Posted on 05/05/2008 6:44:40 AM PDT by MizSterious
ROBERT MATAS
From Monday's Globe and Mail
May 5, 2008 at 4:32 AM EDT
SAN ANGELO, TEX. — The federal government should intervene to speed up the return to Canada of a 17-year-old girl who was apprehended during a raid of the Yearning For Zion polygamist compound in Texas, the parents' lawyer says.
The Canadian teenager was among 463 children under 18 years old who were taken into custody during a raid of the isolated compound run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 523 kilometres southwest of Dallas.
Texas authorities said they found underaged children who were pregnant and some who already had their own children. They alleged that the evidence indicated sexual abuse and a pervasive pattern of grooming young girls for underage sex.
The girl's parents told their lawyer that their daughter had come to the YFZ compound from the Canadian FLDS community of Bountiful, B.C., a few weeks before the April 3 raid, to visit her grandmother. Former FLDS members say young FLDS girls are brought as child brides from Canada to the U.S. and assigned to be "celestial wives" of older men. They accuse the church of trafficking women across the Canada-U.S. border for sexual purposes.
A member the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stands outside the Tom Green County Courthouse during a short break from the second day of a custody hearing in San Angelo, Tex., on April 18. (Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press)
Stephanie Goodman, a Texas lawyer retained by the parents who lived in Bountiful, said she had expected the Canadian consul would try to expedite the girl's return to Canada.
The Canadian girl was placed by court order in a foster care facility for abused children. Ms. Goodman said the parents had not been allowed access to their daughter. Also, child protection officials and the child's lawyer were not returning Ms. Goodman's phone calls.
She hoped Canadian officials would contact Texas Attorney-General Greg Abbott or possibly Texas Governor Rick Perry in order to "open up the process," she said.
But the Canadian girl did not receive any special consideration because she was a foreigner.
The Globe and Mail is not publishing the girl's name in order to protect the identity of a minor who is in foster care.
Eugenie Cormier-Lassonde, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, said in an interview the government, for privacy reasons, could not release any information about a specific case.
The federal government announced on April 25 that a Canadian was among those found at the YFZ ranch, but did not release any further details.
The announcement stated that consular officials were "actively monitoring the situation" and were "in constant contact" with Texas child protection officials to offer assistance to Canadians.
Consular officials had made contact with the lawyer representing the Canadian and assistance was being provided, the government announcement said.
However, the well-being of Canadian children in the U.S. would be the responsibility of the Texas agency, with the Foreign Affairs Department working with the agency to provide assistance.
The girl's lawyer did not respond to a phone message from The Globe and Mail requesting an interview.
Rod Parker, a lawyer for the FLDS, has questioned whether Texas authorities could substantiate their allegations. He has disputed the ages of the children stated by Texas child protection officials.
The teenager's parents say their daughter was not married or pregnant and did not have any children, Ms. Goodman said.
Texas authorities have not mentioned that the girl was at the Yearning For Zion ranch for an assigned marriage, she added in a later interview.
"But they really haven't said very much to me or any other lawyer representing the parents," Ms. Goodman said. "I am having difficulty just getting a CPS representative to call me back and give me accurate [file] numbers for my cases."
She questioned whether a former FLDS member would know whether the girl was at the ranch for an arranged marriage unless they had left the ranch shortly before the raid. "It all sounds very speculative to me," she said.
The children were placed in temporary foster care during a two-day hearing on April 17 and 18 at the Tom Green County Courthouse in San Angelo, Tex., about an hour's drive from the FLDS compound. Under Texas law, authorities have 60 days to decide what will happen to the children.
The court also ordered DNA testing for all children to identify their parents.
Ms. Goodman said the girl's parents were willing to provide DNA samples at their own expense to compare to their daughter's.
The parents came from Bountiful to the San Angelo courthouse for the April hearing. However, they were not allowed to speak to their daughter. Ms. Goodman said that she has been told the mother spoke to her daughter on the phone from Bountiful for the first time late last week, more than three weeks after the girl had been apprehended.
