)
Mohave County Sheriff's Office Press Release Originally published February 5, 2007
Mohave County Sheriff�s deputies arrested James A. Barlow, 19, of Centennial Park, early Saturday (2/3) morning on two counts of unlawful use of means of transportation, felonies. Approximately 2:02 a.m., deputies responded to the Centennial Park area where two water trucks were taken. Deputies were advised by a reporting party that two male subjects were riding around in water trucks. Deputies contacted both subjects identified as James Barlow and Thomas Barlow, 17. James Barlow was taken into custody without incident. He was transported and booked into the Washington County Jail. Thomas Barlow was released to his parents. A juvenile referral has been submitted on Thomas Barlow to the Mohave County Juvenile Probation.


"PRIMETIME: THE OUTSIDERS" EXAMINES THE UNUSUAL LIFE OF POLYGAMY
the FUTON CRITIC Originally published February 13, 2007
PRIMETIME Air Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Time Slot: 9:00 PM-10:00 PM EST on ABC Episode Title: "The Outsiders, Part 2 of 7" [NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.] "PRIMETIME: THE OUTSIDERS" EXAMINES THE UNUSUAL LIFE OF POLYGAMY John Quiqones' Unprecedented Report: Inside a Polygamous Family One husband with two happy wives and nine children might sound abnormal to most people, but in Centennial Park, Arizona, the polygamist lifestyle is commonly practiced in the 1,200 person community. John Quiqones takes viewers inside the rare world of an isolated polygamous community to report on the life of a young, fast-growing family there -- the Hammons. Quiqones' unprecedented report is the second installment of "Primetime: The Outsiders," the limited series examining people who live by their own rules and in their own worlds - worlds that the average person may find unimaginable. "Primetime: The Outsiders" airs TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) and will continue to air Tuesday nights through March 20. Read more


Polygamists Practice Big Love In Arizona
They're An All-American Family -- Only With Multiple Wives
By Harry Phillps and Joseph Diaz ABC News - Primetime "The Outsiders, Part 2 of 7" Originally published February 13, 2007
Feb. 13, 2007� Welcome to Centennial Park � population 1200 � a tiny speck in the vast Arizona desert. A place where everyone considers themselves to be typical, All-American families in every way except one: the residents here practice polygamy. Ariel Hammon, 32, his wife Helen, 30, their seven children, Ariel's second wife Lisa, 20, and their two children � all twelve squeeze into a tiny two-bedroom cottage with just 1400 square feet of living space. As the kids grow and the family adds more wives and babies, the house will only get smaller. But in the polygamous community of Centennial Park, overcrowding is a problem with a solution � volunteer work crews. "We build each other's homes," says Ariel, who will pay for materials. In a scene straight out of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," the volunteers dig the hole, lay the foundation and frame an addition that will double the size of the Hammon house in just two days! "It's definitely an answer to my prayers," says a teary-eyed Helen. "I've been wondering how we're gonna accomplish it and here it is." Read more


More on victims of polygamy
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published February 14, 2007
No one denies that victimization sometimes happens within polygamous cultures. The perpetrators are identifiable and their actions match the profile of an abuser. Some crimes are horrid and disheartening and very often when people talk about victims in polygamy they associate the victim with the worst kind of abuse. Naturally, our first reaction is to the stop the perpetrator and demand punishment. Every good person wants to lend to the solution and stop the abuse. There is another side to the story! The polygamous people have experienced great difficulty in achieving the "access and awareness" that good communities must have. This is a result of a 150-year history of events and hate policies against them. It is critical for anyone who wants to be a catalyst for genuine progress to have a clear understanding of the road that brought us where we are today. In the past 150 years, more than 1,100 men and women have served time in prisons in Utah and Arizona with various charges, but the underlying reason was that they were polygamists. Read more


Labor Dept.: Colorado City contractor pays $350,000 in back wages
The Associated Press KOLD-TV News 13 - Tucson, AZ Originally broadcast February 27, 2007
PHOENIX The Labor Department says an investigation it launched has led to a northwestern Arizona contractor paying 350-thousand dollars in back wages. The beneficiaries, it says, are close to 270 laborers and carpenters. They had been employed by Grayeagle Construction to help build staff housing at a comprehensive care facility in Fort Defiance, on the Navajo Reservation. The Labor Department says its investigators concluded that Grayeagle, which is based outside Colorado City, didn't pay the workers prevailing wages or overtime.


