Chairman says Texas CPS workers mistreated FLDS

• "On the awful day that they separated the mothers and children the level of cruelty and lack of respect for human rights was overwhelming. Crying, begging children were ripped away from their devastated mothers and the mothers were put on buses to either return to the ranch or to go to shelters. Most went to shelters because they were told they would be able to see their children if they did not return to the ranch. This, of course, was another lie. ... The floor was literally slick with tears in places. A baby was left in a stroller without food and water for 24 hours and ended up in the hospital. A 4-year-old boy was so terrified that he snuck away and hid and was only found after the coliseum (had) been emptied the next day."

• "I witnessed a small boy, maybe 3 years old, walking along the rows of cots with a little pillow saying, 'I need someone to rock me, I just want to be rocked, I want to find a rocking chair.' Two CPS workers were following him and writing in their notebooks but not speaking to him or comforting him. Sally and I started toward him but his 8-year-old brother came and picked him up saying, 'I will take care of him.' ... That little boy will always be in my mind. How can a beautiful healthy child be taken from a healthy, loving home and forced into a situation like that, right here in America, right here in Texas?"

• "My observation of the mothers' interaction with their children was one of love, warmth and kindness. Not once did I hear an unkind word, yelling or negative response to a child's behavior. I really feel these women could teach us all a lot about positive parenting."

• "As I was talking to a mother, her child spilled water down his front; he stood up on the cot so that she could wipe him off. A CPS worker strode over and told the mother, 'You need to set him down, NOW.' The woman nodded and continued to wipe his shirt. The CPS worker then said, 'If you don't sit him down NOW, I will set him down for you.' At this point I mentioned to the worker that she was simply wiping him off, had a hold of him, and would sit him down as soon as this was done. The CPS worker glared at me and walked off. The mother whispered to me that 'this is the way they always treat us, as if we don't know how to care for our own children. They won't even let our babies sleep with us.'"

• "One of the women ... asked me if I knew of any underage mothers in (my) community. I told her yes. She asked me if I knew of any domestic violence or sexual abuse that had been reported in my community and I replied yes. 'Why then,' she asked, 'did no one hear of that community having all of the children taken from all of the mothers?' All I could respond was, 'That's a good question.'"

• "We were told to observe only and not to help. We were told we were surrounded by (Department of Public Safety) and there were snipers on the buildings for our protection."