Child Protective Services indicated they may be willing to let the Canadian go home if they could obtain a valid copy of the girl's birth certificate, the lawyer also said.
Recollections of life in the cult, polygamy summit in St. George, Utah AG reluctant to judge Tx action, UT, AZ polygamists retreated to TX, children adapt to new homes, states divided on approach to polygamy,5/3 thread, with articles on:
Colorado woman's (Laura Chapman) story of abuse in fLDS, letter from fLDS mothers to Utah governor, more on fashion, according to UT, "few answers in Texas", how families are torn apart by fLDS, Utah gives TX hints on handling of fLDS kids, reprint of TX law professor's assertion that raid was correct and legal, discussion on blood atonement with links, Polygamy's undergrond railroad, "Mormon Manson," comparisons between YFZ and Cold Creek, fairly complete listing of child child custody legal procedure, common pediatric fractures, look at how fLDS acquired land for compount using fraud in 20045/2 thread, with articles on:
Utah officials don't want federal help, feds claim they're stymied in probes of fLDS, residents of UT and AZ want crackdowns, home schooling for sect children, burden of proof high in such cases, kids' religious needs, older boys, not adults may be source of abuse of boys, Bishop's Record (pdf) list of YFZ families, Dr. Phil opines, warrant canceled for AZ man originally charged with molesting "Sarah," protesters supporting fLDS mothers show up at NBA game, letter from fLDS mothers claims rights violated, law professor says state correct to remove children from ranch, excerpt from "On the Lam with Warren Jeffs."5/1 thread, with articles on:
FLDS doctor denies abuse, fLDS petitions court for return of children, denial of abuse of boys, commentary by Marci Hamilton (constitutional law expert), TX senator wants more info on YFZ, LDS response to situation, new evidence on abuse, NY Voodoo sex abuse case
4/30 thread, with articles on:
Investigations into fLDS government contracts, new compound built at 4 Corners area, strains on CPS capacity, Shurtleff & Reid agree to work together, interview with mothers in Amarillo, Colorado City fLDS watching events in Texas, NM removes 4 children from non-fLDS cult compound, sexual and physical injuries listed, proposed AZ bill would shield children of polygamists, Canadians want action on polygamists, fLDS denies child abuse, fLDS claims children have brittle bone disease, articles on brittle bone disease4/29 thread with articles on:
"Lost" boys found, cult children statistics, more on WE documentary, sect doctors silent on abuse question, legal news and details, woman recalls life in sect, children's diet, Texans chip in to help, children at one shleter think they're all siblings, sect placement marriages "diabolical," sect threatens lawsuit, questions DNA tests might answer, teen mother gives birth (it's a boy)4/28 thread with articles on:
Criminal charges urged for YFZ, new "prophet" film, debate over legalities of raid, Bountiful, BC fLDS group, reason in religious beliefs, former fLDS member shares insights, more on the Short Creek raid, documentary about group on WE TV.4/27 thread with articles on:
Gene disorders in group, child custody processes, appeal to Gov. Perry, unusual way of life in YFZ, possibility of children held at YFZ whose parents were forced out, sheriff says authorities had spy inside sect.4/26 thread with articles on:
Cost of care for the children of the sect, charges that two kids might be missing, how members of the sect dress, court rejects requests of mothers to stay with children, appeals court cancels hearing, Canadian involved in sect, culture shock for kids, oil drillers last laugh, possible involvement in human trafficking and drugs at Colorado City, Rep. Kay Granger's request to investigate financial ties to USG
4/25 thread with aritcles on:
Courts allowing state to place children in foster homes, legal challenges to the raid, beliefs on polygamy, protests against the raid and removal of children, Warren Jeff's appeal, portions of the Texas Family Code4/24 thread with articles on:
Seized polygamous sect kids face tough adjustment, articles on how and where the children were placed, Carolyn Jessup on Canadian children possibly at the ranch, legal aid group challenges judge, interview with Benjamin Bistline, 40 women choose to go to safe house instead of back to cult, 25 girls claimed to be adults, now found to be minors.
