UPDATE: Vandalism follows ABC 4's story about harrassment in Colorado City
 
Reported by: Brent Hunsaker
ABC 4 News
Hainline home in Colorado City

COLORADO CITY, Arizona (ABC 4 News) - Our story Monday night from Colorado City stirred things up, but changed little.

Monday we talked to people who said the FLDS are harassing them – trying to run them out of town by vigilante evictions.

Here’s the background:

The United Effort Plan trust owns all of the land and homes in the border towns of Hildale and Colorado City. During the last several years some of the homes were abandoned as the most-faithful followers of Warren Jeffs were "called" to move to the ranch in Eldorado, Texas or some other compound belonging to the group.

Apparently things didn’t quite work out, because some of those people have returned to Colorado City and are demanding the people now living in those abandoned homes get out.

In other cases people say they are harassed simply because they’re newcomers who are trying to take over half-completed, vacant homes, or because they’re trying to plow and plant UEP fields that have grown nothing but weeds over the last few years.

That brings us to Tuesday. Not long after the story aired, one of the homes we featured was vandalized. Someone kicked in the side door knocking it off it’s frame and hinges. When Matt and Genevive Hainline discovered the damage they called the town’s Marshal. But the deputy was more interested in again challenging the Hainlines' right to be at the house, rather than finding the person responsible for the damage.

That led to a major confrontation in the street in front of the house that involved not only the deputy and the Hainlines, but also a neighbor, a representative of the FLDS and two agents of the UEP trust. It took almost an hour to hash out, but with signed documents the trust agents were able to prove to all that the Hainlines have a right to be at the house.

Problem solved, right? Wrong. The Hainlines then found out that David Darger, acting as the building inspector for Colorado City, had condemned their house. Darger said, "I was in the home several months ago, and there was electrical and plumbing problems."

He was aware of the problem "several months ago," and yet Darger did nothing about it until Tuesday.

The Hainlines are well aware the house has to be fixed up before they can move in (right now they’re living with her brother in another house in town). They firmly believe Darger took action now only to throw up another roadblock so they can’t do that work. They point out there are other homes in community in worse shape, but those homes are nevertheless occupied by FLDS families.

Since the Hainlines were not yet living in the house, the immediate impact of the condemnation is on utilities. They were told by the power department (also run by FLDS loyalists) that they couldn’t get temporary power to their work site.

One problem resolved, another one created.

It would be enough to discourage many from trying to make a home in such an outwardly hostile community. But not the Hainlines. Genevive, who’s maiden name is Stubbs, summed up their determination, "I was born and raised here. We love it here in this beautiful place and just want to make it better." If only their neighbors will let them.
 
ABC4.com
Originally broadcast December 2, 2008
 
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