GRAY EAGLE CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Arizona Corporation Commission State of Arizona Public Access System starpas.azcc.gov Search performed February 27, 2007
Corporate Inquiry File Number: -1006554-5 AD-DISSOLVED-FILE ANNUAL REPORT 02/15/2007 Corp. Name: GRAY EAGLE CONSTRUCTION, INC. Domestic Address UNDELIVERABLE DOMESTIC ADDRESS % GARY EAGLE CONSTRUCTION INC 1605 S BERRY KNOLL BLVD CENTENNIAL PARK, AZ 86021 Second Corp. Address PO BOX 1907 CENTENNIAL PARK, AZ 86021 Statutory Agent Information Agent Name: TISH PLEDYER Agent Mailing/Physical Address: UNDELIVERABLE AGENT ADDRESS 75 W TAYLOR CT CENTENNIAL PARK, AZ 86021 Read more


Laws of this country against polygamy should be obeyed
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published March 8, 2007
Normally, I write tongue-in-cheek articles. I enjoy poking fun at the world (and myself) and hopefully giving you a laugh or two. Today is a little different. You see, on Feb. 14, The Spectrum published on its op-ed page, a guest editorial by J. Steed, a resident of Centennial Park, Ariz., and presumably a polygamist. So, in spite of my reluctance to offer serious opinion - here goes. (Next month, I'll get back to my regular nonsense.) Dear J. Steed: For many years, I lived in Virginia. While there, I learned a lot about the great debate which occurred in the 1800s, regarding slavery vs. a state's right to govern itself. As you know, the arguments were so highly charged that eventually a civil war erupted, and it ended only after hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. Some may erroneously believe that the Civil War ended the argument. Not by a long shot. For decades, blacks in this country suffered terribly as the remnants of slave justification remained in our system of politics, culture, and even our religions - mine included. However, over time, the formal institutions of oppression are slowly giving way to more rational thought and discourse. Slavery is long dead. Read more


P&Z to revisit county building codes
By Jim Seckler Mohave Daily News Originally published Saturday, March 10, 2007
KINGMAN - The Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commission will again discuss Wednesday extending building codes throughout the county. At a January workshop, planning and zoning building official Darrell Riedel showed a slideshow of haphazardly built homes built outside the urban overlay areas. Without stricter building codes, illegal and dangerous building practices could take place, Riedel noted. One option is to have only large proposed subdivisions in White Hills, Meadview, Golden Valley and near Kingman included in the urban overlay zone. Other areas included would be Colorado City, Yucca and the Beaver Dam/Littlefield area of the Arizona Strip. One commissioner did not want the building codes extended countywide but large, master-planned subdivisions should be automatically included. Another commissioner favored extending the codes throughout the county because a rural home could catch on fire from faulty electrical wiring and cause a large brush fire, costing the county money or lives. The biggest danger in building homes not to code in rural areas is dangerous or improper electrical wiring. The homes not built to standards in the rural areas may also have structural, plumbing or other mechanical problems, Mohave County Planning and Zoning Director Chris Ballard told the commissioners. Read more


The Legislature is no moral voice of reason
Opinion The Spectrum Originally published March 18, 2007
One has to wonder how people define belief. You can only believe what lawmakers allow? Brent Holloway in his editorial piece, "Laws of this country against polygamy should be obeyed," printed March 8, forgets that for centuries the very issues by which he illustrates his point (slavery and skin color) were legislated (and by his logic, appropriate) in favor of the white man. The Legislature is no moral voice. People have to push at the laws they feel are unjustified whether they are against black people being free or polygamists practicing the mandates of their belief system. The fundamental flaw of Holloway's logic is in the view that we must always conform our conduct to man-made laws in this country. The United States was founded on a revolution that came out of protesting what citizens deemed to be unjust laws. The implications of this are that revolution must always be an option for the citizenry when they are oppressed by bad (in their view) legislation and, therefore, civil disobedience is a legitimate action against bad law. Perhaps this may not be true of other countries, but here in America we revere our revolutionary foundations. Polly Hammon Centennial Park, Ariz.


Merry Wives Cafe brings flavor to polygamist town
It cooks up new, traditional fare for residents, tourists
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Thursday, March 29, 2007
HILDALE � The polygamists of old stare out from the photographs on the walls of this modest restaurant, watching over the customers lunching here at the "Merry Wives Cafe." It's the only sit-down restaurant in this polygamous border town. It's also one of the newest signs of economic development in this enclave of the Fundamentalist LDS Church. "We really opened basically to serve the need," said Tyler Steed. "We needed something like this in this area." Since the cafe opened Jan. 23, business has steadily grown. "Good. Really good," cafe manager Charise Dutson said of business. "A lot of curious people." The cafe is set up in the same building as the Border Store, a gas station and convenience store on U.S. 89, which runs through Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. It is run by residents of neighboring Centennial Park, Ariz., a separate fundamentalist community. The cafe's name is a playful, tongue-in-cheek reference to the area's ties to polygamy. It was chosen after members of the Centennial Park community held a contest for restaurant names. The suggestions varied. "Big Love," Dutson said, chuckling at the reference to the popular HBO show about polygamy. "The Three Little Plyg Cafe." Read more


