Polygamous community opens its doors

Ben Winslow Fox13Now.com KSTU-TV

CENTENNIAL PARK, Arizona - The sign on the turnoff leading to this tiny community on the Utah-Arizona border read: "Welcome guests." Members of the community of Centennial Park opened their doors Thursday night, speaking out about their lifestyle in an effort to counter the myths and stereotypes that surround polygamy. "We've been in a secret society for a long time because of the raids and different things. We feel vulnerable," said Susie Timpson, the chairwoman of the Centennial Park Action Committee, a volunteer group that seeks to decriminalize polygamy in Utah and Arizona. Members of CPAC told Fox 13 they felt the only way for people to truly understand where they're coming from is to open up and correct misperceptions about plural marriage. On Thursday, they hosted an open house at the community's church. About 200 people, mostly government officials, social workers and members of other polygamous communities in Utah, filled the pews. Standing at a podium underneath a portrait of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon faith, members explained their beliefs and values and invited people to ask questions. "There's the human face," said Polly Dockstader, a CPAC member. "The human face doesn't lie. We tell a story of our lives and that reaches people." The openness in Centennial Park is a noticeable contrast from the community a few miles away. Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., are the headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In an apparent reassertion of power from his Texas jail cell, FLDS leader Warren Jeffs has expelled numerous members -- including the mayors of the twin cities. In Hildale and Colorado City, homes sit behind large fences. The community has been involved in a lengthy legal battle over land which was taken over by the Utah courts in 2005 over allegations that Jeffs and other FLDS leaders mismanaged it. "I think Centennial Park has been a light to other polygamous groups that you can live your life out in the open. You can be educated, you can be part of the community without facing severe repercussions," said Paul Murphy, spokesman for the Utah Attorney General's Office and a member of the Safety Net Committee. The Safety Net is a coalition of government, social service agencies and fundamentalist communities working to combat abuse and neglect in closed societies. The group is sponsoring a conference in St. George on Friday. Centennial Park members insist they are against abuse and so-called "child bride marriages." Community members told the crowd they prize education, have strong family values and consider women as equals. In fact, women involved in CPAC have been quite outspoken about decriminalizing polygamy in Utah and Arizona. "We feel like we have a right to set up our families like any other American," said Timpson. "We are very happy in our lives and in our culture."

fox13now.com Originally broadcast March 10, 2011

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