Critics claim city circumvents spirit of the law with enforcement practices

 Thursday, May 18, 2017

[exerpts regarding the Twelve Tribes in Winnipeg are in bold]

A reduced-speed school zone warning sign near Ellen Douglass School on Elgin Avenue in Winnipeg on Mon., May 15, 2017. The school has been operating an off-campus high school class and the building has been sold, but the city still has it designated a school zone. (Kevin King/Winnipeg Sun/Postmedia Network)

The province refers to 89 East Gate as a “non-funded independent school,” but a portion of the Education Administrative Act singles out such an institution as not meeting the criteria of a private school. The act states a private school “does not include any home or place” referred to in a Public Schools Act clause dealing with non-funded independents.

“They dotted them all over the city to the extreme,” Dube said. “There’s school zones that were never school zones before reduced speed zones (came into law in 2014). They just appeared. They don’t even hold themselves to their very clear provincial criteria. Believe me there are more.”

In a statement, a city spokeswoman said the annual Schools in Manitoba book serves as reference for what the city determines is a school and, by extension, a school zone.

That book, however, has inconsistencies that call into question its efficacy. The phone number listed for Twelve Tribes is not assigned to the organization and a man who answered a reporter’s call to that number did not know what Twelve Tribes was.

The book also calls Ellen Douglass School on Elgin Avenue a K-12 school, but a Winnipeg School Division spokeswoman said it is not that and is instead being used for “off-campus programs” for high school students. The spokeswoman also confirmed the building has been sold but the WSD has permission “to run a small off-campus class there” until the end of the school year.

At the very least, Dube said, those inconsistencies call into question the city’s practices.

“It makes you wonder why we pay so many people so much money,” he said. “… The public needs to re-evaluate how much of their paycheques they’re willing to hand over to an increasingly disconnected civil service.”

Multiple requests for interviews with a representative of the city were not accommodated.

Multiple requests to the Winnipeg Police Service to confirm if they’ve enforced the Elgin zone recently were not answered.

Rodney Bolianaz, a former traffic enforcement specialist with the Winnipeg Police Service said instances like these make it easy for the public to be cynical about the city’s practices.

“Did they just do this whole thing because they’re trying to make a cash grab? Anybody in the world can say ‘No, it’s about the safety of the children and it’s a good idea’ and have a pragmatic argument,” said Bolianaz, who now runs ticket-fighting operation RadarRodney.com. “But the way it’s being done, in my opinion, is a cash grab.”

dlarkins@postmedia.com

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun

Tysha’s doctor, Dr Catherine Berry, who was a General Practitioner but also practised alternative therapies, introduced us to the Twelve Tribes.  Dr Berry recommended that we should go to the Twelve Tribes for some respite care despite her ignorance of the group. Dr Berry sent Tysha to this highly dangerous environment despite diagnosing Tysha with postnatal depression.  I was unaware that Tysha suffered with this.  Tysha stayed for five days whilst I continued running my business and getting some rest as our son suffered with severe illness.  By the time we first visited the Twelve Tribes both of us were severely sleep deprived due to my son’s illness.

After being there for only two days Tysha believed herself a sinner and bound for hell and believed that her only salvation was to give everything up and to give her life to the Twelve Tribes.  Tysha was prepared to leave me and told her family that she would live full time in the Twelve Tribes.  The elders of the Twelve Tribes however told her that she would need to “leave to win me over” and started giving her advice on how to do this.

A few years previous to meeting the Twelve Tribes Tysha and I became “Christians” and regularly attended the local Sydney Anglican Church.  We were initially very happy but after a few years of attending this church we started to see many things that troubled us – mainly people’s lack of commitment, the hollowness of people’s faith, and the meaninglessness of calling each other our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We started to visit the Twelve Tribes regularly and over a period of 5 months I discussed the Bible with them and argued over points.  They however had a very good defense for most things that I came up with.  I shared some of the claims with my minister but with no real answers coming forward I was left to struggle through their “apparent” doctrine on my own.  Also the support I received from my church minister only helped their assertions against the Christian system.

I finally decided to join this group after they answered a few key questions.

1. I asked if a single leader was in charge.

The leaders told me that they didn’t have any leaders, that everyone was equal. Truly Elbert Eugene Spriggs is their leader and holds ultimate authority.  A definite hierarchy exists in every community.

2.  Who writes the teachings?

The elders told me that anyone could write “teachings” and many people do, and that the “teachings” don’t come from one person.  Actually, Spriggs writes over 90% of the teachings and the others are based on his teachings.  Spriggs must approve any other teachings to make the teachings available.

3.  I asked them what they based their authority and beliefs on?

They said they only derived their authority on the Bible.  In reality they believe that Spriggs is an apostle, just like Paul, and that God sends new revelation about the end of the age through him. Spriggs’s teachings hold the same authority as the Bible.

