The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Traveling Exhibit held its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on June 23rd at the Mini Social event space in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. The event, which drew community members and officials, featured remarks from local businessman Jimmy Alauria, who introduced CCHR's mission to protect human rights in mental health.
Special guest speaker Judy Renfro, a member of JustServe, a global volunteerism movement of the LDS Church, shared her experiences helping people cope with addiction. She recounted tragic stories of individuals who lost everything to drugs, emphasizing the responsibility of medical professionals when prescribing medications that can alter behavior or create dependency. "As a society, we place tremendous trust in medical professionals," Renfro said. "That trust also carries a profound responsibility. When prescribing medications that can alter behavior, create dependency, impair judgment, or affect cognitive function, careful consideration must be given not only to the intended benefits but also to the long-term consequences for the individual, their family, and the broader community."
The ribbon cutting opened the exhibit to tours of graphic panels and documentaries that expose the long history of false science and abuses in the psychiatric industry. Guests expressed surprise at the origins of psychiatry, with many finding it difficult to believe the documented abuses until seeing the evidence firsthand. The exhibit remained open to the public during its stay in Phoenix, drawing significant interest from visitors who walked through displays and watched videos.
This traveling exhibit is part of a grand tour of major cities in the Western United States, warning parents and community members that psychiatric treatments can be fatal. CCHR operates 14 identical traveling exhibits in countries around the world. For more information, visit the CCHR website or watch documentaries on the work of CCHR volunteers worldwide and the film Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network.
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by professor of psychiatry Dr. Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology. CCHR Commissioners include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, legislators, government officials, educators, and civil rights representatives. The commission is inspired by author, humanitarian, and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's commitment to abolishing physically damaging practices in mental health.
