There are nearly 50,000 polygamists living illegal in the southwestern American state of Utah. This is the home of Tom Green and his six wives. One Man, Six Wives and 29 Children, National Geographic 2010
The greater numbers of wives and children one man can have the more elevated his status will be in heaven. ibid.
‘I was married when I was fourteen.’ ibid. Linda
‘Tom married my mother after me.’ ibid. Shirley
He now has 26 children aged 12 years and under. ibid.
To preserve their fundamentalist way of life the children have little contact with the outside world and are educated at home by their mothers. ibid.
This lifestyle is still illegal here in Utah. ibid.
Two hundred law enforcement officers arrested the heads of 36 polygamous households and nine women on July 24, 1953 in the town of Short Creek (currently called Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona) on the Utah/Arizona border. Instead of making direct allegations of polygamy, they used extensive charges of conspiracy to violate laws from statutory rape to misappropriation of school funds.
This raid was the climax of ‘Operation Seagull’, planned for 26 months and included investigations of a host of Mormon polygamy splinter groups in both state. Cheryl Vaught, Plural Bride to Be
Narrator Laurie Allen was raised in the violent LeBaron polygamous sect. Laurie was kidnapped twice, kept as a child slave, and never finished the fourth grade. Escaping Polygamy s1e1: Leah/Hannah
A remote desert town still living in the nineteenth century. A town where women are chattel. ibid.
I was orphaned at age three and sent to live among the polygamists until I escaped aged sixteen. ibid.
Warren Jeffs holds the power. ibid.
Now Ruth lives in a field in a shanty she built from scavenged lumber. ibid.
Parents run their sons out of town so older polygamous men can have their pick of young brides. ibid.
My great uncle Ervil LeBaron received a Life sentence for murdering Fundamentalist polygamous rivals including his brother Joe and my cousin Rebecca. ibid.
‘Lost Boys’ Rally Salt Lake City Utah. ibid.
Warren Jeffs will stop at nothing to suppress rebellion. ibid.
Tighter control closed out the world, made women dress like little girls, and took away their right to choose a husband. ibid.
The Ephraim Bank failure cost taxpayers $13 million. ibid.
We were all victims of abuse. ibid.
Woman are supposed to be subservient to men. ibid.
Who is going to liberate the women and children of Colorado City? ibid.
Warren Jeffs was arrested in Las Vegas Nevada on charges of abusing young girls. ibid.
There are still no programmes in place to help Jeff’s victims. ibid.
Why then is the legislator enabling Fundamentalist polygamous sects? ibid.
Utah has not kept up their end of the bargain. ibid.
The Mormon Church spends millions fighting gay marriage. Why doesn’t the Mormon Church help victims of polygamy? ibid.
I witnessed his dying breaths because no-one would take him to a doctor. ibid.
The human wreckage is piling up. ibid.
When will Americans say enough is enough? ibid.
Leaving the order means leaving everything and everyone you know. Escaping Polygamy s1e2: Melanie
‘I am the youngest of eleven kids … I have seen my father beat up my father. I have been raped.’ ibid. Melanie
I got a frantic call from Melanie. Her family is on to her. ibid.
Leaving the Order is a huge betrayal in their eyes. ibid.
The Kingston Clan, known as The Order, is one of the most powerful polygamous cults in America. Escaping Polygamy s1e3: Kathy, caption
In polygamy the first wife is legally married to her husband. Every other wife is considered a celestial or spiritual wife with no legal ties. ibid.
There are an estimated 6,000 Kingston Order members. ibid.
According to former members The Order rules by fear and intimidation. Escaping Polygamy s1e4: Rachel, caption
While Rachel’s mother is at a meeting, Rachel is able to sneak away to meet her sisters. ibid.
I just got all these texts from Priscilla … ‘I have to get out now.’ Escaping Polygamy s1e5: Priscilla
Memory gems and meditations are similar teachings to the ABC order standards. ibid.
While visiting their mother, Kollene and Shanell receive a desperate sounding letter from their 13-year-old half-sister. Escaping Polygamy s1e6: Little Sister
That night the girl’s parents filed a missing person’s report. Without a protective order, by law, the police had to return the girl to her parents, Daniel Kingston and one of his 14 wives. ibid.
Martha has a 19 year old sister who needs to escape polygamy. Escaping Polygamy s1e7: Yolanda
Colorado City, Arizona, has been making national news with their FLDS community. ibid.
They have their God-squad and their police force. ibid.
‘I would rather go to Hell than live there.’ ibid. Yolanda
‘Federal agents shut down businesses tied to the Kingston polygamous group.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e1: Father’s Wrath, television news
From the day my sisters and I have been helping people get out of polygamy, there has been an insider who is still a member of the Kingston group that’s been helping us. ibid.
Jennifer wants to got out of Utah as soon as she can. ibid.
In the order you belong to your father until you belong to your husband. ibid.
Recently, the FLDS, a polygamous group in Colorado City that’s located at the Arizona and Utah border, experienced a devastating flood that killed many of their FLDS members. Escaping Polygamy s2e2: Not Without My Sister
The Kingstons and the FLDS were once part of the same group. Polygamy began in the United States in 1831 when Joseph Smith received a revelation from God. ibid.
FLDS members are taught to sever all ties with anyone who wants to leave the religion. ibid.
He [Jeffs] is currently serving a life sentence plus twenty years in prison for two counts of child sexual assault. He’s one of the most evil men on the planet. Escaping Polygamy s2e3: Crossing Enemy Lines
Rachel was forced to live without her children for almost nine months. ibid.
After a trial in 2005 concerning allegations of abuse and neglect, Daniel Kingston and his sixth wife Heidi relinquished their parental rights to daughters Jessica and Andrea. ibid.
The FLDS is known to ‘move’ people off the compound when threatened by outsiders. ibid.
Months ago, Rachel and Amanda infiltrated the secretive FLDS compound to find Teresa. They were able to find she was living there among other FLDS members. Escaping Polygamy s2e4: Crossing Enemy Lines II
Warren Jeffs purchased ‘lands of refuge’ to house elite FLDS members. ibid.
Rachel was sexually assaulted by her father repeatedly as a child. She has several letters from her father acknowledging his actions. ibid.
‘I definitely have decided I want to leave.’ Escaping Polygamy s2e5: Trouble for Mum, Eskel Grant
Members say that Paul Kingston, The Order’s prophet, schedules meetings with those questioning the group’s beliefs. ibid.
She’s [Alyssa] still really worried about her friend Lizzy who’s still back in FLDS. Escaping Polygamy s2e6: Not Without My Daughter
There’s no [FLDS] sexual relations in marriage. ibid.
Warren Jeffs created this caste system from his prison cell. ibid.