4.  I asked if we gave up everything that they would look after all our needs?

The Tribes supposedly never make enough money for even the basics such as food, medical and dental.  Despite these economic insufficiencies, they spent approximately $600,000 on an evangelistic event in Washington DC in 2001.  They also bought a boat for $380,000 that they are still repairing, and they purchased a small German village for an unspecified sum.  This is I believe to fulfill some pipe dream of Spriggs that they will sail around the world selling handmade shoes and candles whilst living in village settings growing food and raising sheep.  In contrast, when my wife needed two root canals and 7 fillings due to poor diet they didn’t have the money. I was told to ask my family to pay for it.

I finally decided to join for the following reasons:

1. I did not want to live as a hypocrite.

2.  The Twelve Tribe’s children appeared well behaved and happy and I believed I struggled as a father.

3.  They offered me help as a father and caused me to believe that the marriages in the group were strong because of the support that they received from each other.  This I found out was far from the truth.  They held secret women’s meetings in which the women are told to inform on their husbands, and that they needed to be loyal first to the group.  The women are also taught how to manipulate their husbands to stay and believe.  Interestingly, Tysha used this on me before we even joined, to “win me over.”

4.  I also felt that Tysha would leave me to join this group.  I wanted to keep our family together.  I found out after I left the Tribes that she told her sister that was exactly what she would do.
Early Days
At first I really believed in the teachings, as I understood them.  Their lives and beliefs possess many good points.  This is why I joined.  But the longer one lives in the community the more that gets “revealed” to a member.  They do not tell visitors too much as “they have not received the Holy Spirit and as such can’t understand the beliefs and practices.”

I enjoyed working and the camaraderie, although at times I realised that I didn’t have any real friends there.  I didn’t mind long work hours and would try to do it so I didn’t need to go to the morning and evening “gatherings.”  However I rarely missed attending these meetings.  Incredibly, one morning after working all day Saturday, Sat night, Sunday, Sunday night, Monday morning and then driving a truck home the elders expected me to show up at the gathering after cleaning an elders car because he needed to pick somebody up. I did it obediently but was amazed at how far they would push me for a reaction.

I stayed at Picton from March 1999 till Nov. 2000.  I experienced some very unsettling events with the elders at Picton and their “infallibility.”  Amazingly, one “teaching” talks about “the faults of the leaders bringing out the rebellion of the sheep.”  This teaching gives them free range to hurt people with their actions.  This did not sit well with me.

During this time my parents were quite active and helped me to understand what I was involved with.  They were most concerned for my three children.  My father along with other concerned parents wrote to SOCOG (Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) regarding this group’s involvement with the Sydney Olympics.  All these letters clearly expressed a real need for confidentiality.  SOCOG handed all these letters to the group so if any media attention came as a result of it all they knew how to handle it. The catering team of SOCOG held a party at the Twelve Tribes cafe at the end of the Olympics.

As a result of SOCOG handing over the confidential letters, two families were sent overseas to escape their families concerns.  I was one of them.  I wanted to go to the US to see the places and to work as a chemist in their soap industry.
My Time in USA and Canada
I stayed in the US for 3 months but couldn’t obtain a visa to stay longer so they sent me to Winnipeg, Canada.  While in Winnipeg, I worked independently on many projects and received much freedom.

I also started to see many inconsistencies in the teachings, and the hypocrisy of the whole system that rivaled Christianity.  The teachings became more bizarre and many things went unanswered.  I started to question many of the long held beliefs of the group.  People who lived in the community for 20 years or more could not answer them; actually they all said that they found it hard to believe themselves.  I didn’t want to live in the community without faith and with others who did not believe either.  One “elder” told me that if I did not believe then I just needed to cling onto someone else’s faith.

During my time in Winnipeg they wanted me to return to the US for an evangelical event in Washington DC.  They wanted me and my family to illegally cross the US border to attend this event.  I refused and told them that if God wanted me in the US he would open the borders up.  I believed that we needed to follow the laws of the land, particularly if I could end up in a US prison.  I asked later why they needed me there so much that they were willing to get me arrested and jailed if I got caught and they told me that they just wanted to see me.

When I was in Winnipeg I made a real friend whom I could talk to about my doubts and the hypocrisy of the leadership.  I then cut myself off from the group spiritually and would talk to people about my doubts.  At one of the gatherings one of the elders spoke at length about how we need to be more like the terrorist who flew the planes into the twin towers.  The elders also said that we should not be affected with worldly things and that we should focus on present tasks and not get distracted.  This scared the pants off me and I told my wife that this is why I was concerned about our decision to join the Twelve Tribes.  I wanted us all to go away and reevaluate our decision based on what we knew now rather than what we knew when we joined.  I also asked her not to tell anyone but to wait until we returned to Australia.  She immediately went and told an elder and later that day they kicked me out.

When they told me to leave, my son Bryson looked at me and said, “I am going with you.”  I had stopped following the communities’ rules for child raising months before and this I believe made Bryson feel secure with me.  Even visiting later on he never wanted to stay, even with his mother.  After they told me to leave they said I needed to ring my father to arrange a hotel for me on his credit card.  I refused and they finally agreed to organise the hotel for me.  I discovered that they actually planned to give me $100 and drop me and my 3 year old son off at a hotel that sold pornography on the front counter and displayed big signs reminding customers to make sure that they double lock their doors at night.  This is how they treat you after working your arse off for them for 2 years as well as giving them everything that you owned when you join.  My friend was also asked/told to leave.  He left with his wife (8 months pregnant) and four children.  He told me earlier that he wasn’t sure if his wife would leave with him.  After they left she told him that she wanted to leave for years but was too scared to talk and discuss the matter.