As always, for the sake of orderliness (and to prevent the pulling of threads and/or messages), let's do try to stay on topic and polite. You can't have a flame war if you don't take the bait.
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Daily thread ping!
Visit her grandmother. Sure.
Probably more like marry her grandfather.
Parents' attorneys say they're in the cold |
| By Brooke Adams and Nate Carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune |
| Article Last Updated:05/05/2008 12:43:23 AM MDT |
| Attorneys for FLDS parents say they are striking out in getting any issues raised before Tom Green County Judge Barbara Walther - even as state officials say there is widespread confusion about the purpose of hearings set to begin in two weeks. Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said the 60-day hearings that begin May 19 are to review service plans developed for each child, check medical care and hear how the children are faring in foster care. “This is not going to be a redo of whether abuse or neglect occurred,” Crimmins said. Walther determined at a two-day April hearing that the 464 children removed from the YFZ Ranch were at risk of abuse because of their parents' support for polygamy and underage marriage. But some attorneys continue to argue that the en masse hearing held April 17-18 was unfair to their clients. Vince Nowak, an Amarillo attorney, said he believes that hearing provided no justification for removing the five boys he represents from their homes. The boys, ages 12 to 15, are all healthy - and all homesick. “They want to go home,” Nowak said. “They feel they've been unjustly removed from their mothers.” Polly O'Toole, a Dallas attorney, said she tried to file a request for a hearing by telephone but was told she would have to make the 272-mile trip from Dallas to San Angelo to do so. And she has received little information about the 60-day hearings. “Are these children going to have a day in court about their needs individually?” asked O'Toole. “We have no access to relief for our clients right now. We have all filed motions and we are unable to get hearings on those motions.” The next legal move may come at the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, where Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is seeking to have children returned to their mothers while the state's investigation continues. The state's response to that motion is due Tuesday. |
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Source: The Salt Lake Tribune. |
Polygamous dad speaks out month after ranch raid |
| By Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune |
| Article Last Updated:05/05/2008 12:43:20 AM MDT |
| ELDORADO, Texas - As Richard Barlow walked eight of his children to a bus that would take them away from the YFZ Ranch, he gave each one advice. "I spoke very freely. I said, 'Let us be at peace,' " he said. And: "Be strong." That was a month ago. Today his children are scattered from one end of Texas to the other and he and his wife, Susan, are desperate to see them. Only a few men who lived with their families at the ranch, all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, have spoken out since the April 3 raid that led to removal of 464 children because of abuse allegations. Most fear doing so will make them targets of prosecution or hamper their efforts to bring their children home. But Barlow, 40, decided to take that risk to share how the event has torn apart his family. Barlow, a college graduate, was 23 when he married 20-year-old Susan, his legal wife. Their first child, a daughter, is now 15. Seven more children followed, ages 4 to 13. He has two plural wives, according to court documents, both of whom his attorney says were 18 when they married. One woman has five children. The other has none. As Texas authorities swept through the ranch, Barlow and his family watched and waited at their home. "It was an exercise on me to calm my own feelings," he said. The family packed bags for the children and, finally, officers came to their door April 6. Barlow said he told the armed rangers he opposed the search and wanted a lawyer. Even so, he told the officers, "I am at peace, we are at peace." His family then did as told, gathering the children and walking them to the buses. Susan went with her children but early on was separated from five of them. She stayed at the San Angelo Coliseum with the youngest: Arta Mae, 7; Rulon, 5; and Joseph, 4. Four daughters - Lydia, 15; Vera, 13; Lola, 10; and Viola, 8 Ð were put in the Wells Fargo Pavilion in San Angelo. Edward, 11, was sent to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch. On April 24, Susan was among the women sent away as the state prepared to move the children to group