The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Traveling Exhibit held its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on June 23 at the Mini Social event space in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. The event, which drew community members and officials, aimed to expose what CCHR calls a history of false science and abuses in the psychiatric industry.
Local businessman Jimmy Alauria served as Master of Ceremonies, introducing CCHR's mission and the importance of human rights in mental health. Special guest speaker Judy Renfro, a member of JustServe, a global volunteerism movement of the LDS Church, shared stories of individuals who lost everything to addiction. Renfro emphasized the responsibility of medical professionals when prescribing behavior-altering medications, stating, "As a society, we place tremendous trust in medical professionals. That trust also carries a profound responsibility."
The ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the exhibit for tours featuring graphic panels and documentaries that CCHR says reveal the long history of psychiatric abuse. Guests expressed surprise at the origins of psychiatry, with many finding the documented abuses hard to believe until seeing the evidence firsthand.
The exhibit, which remained open to the public during its Phoenix tour, has since moved to its next destination as part of a grand tour of major U.S. cities. CCHR notes that psychiatric treatments can be deadly and warns parents and community members accordingly. The organization operates 14 identical traveling exhibits worldwide.
For more information, visit the CCHR website, watch documentaries on CCHR volunteers globally, or view the film Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network.
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology. CCHR Commissioners include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, legislators, government officials, educators, and civil rights representatives. The organization is inspired by L. Ron Hubbard's commitment to eliminating physically damaging practices in mental health.