I finally contacted my parents who wired me some money and organised tickets home for my son and me.  My brother turned up 3 days later to help me.  The true unconditional love of my family was very emotional versus the love of a cult that is totally dependent on submission and compliance.  My wife returned to Australia a few weeks later with Tessa and Peter.
Back Home
During that time I started doing some reading and my mother gave me a book on cults.  At first I defended the group believing the best about them but as my head cleared I eventually realised that I was in the grip of a group that practiced mind control and could only be described as a destructive cult. Despite the obvious, it took time for me to come to that understanding and I quickly started leaving my beliefs and practices behind.

I talked my wife into meeting with me at a house on the South Coast.  I picked Tessa up on a Thursday.  Tysha packed all the clothes that Tessa owned to go down to the coast; obviously she did not plan on her going back to the farm with her.  She arrived late on Friday and informed me that she was staying elsewhere.  She turned up on Saturday morning and I got my mother to take the kids to a park while we talked.  Tysha remained silent and eventually I told her that she might as well leave, as this was not achieving anything.  She left.  I later picked up the clothes for Peter.  She was still breast-feeding him at the time.  When I retrieved the baby seat from the car I saw that she had a rod to discipline him on the way down.  This filled me with rage and at the same time shame for what I used to do as well.

After that I arranged for Tysha to visit with the children on three occasions.  The last time she came was mid December 2001.  She stopped phoning at the beginning of March 2002.  I tried to arrange many other visits for her but she never responded.  We found out later that she spent 3 years living with the community in England.  On her farewell evening from England she told a friend of hers in the Twelve Tribes (who subsequently left) that she was excited to return to Australia to see her children again.  This person was shocked because for all the time that she spent with her she never once talked about her children.  Upon her return Australia, she contacted me after some considerable time expecting me to just drop the children off for a visit.  This showed an incredible ignorance into what she had put the children through and that that the people in the Twelve Tribes have no understanding of the effects of parents abandoning children.  It is not a simple let’s meet in a park situation.  Over Fourteen years have now passed but despite my many attempts to get Tysha to see the children in an appropriate situation she still does not possess the ability to make the commitment needed nor do the work required.  This is because the whole world needs to revolve around the Twelve Tribes and their (more accurately Spriggs’), wants/needs/desires.  This is not an uncommon story unfortunately.

My daughter Tessa was given a phone which I deliberately left a Twelve Tribes number in. She was fifteen when she was brave enough to text the number. Tessa got a reply and was given a different number to text. Tessa got to text to her Mum. I found out and told Tessa that if she felt she was ready to see Tysha all she had to do was get Tysha to call me and we would arrange something. Tessa told her mum this and was met with silence. Tessa pleaded “please, please, please Mummy just ring Daddy so I can see you”. Silence. When I rang the number Tysha’s new husband answer the phone. I was told to stop harassing them and to never ring or text this number again. He told me that he did not care how much Tessa was suffering that it was none of his concern. I realized it was her husband’s number that Tessa was texting. I would like to believe that Tysha never got the final few texts from Tessa, but I will probably never know.

Tessa who is now twenty last saw her mum when she started Kindergarten. Tessa is now at Uni studying second year Engineering. The Twelve Tribes turned up to her Uni markets days to sell their Mate Tea. Tessa knew who they were and avoided them. One lady chased her down. Tessa was told that Tysha loved her very much and that she needed to go and see her. The arrogance to tell a child who was abandoned that she needed to go and see her mother who had lived for the last eleven years with a one hour drive. Tessa was very upset and shaken. Tessa has since had them kicked off the Uni site for harassment.

My two boys seem very uninterested in reconnecting with their birth Mother. I’m sure they will one day but I am certainly not pushing it. They will visit when they are ready.
 Information:
This is some of what I would like to inform the readers along with other points of interest.
Any stories that you hear from ex-members of the Twelve Tribes are probably true. It takes a lot of courage to talk about your experience in the Twelve Tribes. Talking about how you disciplined your children is a very shameful thing to admit. Not something that you make up to get back at them. The reality is most ex Twelve Tribes members will only tell you some of what happened. If you are shocked about what they have told you then what they haven’t told you is likely to be way worse. It takes courage to speak out and people need to respect this.

Twelve Tribes members are victims, including my wife, of a controlling cult.  Group members are genuine and nice proving very alluring.  They work hard and practice “their” beliefs and certainly are not hypocrites.  Only a handful of them use control and are aware of how they use and manipulate people for their own means as well as the group.  Power that the elders exercise over others seduces some of them.

The children suffer psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse through the physical and mental abuse they receive.

The adults often suffer the same abuse as the children.  The Twelve Tribes employ guilt, fear, peer pressure, and self doubt to control and manipulate the members.

