The Jonestown Massacre November 18 Tragady in Guyana *On this date in 1978, the Jonestown Massacre occurred. Nine hundred thirteen people, most of them African-American’s committed suicide and/or died in Jonestown, Guyana. Shortly before the mass suicide, U. S. Congressman Leo Ryan was killed. Ryan had just landed in Guyana to investigate alleged human rights abuses at Jonestown. Jonestown was a commune of the People's Temple Sect, northwest of Georgetown, Guyana, established in 1974 by American Jim Jones, who originally founded the sect among San Francisco's African-American community. After Ryan was ordered killed by Jones, Jones enforced the mass suicide on his followers by instructing them to drink cyanide. The casualties included over 240 children. Children died first; babies were killed by poison squirted into their mouths with a syringe. Then the adults were poisoned, some forcibly; security guards shot others. Jones was found with a bullet wound in his head, whether his death was suicide or murder is unknown. When the bodies came home, many could not be identified. Several cemeteries refused to take them until the Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland stepped forward in 1979 and accepted 409 bodies. The remaining victims had been cremated or buried in family cemeteries. I brought this to your attention because i was very interested and moved by this event having seen a documentary on this event. Please don't be afraid to say anything, I'm welcome to whatever you have to say.
I agree, though this man was insane Jim Jones was the cult leader obviously and was the reason all those people lost their lives. One thing the article doesn't state is that the Parents gave their children laced cyanide koolade, which they drank and after that the children would start foaming at the mouth then all of a sudden drop to the floor having convaltions and then die. After that the parents would drink it and so on.
I just saw it as well. Pretty sad that he took control of all those people and did all that because he couldn't face the truth back in the US.
Long time ago that was. It is pretty darn sick, but most of those people took the cyanide willingly, though manipulated into doing so. This is why you don't join cults and such.
Wow thats really sad. I actually almost did a report on him last year, but ended up doing Roger Waters. I would really like to watch this documentary, whats the name of it?
What kind of an attitude is that? Just because certain things may seem worse to you, doesn't mean you should not care about other things. Lame comment.
yeah I agree there has been a lot worse, but that doesnt justify this. Thanks for posting link to clip
not like this guy, he belonged in the nuthouse a long time ago. Someone should have investigated this guy before hand let alone plan a stakeout.
