A federal lawsuit recently filed in the Middle District of Pennsylvania alleges a local chapter of the Mennonite Church violated human trafficking laws though forced labor under the guise of reforming “troubled boys.”
The lawsuit is brought by two men who are former residents of Liberty Ridge Farms, a farm in Juniata County owned by Nelson Martin that the two said operated as a reform program for the Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church.
The men allege boys and young men considered by the church to be “troubled” or to have “special needs” were sent to the farm and subjected to forced labor, including farming chickens, cattle and hogs, building fences and helping with a trucking company.
The men, one who spent roughly three years at the facility and one who was there for 10 months, said they were required to work at least 8 hours a day every day except Sundays and school-aged children at the facility did not receive any schooling.
The men were at the facility at different times and several years apart.
Residents also faced consequences when they “acted against the Bible” including having their food and water withheld or restricted to just rice and beans or being forced to do manual labor like dragging chains or breaking boulders with a small hammer, the lawsuit alleges.
According to the men, residents would be physically restrained by supervisors who would hold the boys down and hog tie them using zip-ties.
Supervisors would verbally abuse the boys by telling them that if they tried to leave the facility they would be excommunicated from the church or excommunicate them from their families, the lawsuit alleges.
Residents did receive any pay for their work and the families of the boys were required to pay roughly $2,300 a month to be there.
The men, identified only by their initials, are seeking financial compensation including punitive damages and back pay for all of their unpaid work.
According to The Morning Call, the Pennsylvania Department Human Services has no record for any licensing for Liberty Ridge Farm.
Renee Franchi, the men’s lawyer, also told The Morning Call that she believed there were many more people who were subjected to the same abuses her clients allege.
floofyyy on November 28th, 2021 at 15:53 UTC »
Hmmmm yep, sounds like my Mennonite upbringing.
This article calling it "abuse" really opened my eyes...
Shiresire1565 on November 28th, 2021 at 15:19 UTC »
Ex Mennonite here. Ya this stuff is common. Many Mennonite boys only achieve 7th or 8th grade education and are generally ignorant about much in the world. Lots of abuse and neglect in your conservative communities.
jwaterboyk on November 28th, 2021 at 15:06 UTC »
The craziest part of the whole thing is these kids’ families were paying $2300 a month to have them abused.