Only those in a “position of authority” enjoy access to money.  This is part of the control mechanism.  Upon joining members must give up all their possessions/money/jobs and give it to the group.  This makes leaving the Twelve Tribes very difficult unless you have a supportive family willing to help.  Also once you leave you own nothing to start anew.  This is hard as a single person but very daunting as a married man with children.  Also you do not receive any education or formal qualifications and when a person reaches 30 they find it very difficult to leave.  Most tribe’s members cut off their friends and alienate their family as well.  All of these hindrances work to further entrap the victim in the group. I saw many families in the USA and Canada who were trapped there. Living their lives in the Twelve Tribes because they were too scared to leave and end up on the streets.

The Twelve Tribes believe that they are above the law. This is clearly shown with their teachings on lying, their work practices and even how they overload vehicles with insufficient seat belts for adults and few car seats for small children.  The women give birth without any qualified midwives present or the correct procedure for notifying hospitals.  They fail to follow education guidelines and child labour rules of which they received convictions in the US.  Work is more important than education. They cancel “training” or education classes if the need arises and put both the teachers and older children to work.  They operate many businesses such as a demolition company under the name of “Commonwealth Enterprises” which subcontracts work such as strip outs for supermarkets.  I worked on several of these and the person who held the demolition license was not usually present.  This contravenes work cover rules.  I was also once left in charge of a demolition site with 4 others, none of whom held qualifications for the job.  Sometimes the elders required us to work 24 hours straight and then drive home.  Other things, such as their “mobile cafe,” are very unsafe during the construction phase.  During the Olympic Games the elders told us to do particular things at night so people would not see us working without proper safety precautions. This made things more dangerous.  The elders also instructed me to drive unregistered trucks late at night to deliver supplies to the cafe as they were running out of time.  Also on many occasions the elders told me to drive an unregistered truck with passengers in the back enclosure.

I am concerned how many authorities and organizations in Australia turn a blind eye to their practices such as the Picton council, SOCOG, and the RAS.

People come over on holiday or religious workers visas but work for this group performing such jobs as painting, bakery, cafe and laboring on work sites.

Discipline procedures for the children, see teachings.

Circumcision for the boys when they are 8 days old.  This is done without any medical support or qualified persons.  Also if a man is not circumcised and wants to get married he must undergo circumcision.  Sometimes the first attempt doesn’t go well and must be done a second time a few days later.  A 13 year old along with his family joined the community and the child actually circumcised himself with a knife after hearing “teachings” given about the practice and its importance.

The children suffer with retarded development because of a lack of toys and play time and a lack of appropriate peer relationship/friendships.  The parents and adults discipline the children for using their imagination. The elders told me that my son and daughter should not spend too much time together as this would harm their development and they may attach themselves to each other rather than just the parents.  Children in the community often appear to visitors as quite mature for their ages, however they are quite retarded in their emotional and social development. Visitors quite like the children because they are quiet and obedient. But this behaviour is for 24 hours a day. It is not healthy or natural.

When my 4 week old boy was very sick and needed urgent medical attention the elders told me that I could take him to the hospital however if I wanted to put my faith in God then they would support and pray for me and my son.  This seemed a test of my faith.  I went to the hospital upon which he stopped breathing and required intensive care for a number of days suffering with RSV bronchiolitis.  In another incident I suffered with an apparent cyst and a doctor who joined the community told me that he could lance the cyst.  I refused and went to a hospital where it turned out that the “cyst” was actually a pinacyanol abscess that reached to the base of my spine.  The abscess reached the size of a cricket ball and required an operation and a 3 day stay in the hospital. The doctor who lived in the community wanted to perform the operation on my bed without any painkillers or medication.  He also told me that once he started he would need to finish because I could not go to the hospital case the medical authorities found out that he was practicing without a license.  The only reason the community wants him to obtain his qualification is so he can then get a US license and then open up their own “medical” centre around the world.

The Twelve Tribes believe that Christianity is the Harlot of Revelation and under the control of Satan.  This gives the group a feeling of superiority over the rest of the Christian society and all other religions.  They believe they are the only ones living out the life described in the Bible and subsequently the only true believers. This is quite common amongst Bible-based cults.

Nonbelievers are destined for the “Lake of Fire” (i.e. hell).  When pressed they will say the righteous will inherit eternal life.  What they will not tell you is that they believe that anyone who is righteous will join their group.  The righteous really refers to people who lived in the past because this is the end times and the world is full of wicked people.

