Walk For Truth Planned For June 7

ORLEANS – A “Walk For Truth” will be held June 7 in the parking lot of Rock Harbor to show support for religious survivors.

The walk, which will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., is being organized by “concerned citizens” and the Orleans-based nonprofit Rock Harbor Truth. The walk follows a similar event held at Rock Harbor in April.

“We were deeply moved by the support shown at the first walk,” Anne Buchs, strategic fundraising consultant for Rock Harbor Truth, said in a press release. “People showed up with compassion, courage, and a genuine desire to support survivors. We are going to continue these efforts until all voices are heard and the truth is fully known and acknowledged.”

The June 7 event will begin with opening remarks, after which survivor testimonials will be given for the duration of the hour. Participants will walk in “peaceful loops” throughout the parking lot in a show of support for those impacted by their involvement with “coercive and high-control religious environments.” 

“This is about compassion, awareness, and standing beside people who have carried these experiences quietly for far too long,” Beverly Biondi of Brewster said in the release. “The community response has shown that people care deeply about truth, healing, and protecting vulnerable individuals.”

The walk will take place in front of the Community of Jesus compound, which abuts the Rock Harbor parking lot. The Community and two other nonprofits, Arts Empowering Life, Inc. and Performing Arts Foundation, Inc., are the subjects of a federal civil suit filed in U.S. District Court alleging child labor and trafficking in connection to the construction of the Community’s performing arts building in Brewster.

In the release, organizers say the April walk resulted in “renewed community discussion surrounding allegations of abuse and coercive practices connected” to the Community.