FLDS Letter to President Bush
Sect Leaders Accuse Texas Authorities of Civil Rights Abuses
Willie Jessop addressed a letter to the executive branch accusing the agencies who conducted the raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch of exceeding boundaries
The raid on the YFZ ranch in El Dorado, Texas, has caused some people to worry that the government may have overstepped its bounds. Despite the allegations of statutory rape and child abuse at the Yearning for Zion compound, members of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints insist that Texas law enforcement agents violated their civil rights.
Willie Jessop, who assumed leadership of the polygamist sect after Warren Jeffs went to prison, issued a letter addressed to President George W. Bush informing the United States president of the civil rights that had ad been violated, and that the group has been the victim of a campaign of hatred by certain politicians and ex-members of the group.
The Claims of the FLDS Letter
The letter, written by Willie Jessop, states that the hatred of the media and politicians against the FLDS group caused the state of Texas to send in nearly every government raid based on an anonymous tip that was nothing more than a hoax. According to Jessop, the only thing that kept the April 3, 2008, raid from becoming another Waco was the lack of resistance from FLDS church members. The manuscript states that innocent children are being kept from their mothers due to Texas authorites misusing the courts. According to the document, Canadian citizens are being detained against their will by the American justice system.
Jessop, current leader of the FLDS, wrote the letter in an attempt to call the President to action over alleged civil rights abuses. The manuscript has garnered more media attention. He states, “Records will show that crusading politicians and ex-FLDS members have exploited the FLDS faith by participating in sensational media productions and lucrative book deals. Officials have promoted and encouraged as part of their political agenda a flagrant disregard for the truth and have focused on sensationalism, sex, and vile accusations of every kind designed to promote prejudice and hatred.”
Civil Rights May Have Been Violated
The amount of children and women removed from the ranch make dealing with all the cases on an individual basis difficult. The ACLU acknowledges that some civil rights of the FLDS members may have been violated by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The ACLU is working closely with the Texas authorities to make sure that the civil rights of the children, mothers, and men of the FLDS are protected.
Resources:
“Willie Jessop Letter to President Bush.” Willie Jessop. Captive LDS Children. May 10, 2008.
“ACLU Weighs in on Texas Raid.” The Salt Lake Tribune. May 7, 2008. Salt Lake City, UT