The education of the children is very poor (I am a qualified High School Science Teacher).  The younger children seem to receive a reasonable education in math and English.  The teachers all exercise the right to discipline the children with a rod for any disobedience and even hold a ceremony in the US for children entering training or school for the first time.  The parents hand a rod to the teacher symbolising that they give their complete authority to their teacher to discipline their child as they deem necessary.  None of the teachers in Australia hold qualifications.  As the children get older they are taught less and spend more time working.  The Twelve Tribes do not hold education in high esteem but is looked down in many respects.  The children adopt these same attitudes and therefore have no real interest in doing well.  The “curriculum” for math is repetitive and does not go much beyond 6th class level.  Out of all the children I taught only one showed competency at this level.  One student, age 17 demonstrated a math level less than an average year 7 student although not stupid.  The classes I was present in usually focused on basic math and English.  Other subjects like science, geography, history, etc are only brushed over with incompetent instructors to satisfy the education inspectors and tried in some way to relate to the Bible.  The teachers lacked resources and they never took the children to outside places such as libraries museums or theaters.  Only the leader’s children at Picton could access the local library.  I believe the most damaging aspects of the children’s education are their inability to think or work independently, to rationalize, to research and to exercise critical thought.  They cannot read books except the Bible.  They usually try to get out of as much schooling as possible and seek to work instead.  They also receive much physical discipline during their schooling, particularly the boys.  Later if they leave (about 90% of children leave in the US) they feel stupid around their peers and their general knowledge is abysmal.  They earn no certificates at all and must independently educate themselves in order to achieve their potential in life.  Sadly many of them don’t possess the skills to read a novel, because they lack the ability to concentrate on books.  The teachers give their students no regular homework or independent research for school projects making academic success elusive for these children.  Usually the outside world like the boys because of their ability to work hard.  The whole role of women in the group is subservience.  Maybe this is part of the reason?  The whole focus of child raising is to develop servants.

The accommodations at the Picton farm I believe are illegal.  Most people reside in a machinery shed converted into rooms which sits on a flood plain.  The single men slept in one room usually 15 of them.  The single women with children is similar.  Families get one or two rooms for themselves.  The shed goes against fire regulations because when I lived at Picton they stored flammable materials inside.  Lined with black plastic, the roof would explode like a bomb if a fire broke out filling the place with poisonous smoke.  The converted machinery shed contains no fire extinguishers (when I lived at Picton).  An unqualified person did the electrical wiring in the converted machinery shed and a friend with a license signed off on the work.  The farm also maintains a large industry where they make pottery and candles.  Council rules far exceeds the area to exist as a “cottage industry” but when inspected they turned a blind eye. This should be classed as an industry and come under the proper regulations.

* Almost anyone at one time in their life is vulnerable to such groups.  If you know anyone who is flirting with or involves themselves with a cult then get qualified professional help or seek support groups such as CIFS.  Don’t pretend they are making a choice.

Experts warn extreme beliefs should not warrant extreme behaviour

Child welfare officials are not the only ones who are monitoring the actions of a controversial religious group here in Winnipeg.

One of North America’s leading experts on cults and mind control is also paying close attention to the community known as the Twelve Tribes. And he doesn’t like what he sees.

“One of the things that I am arguing … is that freedom to believe does not mean freedom to behave in [a certain way],” said Steven Hassan, of both the Freedom of Mind Information Resource Centre Inc and the International Cultic Studies Association.

“And so I am calling on officials to step into this area and see clearly behaviours that are very concerning.”

Hassan talked to CBC News about Twelve Tribes, which has communities throughout the world, in light of allegations that have recently surfaced about the Winnipeg group. Specifically, members are being accused of practising corporal punishment and disciplining their children with wooden sticks; as a member himself told CBC Information Radio last fall.

Officials are also investigating allegations that the Winnipeg group hosted a man convicted of possessing child pornography, and let him interact with children.

• Controversial religious group Twelve Tribes reported to Cybertip
• ​​Controversy over children’s safety at religious community

These kinds of allegations have dogged the self-described “Christian” group throughout the world; in fact, just last year German officials raided their communities and seized dozens of children from their care.

Steven Hassan, member of Freedom of Mind Information Resource Centre Inc. and the International Cultic Studies Association.

But Hassan, who’s written several books about cults and mind control, say they succeed, in part, because of both their recruitment and public relations efforts.

“The appeal is that Armageddon is coming at any moment, and when Judgment Day comes, ‘are you going to be with god? Or are you going to be suffering for eternity’?” Hassan said. “But there’s also the love bombing feature: ’we’re super friendly, we’re brothers and sisters, we’re living the true Christian life. ‘”

‘The appeal is that Armageddon is coming … but there’s also the love bombing feature.’- Steven Hassan, author of ‘Combating Cult and Mind Control.’

It’s an alluring ideology, he said, especially when someone’s in need of direction.

“You give up everything,” he said. “You give up your money, you give up your career, you give up your education … they give you a new name and there’s no stress of ‘what do I do for a career?’ or, ‘how do I find a wife or a husband?’ because one is pretty much picked for you.”

Things get sour, he said, when once inside the group, members find themselves taking part in behaviours that go against their own morals and judgments — and feel the wrath of disapproval if they openly show dissent.

“And that’s what my work is all about,” said Hassan, who, in the past two decades, has helped ex-Twelve Tribes members and leaders transition out of the group. “(I help) people step back and re-evaluate. Is this really what you think it is? Or is this just a fantasy of what they told you to believe it is?’”

That approach also drives the advice Hassan gives to those in the general public who interact with members of the Twelve Tribes. “We think it’s very important that the community adopt a very respectful, kind attitude to the members,” he said.

