Stung by the public backlash from a disastrous 1953 raid on the FLDS, authorities turned a blind eye to polygamy in the towns until Jeffs took over. ‘Like a normal town’With its leader in prison and stripped of its control over the towns, many FLDS members left the sect or moved away. Other places of worship have opened, and practicing FLDS members are now believed to account for only a small percentage of towns’ populations. Residents say the new openness has brought common societal woes such as drug use to Hildale and Colorado City. These days, she works for a residential support center in Colorado City that serves people leaving polygamy.