Today Warren Jeffs...Tommorow MOVE?

On May 6, 2006, cult leader,Warren Jeffs was placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list. Jeff's, who was at one point an accountant (and scarily enough), a former school teacher, and accountant is wanted for the following: sexual conduct with a minor and conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, which allegedly occurred in 2002. He is also charged with rape as an accomplice. Federally, Jeffs is wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Warren Jeffs who once lived the life of a demi-god is now scurrying around the mid-west attempting to avoid the hundreds of lawmen who are on his scent.

Before his new career as a fugitive, Jeffs led a polygamous sect called the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS), which is a splinter group of the mainstream Mormon church, more familiarly known as the Church of Latter Day Saints (for it’s part the CLDS has repudiated the practice of plural marriages.)

Unlike MOVE, however, Jeffs has thousands of followers who have large and established communities in Arizona, Utah, and Texas.

But there are some noted similarities between the FLDS and MOVE.

-Both groups practice welfare fraud with a shared justification that taking from the government is morally acceptable because it is a matter of “bleeding the beast”.

-MOVE and the FLDS force girls who are barely pubescent to “marry” older men and become pregnant as soon as physically possible.

-Both sects place a low premium on education for their children.

-Boys within both sects are compelled at a young age to take on highly physical jobs while the girls (who can barely spell their own names) are regarded as little more than breeding machines.

-Both cults are extremely authoritarian and are notoriously antagonistic to anyone who dare bring forth any degree of criticisms.

But while Warren Jeffs must live a life as a wanted man, the leader of MOVE, Alberta Africa continues, unmolested, her upper middle class lifestyle, apparently without worry.

And as someone who spent nearly a decade around MOVE, I can attest without hesitation that Mrs. Africa is guilty of some of the same crimes as Mr. Jeffs. The middle aged heir to the former John Africa arranges “marriages” between 12 year old girls and older male MOVE members. One of the very same crimes that Warren Jeffs is wanted for.

Than, there is the still unsolved murder of John Gilbride that lingers over the head of Alberta Africa. Alberta swore, during her contentious custody fight with Mr. Gilbride that she would never allow him to be with his son.

And this was a promise that would be kept.

Mr. Gilbride was found murdered in his car the night before he was to have his first un-supervised visitation with his son. This murder occurred in 2002 and yet here we are nearly four years later with no suspects and no apparent leads.

And Alberta of course, continues to rule MOVE, continues to promote the rape of young girls, and continues to ruin the lives of those within her orbit.

When it comes to MOVE, when will enough be enough?

Why is the district attorney’s office silent on the issue of MOVE’s on-going abuse of children?