‘The last thing I recommend is for people to treat members poorly or call them names or to say ‘you’re in a cult.”- Steven Hassan, Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Inc.

“The last thing I recommend is for people to treat members poorly or call them names or to say that ‘you’re in a cult.’”

Instead, he said, urge them to reach out to former members, who now live on the outside, and have a better perspective on the inside.

“Ask them directly: ‘what do you think about former members who have been speaking out about what has really been going on inside? Would you consider taking a time-out and exiting the group and … communicating with people?’” Hassan said. “‘Because there are people out there who would really like to help you.”"

Hassan’s new ebook Combating Cult Mind Control will be released Wednesday.

For more on this story, tune into CBC Information Radio Monday morning at 7:10 a.m. And tomorrow, read more about a former member of the Twelve Tribes and his own experience growing up in that community. 

There are questions about child safety within the Twelve Tribes, a controversial religious group

A Queens Bench Justice was so “concerned” for the “safety” of a child in a controversial religious group called the Twelve Tribes that she banned a member of the group from bringing her child to any of their Manitoba locations.

That condition was set at an emergency custody hearing last summer, and was finalized as permanent in February.

The case came to light when Jo Hawkins — whose former wife joined Twelve Tribes — learned the group practised corporal punishment. But his biggest concern was when he learned they were hosting a man previously convicted of possessing child pornography.

“For me personally, it was kind of a perfect storm,” Hawkins said.

“I easily had half a dozen reasons where my guard went up and red flags went up. And then you’re getting corroborating evidence and statements. It’s just really quite stunning.”

‘My guard went up and red flags went up.’- Jo Hawkins

The man was convicted of possessing child pornography back in 2013 in a British Columbia courtroom.

At the time, court was told he planned to live with the Twelve Tribes community in Winnipeg, once he was released from jail.

Upon his release, he was ordered not to be around children for three years, unless he had special permission to be accompanied by a pre-approved adult. He was also ordered to register with the Sexual Offender Information Registration Act, ostensibly as a means of keeping track of convicted offenders.

The cover of one of the Twelve Tribes manual on child rearing

He then, as planned, moved to Winnipeg to join Twelve Tribes.

Fast forward to the summer of 2014.

During the emergency custody hearing, Hawkins presented the court with sworn affidavits by witnesses who said they saw the man interact with children at Twelve Tribes.

Court was also presented with affidavits from past members who said they practised corporal punishment on their children.

In response, a Twelve Tribes spokesperson presented another affidavit confirming the man had joined their group, but said he lived in a different location than the children. Their lawyer also said the children were not at risk.

Regardless, the information presented by Hawkins so concerned the Queens Bench Justice that she banned the mother from bringing her son to any of their Manitoba premises.  But close to 30 other children still remained there. And on the week of March 15, a Winnipegger who briefly lived at Twelve Tribes and was roommates with the convicted offender said he, too saw him in the company of children.

‘They seemed to be very relaxed about his presence around the children.’- Michael Welch

Michael Welch said he saw the man at three of the four Twelve Tribes Manitoba locations.

Child welfare officials only confirmed they launched an investigation into allegations of corporal punishment months later, after a member of the Twelve Tribes told the CBC about their method of punishment.

“We discipline our children with a balloon stick, ” Maurice Welch told the CBC in October. “It’s a thin, reed-like rod.”

Child and Family Services officials did not respond to a request to comment on the current status of that investigation, nor whether they knew about the earlier concerns from last summer about the member convicted of possessing child pornography.

And while the province dictates that anyone who suspects child abuse is obliged to report those concerns, in this case, justice officials said there was reasonable doubt.

Jo Hawkins surrounded by court documents involving the custody of his son and the Twelve Tribes

A spokesperson for the courts told the CBC that because the information the Queens Bench Justice heard was hearsay and not legal evidence, involving the custody of a single child, she was under no obligation to report these concerns to the appropriate authorities.

“A belief triggering an obligation under section 18 (1) of The Child and Family Services Act must be a ‘reasonable’ belief.  Where conflicting evidence exists, as in this case, it may be neither safe nor justifiable for a Judge to draw conclusions from the specific to the more general,” a spokesperson said in a written statement.

A Twelve Tribes spokesperson would not comment, except to say the man convicted of possessing child pornography does not live with them anymore.

source: CBC Manitoba 19 March 2015

Co-founder of sexual exploitation tip line files her own report over group

source: Ici Radio Canada – 19 March 2015

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Serious concerns over the security of children in the Winnipeg TT community earn the sect yet more criticism.

The Christian sect of Twelve Tribes in Winnipeg is on the hot seat again for having hosted last year a man found guilty in 2013 of possessing child pornography in BC.

This man, whose identity can not be made public, shared the everyday life of the children while living with the members of the community.

Last year, Jo Hawkins, whose ex-spouse joined the religious group with their son, has been made aware that members of the sect practise corporal punishment on their children.

Through his research on the internet over the subject of the sect and its members, he discovered the fact that a man found guilty of possessing child pornography was living amongst them.

“I already had great concerns, but that was a red flag” he says.

