Paris Hilton leads peaceful protest after opening up about alleged abuse she faced at Provo Boarding School.
After opening up about the alleged abuse she faced at Provo Boarding School in the 1990s, Paris Hilton has led a protest calling for the shutdown of the school, as well as other abusive schools like it.
She only recently told the world of her story in her new documentary This Is Paris, which premiered on September 13 2020.
Hilton was sent to the Utah boarding school when she was 17 years old because her parents thought she was too wrapped up in the NYC nightlife. This was the last of several institutions she was sent too, and she stayed for 11 months.
Hilton describes her stay at Provo as “torture”, claiming that the staff beat her, watched her shower, forced her to take unknown pills, and locked her in isolation. “It’s something so traumatic that you don’t even want to think it’s real. It’s something blocked from my memory forever,” Hilton told the protest crowd.
Hilton had not returned to the school since leaving. However, upon returning for the protest, she described the experience as “one of the most empowering moments of my life” in an Instagram caption.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGLYjR5nTqD/?utm_source=ig_embed
The protestors, made up of fellow Provo students and those from similar schools, marched in silence because their schools kept them silent. They wore matching black t-shirts with the word ‘survivor’ on them.
Great & hopeful to see @ParisHilton opening up & drawing attention to @BreakingCodeSi1's important protests of ongoing abuse of psychiatric legal powers against youth in @alexhaggiagdean's engaging, layered, nuanced film #ThisisParis. @madinamerica
— Rob Wipond (@robwipond) September 23, 2020
Provo Canyon School has stated they are not in a position to comment as the school is now under different ownership. They shared a statement on their website that read: “While we acknowledge there are individuals over the many years who believe they were not helped by the program, we are heartened by the many stories former residents share about how their stay was a pivot point in improving – and in many cases, saving – their lives.”
In other news I am laying here crying watching Paris hilton protest against provo canyon school lmao I'm an emotional wreck
— Raven Sierra (@loonybird1144) October 10, 2020
Hilton has also started a petition to shut down Provo Canyon and has stated she will not stop until all other abusive schools like it are also shut down. “Provo Canyon is just the first one that I want to go down,” she said. “From there, it will be a domino effect.”