Polygamy views targeted
Meetings will seek to counter stereotypes
By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Originally published Sunday, April 22, 2007
Progress has been made by government agencies reaching out to help victims of abuse and neglect within often-closed polygamous societies. However, stereotypes still exist. "The stereotypes have worsened with the public at large, I think, due to the media hype over the Warren Jeffs case," said LeAnne Timpson, a member of the fundamentalist community of Centennial Park, Ariz. "I don't think the public at large understands the different groups. I think the public at large labels polygamists. If they hear of a crime happening within polygamy, then polygamists are labeled with that." Politicians, polygamists and community activists will gather in St. George later this month for training and a town hall forum to discuss ways to break down barriers within closed societies. "There's been amazing progress," Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Deseret Morning News. "A lot more people are seeking help. A lot more people are taking advantage of services that they were denied or didn't have access to." The training will be held Tuesday in St. George as part of the U.S. Justice Department's national crime victims' rights week. It will feature Livia Bardin, a social worker who is considered an expert on authoritarian groups. Timpson met Bardin while attending a conference in Denver last year on "cults." The conference was sponsored by the International Cultic Studies Association and included panel discussions from ex-members of polygamous groups. Members of the Centennial Park community showed up to listen and also rebut some of the claims. Read more


State AGs reach out to crime victims
By Patrice St. Germain The Spectrum Originally published April 25, 2007
ST. GEORGE - Several years ago, Fawn Broadbent, a former Colorado City resident, left her home, family and community armed only with an eighth-grade education. Later testing at a fifth-grade level, Broadbent continued to study and work hard to overcome the shortcoming with her education and her limited knowledge of the outside world. Broadbent has overcome numerous obstacles and will soon graduate from high school with a 4.0 grade point average. Broadbent was one of the panelists during a town hall meeting held jointly Tuesday night by the Utah and Arizona Attorneys General. The well-attended meeting at the Dixie Convention Center, held in conjunction with National Crime Victims' Rights Week, is the third such meeting to reach out to victims in isolated communities to provide equal access to justice, safety and services. For Arizona and Utah, that focus is on the victims of the polygamist communities of Hildale and Colorado City. The Attorneys General were joined by a diverse group of panelists including Broadbent. Broadbent said the name "The Lost Boys," given to those who leave or are kicked out of the communities, is wrong since the girls and boys who leave whether of their own volition or not, are true survivors. Read more


Fundamental Mormons seek recognition for polygamy
By Jason Szep Reuters Originally published June 12, 2007
CENTENNIAL PARK, Arizona (Reuters) - When Ephraim Hammon returns home from a day of working construction near Arizona's border with Utah, he's greeted by his wife SherylLynne. And then by his wife Leah. Polygamy, once hidden in the shadows of Utah and Arizona, is breaking into the open as fundamentalist Mormons push to decriminalize it on religious grounds, while at the same time stamping out abuses such as forced marriages of underage brides. The growing confidence of polygamists and their willingness to go public come at an awkward moment for mainstream Mormons, who are now in the spotlight as Republican Mitt Romney, a prominent Mormon, seeks the U.S. presidency. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, introduced polygamy before the Civil War but banned it in 1890 when the federal government threatened to deny Utah statehood. Today, about 40,000 "fundamentalist Mormons" in Utah and nearby states live polygamy illegally. Romney, whose great-grandfather had five wives and whose great-great-grandfather had a dozen, has dismissed the practice as "bizarre" -- a comment that infuriates Hammon, whose father and grand-father practiced plural marriage. "If it was me, I wouldn't apologize for my past. My ancestors did what they did. I can't help that," said Hammon, 36, who legally married SherylLynne, 32, in 1994 and was joined with Leah, 21, a decade later as his "celestial bride" in a religious ceremony that has no legal binding. Read more


Polygamists: Q&A
Reuters Originally published June 12, 2007
Polygamy, once hidden in the shadows of Utah and Arizona, is breaking into the open as fundamentalist Mormons push to decriminalize it on religious grounds. Reuters gathered together polygamists for roundtable discussions in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Centennial Park, Arizona. In Salt Lake City, two participants, Vicki and Valerie, are sisters in a polygamous marriage with a man who has three wives and 21 children in a Salt Lake City suburb. To protect the identity of their husband, they declined to release their last names. Anne Wilde, 71, is a 71-year-old widow who was part of a family of plural wives for 33 years. In Centennial Park, Arizona, Ephraim Hammon, 36, his wife Leah, 21, and wife SherylLynne, 32, and his mother, Marlyne Hammon, spoke to Reuters in their home. The Salt Lake City, Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, introduced polygamy before the Civil War but banned it in 1890. Excommunicated by mainstream Mormons, polygamists see themselves as purists of the faith as it was practiced by founder Joseph Smith, whom historians say took more than two dozen wives. The following are excerpts from the discussion: REUTERS: How do you feel about the mainstream Mormon church, which excommunicates polygamists and is a vocal opponent against plural marriage? ANNE WILDE : Most of us, if we were members, have been excommunicated, certainly if they are found out they are. I think there are some that live it very, very quietly, and people don't know; but not too many anymore. The church has chosen right now to reject plural marriage. I think they've done this is to be more friendly with the world. Read more