Mr Hawkins requested the Court of Queens’ Bench of Manitoba to award him with the sole custody of his son. The judge did grant him his request , affirming “her concerns over their safety”, and has forbidden the mother from taking the child to the community.

Also read:  Une secte de Winnipeg visée par des allégations de maltraitance d’enfants

                    Allemagne : 40 enfants libérés d’une secte chrétienne

The BC court , upon releasing the man, had stated that, for the 3 coming years, he couldn’t be around children under 18, nor communicate with them without the permission and supervision of someone appoved by the tribunal .

In the legal documents, the Christian sect’s lawyer declared that the former detainee no longer lived in the same building as the children.

However, Michael Welch, who spent six weeks last summer amidst the congregation confirms that the man had unsupervised contacts with children.

“He was a family member, he explains. There were no signs he was different, and he had everyone’s respect”

The Twelve Tribes Community in Winnipeg declined to comment on the matter, but some of their representatives said the man no longer lived with them.

Child Family Services did investigate last autumn following the admission from members of the Twelve Tribes during an interview given on Radio-Canada that they do use corporal punishments on the children.

The ministry didn’t answer a request for an update on the investigation.

Translated from French by C.

Note: to see 2013 article about this man, member of the Twelve Tribes who got convicted for possession of child porn, click here

In 2001, Matthew Klein – an Australian – was a member of the Twelve Tribes community in Winnipeg. We reached him in Sydney, Australia.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Manitoba/ID/2566536592/

A Winnipeg religious group is concerned about a letter circulating in the Wolseley area alleging that they abuse children.

“Whoever wrote it, they were so inconsiderate they didn’t even put their name on it,” said Maurice Welch, a member of the Winnipeg arm of Twelve Tribes, a Christian sect with communities around the world.

“The allegations are false. There’s no substance to that whatsoever.”

Welch and the other Twelve Tribes members, who live together at a house on East Gate, have reported the letter to police.

Other Twelve Tribes communities outside Winnipeg have also come under fire in the last few years over allegations children are beaten with canes.

Welch said the group does use a thin rod as part of how they care for their children, but he noted that ”it’s biblical.”

“We discipline our children with a balloon stick. It’s a thin, reed-like rod,” he said

The group invites anyone who’s interested to come visit and ask questions about their way of life.

To that end, Welch and other members held a meeting at the Cornish Branch of the city’s public library on Monday night to refute the letter and take questions from people.

“We were thrilled by how warm and supportive our neighbours were,” he said.

Abby Flackman, who lives in the Wolseley area, said she has always had positive encounters with the group.

“I don’t feel threatened by who they are and I never have. I know they’re always inviting and always welcoming people into their homes,” she said.

But Nicholas Bala, a law professor at Queen’s University and an expert on corporal punishment issues, says Twelve Tribes may need some education on how children can be disciplined in Canada.

“If people are getting up and saying that they are doing things that are clearly criminal acts, that are criminally unacceptable in Canada [and] have the potential to be harmful for children, some investigation and response is appropriate,” Bala said in an interview.

In a statement sent to CBC News on Tuesday afternoon, the Manitoba government says the welfare of the children at Twelve Tribes will be looked into by Child and Family Services Department staff.

Watch video here

Author goes undercover to learn about insular group

I have encountered the Twelve Tribes several times over the years, usually at the booth they would set up at public events like Ciclovia, or the annual Peace and Justice Festival. On one occasion I visited their restaurant on Sherbrook Street and had an enjoyable meal there. I had always had it in the back of my mind to visit their Friday gatherings at their homes in the East Gate area, but never quite got around to it.

• Twelve Tribes religious group targeted by child abuse allegations

In the spring of 2013, I happened to cross paths with an old acquaintance, a young mother of two. I remember her being very active with the environmental community. We had collaborated on some actions together about six or seven years ago. Shortly afterwards she volunteered with us for a time as a reporter and host at the campus-based radio station CKUW. On one occasion, the two of us managed to gain admittance to a public talk in Winnipeg and managed to level some pretty tough questions at then US Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins.

This woman, who I’ll refer to as Stephanie, was now ardently involved with the Twelve Tribes of Israel. She had embraced a Hebrew name, embraced their lifestyle and religious views, and lived in the community.

While I was surprised, I accepted her decision to live her life as she saw fit.

A little later, I received an email from a friend who started referring to the Twelve Tribes as a child-abusing cult. He had been a regular visitor to the community’s get-togethers. As a health practitioner, he treated a few of them on site. Moreover, his partner, the mother of his child, had chosen to join the community.

He filled me in on the details, and sent me a list of links detailing the nature of the abuse as he saw it.

I took some time to study up on what was available on the internet about this group. The links I received from my friend spoke of the repeated spanking of children with wooden sticks, as well as a practice called ‘scourging,’ in which children would be hit repeatedly with a stick to the point of bruising.

Entering the community

I took a leave of absence from my work at CKUW and prepared to enter the community. If the allegations that my friend was making, based on testimonies from ex-members and a German documentary were true, then I owed it to Stephanie, her children and anyone else who may have entered this arena to ascertain the truth.

