11/19/08 – KTAL VIDEO Report: Alamo Families Speak
ArkLaTex
November 19, 2008
by: Karen Hopkins
Alamo Families Speak
Parents of some of the children taken from Tony Alamo’s Fouke Arkansas church are outraged and speaking out only to KTAL. A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said Arkansas State Police removed twenty more kids Tuesday. Parents at Tony Alamo’s Church caught it on all video and shared it only with KTAL. Children screamed and cried Tuesday inside a van pulled over outside Texarkana, as State Police took them away from their parents. “They just took them away, hauled them away like cattle,” Parent Carlos Parrish said. Texarkana Judge Joe Griffin said he ordered to remove the children because of evidence of abuse. “All these perverted, filthy, disgusting accusations that have been made, they’ve had their chance to speak,” Parent Lisa Thorne said. The parents stood together in prayer, asking God to bring back their kids. “I want my kids back. I miss them so much. I go to their bedroom at night, and they’re not there. It’s like a cold empty room.” Parent Sophia Thorne-Parrish said. Carlos and Sophia Parrish lost four children Tuesday. The youngest is just a year old. “How can they pull me over on the side of the road and tell me they’re taking my children? That’s not right,” Parrish said. Parent Lisa Thorne turns to the bible for guidance. “I go by the authorized version of King James Bible. I’ve been teaching my children since they are young enough to understand,” Thorne said. Thorne said she fears what her son will learn outside her control. “ It’s ok to use drugs, condoms, fornication… when we’re not taught that.,” Thorne said. Wednesday, parents watched video of their kids being taken away. “We live in a beautiful home, and we oversee what they eat, where they go and what they wear. If they need medical help, this church provides it for them. A day after the Department of Human Services took custody of their children, these parents said they are emotionally strained and frustrated. “They didn’t let us give our side of the story on anything. They just took our children away from us,” Parrish said.