homes. She said her youngest clung to her skirt and pleaded to stay with her. Texas Child Protective Services initially pledged it would keep siblings together, but later acknowledged that has not happened in every case. The eight Barlow children are in five different locations, ranging from Cal Farley's in Amarillo to Kidz Harbor in Liverpool. While Vera and Viola are at the Baptist children's ranch in Gonzales, Lola is an hour away at Boysville in San Antonio. "Lydia, Edward and Lola are each alone, without a sibling to comfort them," Barlow said. The couple said they gave the state accurate names and birth dates for all of their children. And later they submitted DNA samples. "We have nothing to hide," said Susan, 37. But Barlow does have a plural family, which is something he declines to discuss in any detail. As for underage marriage, neither he nor Susan supports it and both believe their own children should be adults before they marry. "Underage marriage is not one of our doctrines or covenants," he said. Barlow said he is "baffled and confused" about CPS methods and feels "I have to pray over everything I receive from CPS to even understand whether it is true or another gimmick," he said. As the Barlows work to see their children, other FLDS parents have begun fanning out across Texas. Many are relocating to cities where their children are now living in hopes of being able to see them regularly. Over the weekend, more vehicles left the ranch, loaded with suitcases. Jim, who gave only his first name as he was leaving, has five children - three boys, two girls - placed across the state. "We're going to get them back with the Lord's help," he said. Which is what Barlow is banking on. "I miss my little children but I am thankful and pray that the Lord will bless those caring over them that they will be kind and considerate," he said. |
|
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune |
|
Mothers of sect children forced to leave them as Texas judge wonders how to handle huge case
|
“It is not the normal practice to allow parents to accompany the child when an abuse allegation is made,” Gonzales said. The women were given a choice: Return to the Eldorado ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon sect, or go to another safe location. Some women chose the latter, Gonzales said.
The state is accusing the sect of physically and sexually abusing the youngsters and wants to strip their parents of custody and place the children in foster care or put them up for adoption. The sheer size of the case was an obstacle.
“Quite frankly, I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” Texas District Judge Barbara Walther said after a conference that included three to four dozen attorneys either representing or hoping to represent youngsters.
The mothers were taken away Monday after they and the children were taken by bus under heavy security out of historic Fort Concho, where they had been staying, to the San Angelo Coliseum, which holds nearly 5,000 people and is used for hockey games, rodeos and concerts. The polygamist retreat is about 45 miles south of San Angelo.
Authorities ordered the children to be moved after some of the youngsters’ mothers complained to Gov. Rick Perry that the children were getting sick in the crowded fort.
About 20 children had a mild case of chicken pox, said Dr. Sandra Guerra-Cantu with the state Health Department.
Perry spokesman Robert Black said the governor did not believe the children were being housed in poor conditions at the West Texas fort. “Let’s be honest here, this is not the Ritz,” Black said, but he called the accommodations “clean and neat.”
Monday’s courtroom conference was held to work out the ground rules for a court hearing beginning Thursday on the fate of the children.
The judge made no immediate decisions on how the hearing will be carried out. Among the questions left unanswered: Would a courtroom big enough to hold everyone be available at the Tom Green County Courthouse, or would some kind of video link be employed?
Texas bar officials said more than 350 lawyers from across the state have volunteered to represent the children free of charge. Moreover, the 139 mothers who voluntarily left the sect to be with their children may hire lawyers, too, to help them fight for custody.
The sheer numbers left the judge perplexed as she considered suggestions from the lawyers for how to handle Thursday’s hearing.
“It would seem inefficient to have a witness testify 416 times,” the judge offered. “If I gave everybody five minutes, that would be 70 hours.”
In an unintended illustration of the problem, Walther gave the lawyers 30 minutes to break into groups and report back to her with ideas. It took almost two hours for everyone to reassemble.
