Episode 12 Hill of Dreamers
Jones: God damn dreamers…
Jonestown is so beautiful, to me.
Q219: The house I live in. These bars of steel. They’re designed to break my spirit and destroy my mind. But they only serve to make me stronger and more determined to defeat my enemy. The ruling fascist elite has ruled me a political prisoner and has thrown me amongst the ranks of the forgotten, expecting never to hear from me again. But being here only gives me more time to plan my next move. Inside these walls, there’s a whole different kind of world. A world where power is absolute, and the actions of the pigs that run this place are never questioned. No one on the outside could ever imagine the mass genocide of our people that goes on in here.
I thought I was done after producing the first season of the show. I immersed myself in Peoples Temple research for three years, studying the FBI files, listening to tapes and digging up every rabbit hole. I laid out a timeline, painted a colorful picture of Jim Jones and told the story from an objective angle.
When it came to conspiracy theories, I left no stone unturned. As I completed the project, I had one regret: I had never interviewed or even spoken to an ex-member of the temple. Or anyone who actually lived in Jonestown. It didn't take long for me to realize that even with my exhaustive research and analysis of available evidence, the story was not yet complete.
As I reached out to ex members and survivors, I quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer number of people willing to share their experiences and insights with me. If you're listening to this. You've likely been listening from the beginning of this strange and incredible journey. I assure you that the second season is in development and will be completed by November 2020.
Jones: How many in this assembly field list by saying there's about a thousand people, how many here feel it by the sounding of a yay?
41 years ago, tonight, the people of Jonestown died in a tragedy that was at the time, the largest loss of American civilian life caused by a deliberate act. That morbid record stood until September 11th, 2001, when 2,996 people were killed in the nine 11 attacks in New York. When the people of Jonestown died, their bodies remained where they fell for four days, sprayed with pesticides, and crowded into military body bags.
The remains of Jonestown’s dead were shipped to Dover Air Force base for processing. Advanced states of decomposition hindered the militaries attempts to identify the corpses. Children made up a large percentage of the remains that were found last and were the most difficult to identify. Chillingly the military economized by filling body bags with several small bodies later, creating an impact possible mess for pathologists.
In some cases, the bags weren't opened until many months later, as Dover was experiencing a backlog of corpses. In the end 593 people were identified leaving 320 bodies, mostly those of children, unidentified. As families arranged to recover their loved ones, 409 bodies were left unclaimed. Finding a resting place for the unclaimed victims of Jonestown was problematic.
Cemeteries were concerned about affiliations with the temple, afraid that the grave site would become a tourist attraction or even worse, a meeting place for remaining cult members. Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California became the final resting place for the unclaimed victims of Jonestown. The Jonestown Memorial sits on a man-made hill. The terrain of the cemetery had to be altered to accommodate the size of grave. For 32 years, a small, understated Memorial to the victims of Jonestown marked the spot where family members and survivors came to grieve and to memorialize their loved ones. Over the years it didn't seem to matter who was buried at Evergreen Cemetery. The site became a place for sharing, healing and catharsis for all those touched by the Temple and Jonestown.
In 2011, four large granite slabs were placed on top of the hill and Evergreen Cemetery. Carved into the rock are the names of everyone who died in Jonestown, including those who died in Georgetown, and Port Kaituma. Somewhere on the bottom line, so identical to all of the other names you have to really look for it, is engraved the name, James Warren Jones. Some have compared this to putting Hitler's name on a Holocaust monument. Others have argued that he died with the rest and was a large part of the whole thereby earning his place. Either way the site at Evergreen Cemetery has given those who were touched by this story a place to come together and express their grief and remember their joy. Despite Jim Jones’ attempts to alienate and segregate his people from perceived enemies. Everyone now has a place to publicly grieve together. After the 911 attacks, the United States honored the victims by reading aloud the names of those killed in the attack.
Tonight, I will read the names of those who died in Jonestown, Georgetown, and Port Kaituma on November 18th, 1978. Although attempts have been made over the years to identify everyone. There are still names missing from this list.
Thanks to the Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple website for this list of names.