 | Saints Under Siege: The Texas State Raid on the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints Subjects: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- History -- 21st century; Church and state -- Texas -- Eldorado Region -- History -- 21st century; Eldorado Region (Texas) -- Church history -- 21st century; In April 2008, state police and child protection authorities raided Yearning for Zion Ranch near Eldorado, Texas, a community of 800 members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist branch of the Mormons. State officials claimed that the raid, which was triggered by anonymous phone calls from an underage girl to a domestic violence hotline, was based on evidence of widespread child sexual abuse. In a high-risk paramilitary operation, 439 children were removed from the custody of their parents and held until the Third Court of Appeals found that the state had overreached. Not only did the state fail to corroborate the authenticity of the hoax calls, but evidence reveals that Texas officials had targeted the FLDS from the outset, planning and preparing for a confrontation. Wright Stuart A. : Stuart A. Wright is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Office of Research at Lamar University. He is the author or editor of a number of titles including Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict.Richardson James T. : James T. Richardson is Professor of Sociology and Judicial Studies and Director of the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies at University of Nevada, Reno. He is the co-author and editor of 10 books. |
