Child Protective Services Raid On FLDS Similiar To 1984 Raid On Island Pond, Vermont Cult

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June 2, 2008 Update: Please help impeach Texas District Judge Barbara Walther by signing our petition. You do not have to be a Texan or agree with the beliefs of the FLDS to sign the petition. Thank you for your support.

“The worst state sanctioned violation of children since Herod the Great.”
Vermont Judge Frank Mahady on Vermont’s Island Pond raid in 1984

The recent raid against the polygamist FLDS sect in Texas has many parallels with the 1984 raid against the Twelve Tribes religious group in Vermont. The results were different, however. A Vermont judge ruled that the State of Vermont had proceeded in an unconstitutional way and the 112 children taken in the raid were returned to their parents within 24 hours.

While abuse may or may not have taken place in both the Island Pond community and in the FLDS community, nothing justifies the violation of constitutional rights of accused people.

There is a proper way to proceed in investigating claims of child abuse. Neither Vermont in the Island Pond raid nor Texas in the FLDS raid followed constitutional procedures. The difference between the two raids is the quality of the judge overseeing the matter. Judge Frank Mahady in Vermont lived up to his oath to defend the Constitution. Judge Barbara Walthers in Texas has not.

Concerning the FLDS raid, the ACLU of Texas has stated:

“We recognize that this balancing act is difficult, but we are concerned that government may not be complying with the Constitution or the laws of Texas in the execution of its mandate, from how the raids were conducted to whether the current process protects basic rights,” said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director for the ACLU of Texas, who is in San Angelo watching the hearings. “The government must ensure that each mother and each child in its custody receives due process of law in determining the placement of the children and other matters regarding the children’s care.”

Read the full ACLU statement.

Read about a new documentary on the Island Pond Raid.

Read Attorney Jean A. Swantko’s take on the Island Pond raid.

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Filed under CPS, Child Protective Services, Injustice, child abuse

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