Fear and Loathing in Utah
Even some of polygamist Warren Jeffs's critics are worried that his conviction is the start of a legal campaign against 'plural marriage.'
By Gretel C. Kovach Newsweek Originally published September 26, 2007
Sept. 26, 2007 - The owners and most of the lunch crowd at the Merry Wives Caf� in Hildale, Utah, were excommunicated from his polygamous sect years ago. And Warren S. Jeffs, the man revered as the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), counsels his followers to shun all outsiders, even their more open-minded blood relatives who playfully named their new burger joint after their proud heritage of "plural marriage." Still, news that Jeffs, 51, had been convicted of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old church member traveled quickly across the red-rock desert to this restaurant along the Utah-Arizona state line, unnerving even the most progressive of the extended polygamist community. "This hatred for polygamists ... I felt it ever since I was a child," says Charise Dutson, manager and part owner of the Merry Wives. Today Dutson is a member of Centennial Park, an Arizona group that split from the FLDS but continues to practice polygamy. Three teenagers who are part of Centennial Park call Jeffs a fraud with no direct line to God. The verdict, meanwhile, worries them all. Another owner of the caf�, a jovial man who asks not be named, adds, "I don�t think we could ever get a fair trial in the state of Utah." Read more


Polygamy in America
From the show Polygamy in America: Lisa Ling Reports The Oprah Winfrey Show Originally broadcast October 26, 2007
It is very rare for a polygamist man to speak publicly about his relationships, but Richard, a successful businessman who lives in Centennial Park with his three wives, agrees to let Lisa visit his home because he says he wants to show the world another side to polygamy. "I'll just come out and tell you, I feel very blessed � this lifestyle is wonderful," he says. "We bring these women into the home and they are treated incredibly. They have every convenience and every single thing that can be provided for them. So it's a very mutual relationship." What kind of role does love play in Richard's marriages? "Love plays a huge role, and it plays a role in each one of my marriages," Richard says. "I love these ladies." As far as sleeping arrangements go, Richard says he sleeps in his bedroom and his wives each have their own bedroom. "My options aren't for gratification of my lusts," he says. "The activities that we do together as a couple are private and we have those relationships." Richard met his first wife, Julena, in high school. Next came Tina, Julena's sister. And finally Rebecca, Richard's co-worker joined the family as the third wife. Now, the three women seem to be inseparable. Although they all love the same man, Julena says this doesn't cause any conflict between them. "We're fulfilled with other things," Julena says. "We're fulfilled with friendship." They have become so close that if anything were to ever happen to Richard, Julena says that her decision to find a new husband would include Tina and Rebecca as well. "We'd probably stay together," Julena says. Read more


Bill would shield children of polygamists
By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services East Valley Tribune Originally published February 1, 2008
State lawmakers are trying to make it more difficult for at least some of those who practice polygamy to get custody of their children in divorce cases. Without dissent, the House Committee on Human Services on Thursday approved legislation barring judges from granting sole or even joint custody to a parent who has practiced child bigamy. The only exception would be if a court determined there is "no significant risk to the child." HB2009 would impose similar restrictions against granting unsupervised visitation. State law already makes it a crime for anyone who is already married to wed a child, whether that second - or subsequent - wedding is recognized by the state or solely by a religion. But Flora Jessup, an advocate for women forced into multiple marriages, said the 2004 law is not really enforced. Rep. David Lujan, D-Phoenix, said some women in polygamous relationships do try to leave. In fact, he said the conviction in Utah last year of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, of violating rape laws by arranging plural marriages of minors, may encourage others to get out of these plural marriages. "But when they leave the polygamous communities, the first thing they do is they go to court and try to get custody of their children," Lujan said. "And we're still seeing courts that are awarding custody to the fathers who are engaging in bigamy." Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson urged lawmakers to approve the measure. "For the past 10 years I've worked with these victims," he told committee members. "These vicious abusers of the cults have manipulated our court system to continue the cycle against these victims and our children," Johnson said. "This will be one more tool that can be used in hopefully breaking that cycle." Read more

For more information email:

"Religion" is no excuse for committing child abuse

Site Map