Ex-FLDS Security: Public Cameras Used to Spy on Polygamous Towns

Now this is Stalking......

By Ladd Egan
(KUTV) Attorneys for cities on the Utah/Arizona border disagree with assertions from former security workers that city-owned cameras are used by Warren Jeffs’ polygamous sect to keep tabs on members and outsiders.

The twin cities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah are headquarters for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

“We knew the city was helping us with those cameras,” said Guy Timpson, who says he was part of an elite security team under the direction of FLDS leaders.

Cameras mounted on public buildings, private businesses and homes are all connected on a fiber optics network and available to the FLDS church, according to Timpson.

“We literally could look right into their windows,” Timpson said of certain homes they were instructed to watch using the cameras. “Those lenses are powerful, they zoom far; you can pull license plates half a mile away.” Please read the rest of this story courtesy of KUTV.com  http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_4342.shtml


Is this not creepy or what? I can't even imagine it. What are they so afraid of the flock doing? My gosh, do they have any rights at this point? 

How would you feel if your town was controlled like this?


** Also, a small article 

Warren Jeffs still leads sect from prison

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/04/04/Warren-Jeffs-still-leads-sect-from-prison/UPI-30361365080265/

UPDATED: Video added...After 12 Years of Waiting, Great News About Ruby Jessop

We Welcome Troy Bowles Back to SWB!  

Incredible news! First of all, 12 years ago, I got involved with Flora Jessop. She was trying to get her sister, Ruby out of Hildale, Utah. Ruby had been placed into a forced marriage at age 14. She had tried to run away but Utah law enforcement and DCFS sent her right back to her abusers where she had to go through with and endure this forced marriage.


My colleagues and I worked very hard to get the right people interested in this case. I spoke to the Utah Senate Judiciary Confirmation Committee because not long after Ruby was forced to go back to Hildale to live under her uncle, Fred Jessop, the Washington County attorney, Eric Ludlow was appointed to serve as a judge on the 5th district court. I presented evidence at his confirmation hearing that we had contacted Ludlow via certified letter explaining our concerns. Ludlow ignored our letter, but he did indeed receive it. That was undeniable. It held up his confirmation for six weeks, but Ludlow had powerful people on his side. He's now a judge.


We didn't stop with that. Orrin Hatch has a lot of FLDS friends, or at least he did at the time. He has even played the organ in their Colorado City chapel. That's hardly an honor they'd allow a typical "gentile." We challenged Hatch to go into Hildale and meet with his friend, Fred Jessop, and find out why Ruby was living under virtual house arrest and being forced into an arranged marriage. Hatch completely ignored us. Ruby is now 26 years old and she has six children.


I'm filled with emotion over all of this. It has driven me to a considerable amount of effort to make sure no politician can ever lie to me again. This is what made me decide to become a human rights philosopher. But today, after 12 years of involvement, I got the first good news I've had in years. Ruby and her six children have finally managed to escape Colorado City and the FLDS. This has been a dream-come-true for my friend Flora Jessop who is now reunited with her sister. For Ruby, in the end, human rights prevailed. Now, there are others who are trying to escape, but as we can see, the Utah State Government will do just about anything to avoid getting involved. It wasn't until the Mojave County, Arizona law enforcement got extra funding from the state that they could help us. Many thanks to the state of Arizona for finally stepping in to help this young woman.


Some important people involved in the failure to rescue Ruby Jessop 12 years ago:


Orrin Hatch: Senator, United States (Utah)
Mark Shurtleff: Former Utah State Attorney General
Eric Ludlow: Judge, Utah Fifth District; Former County Attorney, Washington County, Utah
Bill Hickman, Senator, Utah (Washington Co.)


Between Shurtleff and Ludlow's offices, it seems nobody could decide who should have been responsible for our complaint about Ruby's forced marriage. The matter fell out of the attention of the public and Ruby disappeared, even losing contact with her sister, Flora. Hatch apparently felt the sting from my colleagues when he praised the FLDS for their hard working ethic and their strong faith. We challenged him and he went away for good. He had no interest in Ruby's forced marriage. He refused to believe that forced marriages were even taking place among the FLDS and wouldn't even listen to our arguments. Governor Mike Leavitt had appointed Ludlow to serve on the Fifth District Bench. We never heard from his office throughout this whole affair.

Reports about Ruby Jessop:
https://www.azag.gov/press-release/colorado-city-woman-escapes-forced-marriage

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55679319-78/jessop-ruby-flora-arizona.html.csp

http://onesearch4-2.newsvine.com/_news/2013/01/23/16668091-ruby-jessop-the-incredible-story-of-child-bride-who-escaped-warren-jeffs-polygamous-sect

 Written By:Troy Bowles 
Here are some other interesting posts from Troy:

http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/philosophy-and-polygamy-ins-and-outs.html

http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/troy-bowles-growing-up-mormon.html

Also Troy was on the show Polygamy: What love is this? He gave some great interviews, one in which he discusses Ruby, The Dargers book, and they are very informative on the Mormon Fundamentalist Beliefs. I encourage you to watch them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J-lOpUzR4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4iWj0N6lYA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrnu55jlT2Q

UPDATE on Ruby, watch her live segment with Anderson Cooper here, courtesy of Anderson Cooper 360.

DOJ files bias suit against towns home to polygamist sect

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued two towns on the Utah-Arizona border that are dominated by a polygamist Mormon sect, citing religious discrimination and civil rights violations against residents who do not share the majority faith.
The lawsuit against the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, said the towns and their joint police department and utility providers had allowed the sect to unduly influence the provision of public services, including policing.
Most of the residents of the towns are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a breakaway Mormon sect whose leader, Warren Jeffs, is serving a sentence of life plus 20 years in prison in Texas for raping two underage girls he wed in "spiritual marriages."

Please read the rest at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/21/us-usa-polygamy-idUSBRE85K1QG20120621  -(Reporting By Lily Kuo; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Paul Simao and Eric Walsh)

Here are some other posts about these these towns.
http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/returning-to-colorado-city-and-saying.html
http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/flds-community-said-to-be-purging.html
 

Thoughts?

Colorado City and the Underground Railroad pt.2

A woman challenges losing her daughter to an older man at 16. No police seem interested in helping her. Off the subject, I am surprised, she does wear slacks. Can you imagine going to your local police saying, the church has taken my daughter, and I'm worried she's married to a 39 yr old man with 10 kids, will you help me? And they say no. It's just a whole 'nother world in the west, isn't it. Lenore was a BRAVE woman. Warren retaliated by taking their home. The father seems pretty B l a h  about it. It infuriates me to hear him say, the trouble is because his wife would not sign over their daughter!  You can so tell, he didn't care. My question is, why didn't they leave after that??

Reported by Mike Watkiss. Sadly, Part one could not be transferred, but you can go to you tube and watch it. It's great - showing Flora taking some girls out to safety.