The raid followed a call to a domestic violence hot line from a 16-year-old girl who said she was beaten and raped by her 50-year-old husband.
In addition to becoming a monumental legal morass, the case is proving to be a public-relations headache for the state.
Over the weekend, some of the mothers went on the offensive, complaining the children are falling ill and are frightened and traumatized from living in cramped conditions at the fort, with cots, cribs and playpens lined up side by side.
The secretive nature of the sect — and the indoctrination children receive from birth to mistrust outsiders — have added to the confusion.
Randoll Stout, one of the lawyers who plan to represent some of the children, said the youngsters “seem to change their names. Adults change their names. Children are passed around.”
Lawyers said the state told the mothers that if they leave the shelters where their children are being held, they will not be let back in. Griselda Paz of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas said she had never seen such restrictions in 20 years of legal work.
“By isolating them, by not letting them talk to their lawyers or giving them the choice between leaving their children and being able to talk to lawyers and prepare for this hearing, they feel that that’s unfair,” said Parker, the FLDS lawyer, who has represented the church and some of its members in civil and criminal cases. “And of course they are out of their element, they’re frightened of all those things.”
Betty Balli Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said it is vital that the mothers be represented by lawyers. Otherwise, they could lose their children — “what we call kind of the death penalty of family law cases.”
She said 10 women went into the San Angelo legal aid office last week seeking help and reported there were 100 more women who needed lawyers. Attorneys began meeting with the women over the weekend.
A church lawyer, Rod Parker, said the 60 or so men remaining on the 1,700-acre ranch have offered to leave the compound if the state would allow the women and children to return to the place with child welfare monitors. But the state Children’s Protective Services agency said it had not yet seen the offer and had no comment on it.
The sect practices polygamy in arranged marriages between underage girls and older men. The group has thousands of followers in two side-by-side towns in Arizona and Utah. The sect’s prophet and spiritual leader, Warren Jeffs, is in prison for forcing an underage age into a marriage in Utah.
———
Associated Press reporter Kelley Shannon contributed to this story from Austin.
Source: The Daily American Online.
Daily Thread Ping!
The Salt Lake Tribune continues its mission of reminding mormons that they, in whatever guise, are the persecuted, maligned victims.
Indeed—they couldn’t have hired a better p.r. firm! Deseret News is the same.
Thank you for the morning thread. In before the apologists.
5. ESCAPE, by Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. (Broadway, $24.95.) A former member of a fundamentalist polygamous sect describes her forced marriage to a much older man.
***They accuse the church of trafficking women across the Canada-U.S. border for sexual purposes.***
Is it possible to get some of the men up on “White Slavery” charges?
Carolyn Jessop’s timing couldn’t have been better. She’s getting more free publicity than just about any other author right now.
ping
The Canadian government is unlikely to force her to return to the United States in relation to something that wasn't illegal in Canada.
I suspect that they are not only wanting her birth certificate, but also checking when she entered the country. I don't know if they track the IDs of minors at the border that don't present passports or not.
I'm doubting that she had a passport if they are now trying to get a valid copy of her birth certificate. They usually scan or read the RFID in passports at the border, but I'm not sure what the do with a birth certificate and ID, which is still a valid form of ID for crossing the border by land.
They may not even have a record of when she crossed into the United States with which to verify the story that she only recently entered the US. However, she should be able to produce a birth certificate since she would have had to had either it or a passport in order to have entered the US in the first place.
If the stories about the lack of id for members of fLDS are true, there might not be any id at all. There was another story on yesterday’s daily thread about a sort of underground railroad for moving these young girls from state to state and between the US and Canada. I doubt there will be a record of her entry.
PING!!
FReepmail to be added to the FLDS Eldorado Legal Case Ping List
Apparently, the OTHER five children from this guy’s “plural wife” don’t even get a mention, and he doesn’t seem to care about them. And who is supporting the mistress if he’s running around with his “legal wife”?
Polygamy stinks.
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