Scott’s Story

Got this e-mail from my colleague Scott Sommerdorf, who took over the YFZ story when I left to cover the NBA Playoffs: T; Got to go to the ranch a second time last night. After a crazy 5 1/2 hour drive from Dallas with stops in Waxahachie and Abilene to see two of the homes where FLDS kids will be taken, we finally were 20 minutes away from the ranch on our way to see the press conference that was to be held at the gate with some women who were just released from the Coliseum after having their children taken from them. When we get the call that says it has just happened and it’s over. All the way from Dallas to miss this by 20 minutes. AGHHH!!! So we continue on and sit outside the gate for a while while Brooke works the phones trying to get us on. Looks like the answer is no, and my heart sinks – cause this means it’s been pretty much a wasted day with tons of driving and not many pictures to show for it. Then Warren Jeff’s brother drives up, says hi to Brooke, and says, “do we need to get you on the ranch?” He then makes a call, and not long after that, the gate opens and we start to drive in, and Brooke says “we’re in but it’ll probably be no pictures.” Again I’m bummed, but we continue up the road. In the meantime the most beautiful orange light is raking across the place and I can already see in my head the photo of these two anguished women bathed in this light. So we arrive at the house, and meet Rod Parker, who says, “Oh yeah, its ok, y’all can take some pictures.” I look at the sunset and see we are racing this light with maybe 10 more minutes before its down and dark. They were going to have the interview inside the house, but I convince them that this “is the beautiful light of the day” and that can we have the meeting set up on the west side of the house. They are really cooperative and say, sure…. So then out come these women, and they are so sad, and I can only imagine how I would feel if my Zoe or Miles were taken from my arms how I would feel. I immediately have so much respect for them to come out and basically do the press conference over again just for us. I ask them to stand where the light will hit them nicely and then Ruth Edna looks right in the camera with these eyes that look sad, and heartbroken, but also spitting mad. Also right at that moment Velvet, the other mom looks down as she considers talking about her kids. We go on to have a great interview, and make some more photos of them, and hear their experiences inside the Coliseum, but that one frame, and those eyes keep haunting me. I thought you’d like to see it, cause it wasn’t in the paper or on our website. -Scott