By early July this year, I made the decision to reach out to them with a request to live among them. I talked to a ‘shepherd’ who I had connected with at a Friday gathering. I told one of the shepherds, as they are called, about the recent death of my father and how I was starting to rethink many of my life priorities. We started talking scripture. I was invited to stay with them for as long as I wished.

My very first night at their house on East Gate, I wandered around the premises a little to scope out the place. That very first evening I managed to find five of the rods that were described by ex-members. They are slender wooden sticks roughly 60 centimetres long. I found one above a cabinet in the main floor washroom, one in the classroom they turned into a guest bedroom for me, and three in the basement.

Over the course of the next six weeks I would locate as many as 20 different rods. Usually they were in places you wouldn’t run across them as a casual visitor. It was unsettling to come across these rods and hold one in my hand. I was not anxious to see corroboration of this one unpleasant detail of community life.

On a typical day, community members would get up early, in time for the 6 a.m. ‘Minha.’ This is a gathering in which the disciples receive teachings, pray together, and in which everyone is encouraged to openly share their thoughts and feelings. After a communal meal in fellowship, everyone would set off for the tasks of the day.

Most of us, males anyway, would work at their five-storey building on Des Meurons Street in St. Boniface. The work was quite labour-intensive. Some of us worked in the deli part of the establishment. Others would work in the back either in the machine shop, the on-site bakery, or the room where they packaged their Yerba mate, a kind of tea. Winnipeg is one of the main distribution sites in North America.

After the first week, I was moved to the farm near Rosser, Man. I took on a number of tasks there from milking goats to extracting honey from the beehives to general household duties.

Members feel outside world has failed them

For some people, the community does have a certain allure. The people are very friendly and hospitable, and seem to put a lot of emphasis on transcendent realities. They strive to be spiritual. During my time there, I got to meet members who seemed to be lost in the outside world. Some had come from damaged places. One man, as a twelve year old, learned of his father having an affair with a friend’s mother. Another had a history of drug abuse. Still another struggled with sexual addiction. A common theme was that they felt that the outside world, including and especially orthodox religion, had failed them.

During my time in community I frequently felt conflicted about what I was doing. It was hard for me to see these sweet people as villains, and it felt wrong being not completely up front with them. It was most assuredly the most deceitful thing I’d ever done.

I believe there were positive aspects to the community that deserve recognition. Parents spend more time with their children on average than a lot of parents on the outside. There are no iPods, televisions or other electronic gadgets interfering with relations between and among community members. As well, I for one see the merit in involving young people in all aspects of community life. I have a particularly fond memory of participating in a volleyball game where young and old got physically active together.

The Tribes’ views on corporal punishment do not sit well with me, however, and I would not recommend it as a place to raise my young nieces and nephew.

Moreover, the Tribes subscribe to a very fundamentalist view of biblical teachings. Based on passages from the gospel, new disciples are expected to sell their possessions and contribute to the common purse. I am aware of at least one individual in the Winnipeg community who contributed thousands of dollars to the community when he agreed to join. The community, for whatever reason, felt compelled to expel him, leaving him angry at the loss of his funds.

It goes without saying that they consider homosexuality a sin.

Insular community

The community is very insular, and seems to view outside authorities with suspicion. Every single day they would pray for the community in Germany which had their children taken away by the child welfare authorities based on a documentary depicting the spankings. They anticipate the same kind of persecution descending upon their community here.

The community has control of what members have access to. No television, radio or newspapers. There is limited access to the internet as it is necessary for running their business. Likewise, certain members have access to cell phones, though their use is for the most part discouraged.

Children are trained to be absolutely obedient to their parents.

But they were in an environment that does not promote independent or critical thinking. It is an insular community that allows strangers to walk and work among them. High elders are rarely questioned.

People giving over their life savings to their common purse cannot expect to be compensated if they choose to leave the community years later.

They subscribe to a fatalistic view that the apocalyptic events of the Revelations and the book of Daniel will take place in the near future. According to prophecy, as they see it, the Tribes’ children are expected to do battle with the forces of the ‘Evil One.’

Members admit spanking takes place

I entered the community in the spirit of a private citizen attempting to ascertain whether the people I knew and their children were in good hands. I left the community feeling remorseful about my deception, even though I reasoned, such deceit was a necessary evil.

I am of the view that the people I knew and liked were decent for the most part. There is an allure to the place that I felt.

However, Tribe members have admitted to me that spanking takes place. I came close on two occasions to catching them in the act, both times at the shop.

But the insular nature of the community, the fundamentalist religious beliefs, the suspicion of outside authorities, the fact that strangers with checkered backgrounds are frequently invited in their midst, and the stories from ex-members in other communities around the world about physical and sexual abuse leave me concerned that this is not a place I would wish for children to be raised.

Michael Welch is a Winnipegger, the News Director at CKUW 95.9FM and a long time community activist. He spent six weeks living within in the Winnipeg Twelve Tribes Community.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/my-six-weeks-with-winnipeg-s-twelve-tribes-community-1.2809431