Inside the Peoples Temple of Jonestown

Jim Jones...
He would say,
‘You'll die before you leave here.’
If you fail to follow my advice, you’ll be sorry.
You’ll be sorry.
Jim Jones...
demanded loyalty.
He controlled everything.

People haven’t done a good job of showing what was appealing about my father.
I’m not here to protect his memory at all.
But what you see in the media about my father...
Anyone who didn’t experience the Temple can’t help but think, ‘Why would anybody follow that guy?’
These people never had a chance.
They were victims of racism and poverty.
Jim Jones came along and offered them something.
They trusted him.
And they believed him.
But...
he was a crazy son of a bitch.
And he was willing to see them all die.

This was a time in America when people were imagining what society could be.

We had the Black Panthers movement.

We also experienced the Hare Krishnas.

But most interesting to me was Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.

Dad was dynamic at times.

In the middle of a service, he would, out of nowhere, jump off the stage, wrap an African American woman up in his arms...

And...

my heart would melt.

When I heard Jim Jones, he spoke about how much he respected the Civil Rights Movement and how important it was that we continue to live out Dr. Martin Luther King's dream.
So for me, it was excitement.
Now will each of you give a very fond embrace to your neighbor?

Reverend Jones, how do you account for such an avid following as you seem to have?
I’m principled. And I’m dedicated to my people.
Jim Jones became friends with these political people of the day that were being brought into the church to talk before us.
People like...
Angela Davis.
Harvey Milk.
Moscone.
And little did they know, after they left, Jim Jones twisted and re-presented what they said to show us how evil society was becoming.
So, we would need to go somewhere and build a place where everybody was equal.

Three and a half miles back into the bush, we will be in Jonestown.
This is a road leading us to there.
No words could describe the peace, the beauty.
The sense of accomplishment and responsibility and camaraderie that's here.
I thought of it as a community that was being built that had the opportunity to become something that actually, what might be, equivalent to a utopia.
Filled with good people.
It was something that was absolutely amazing.
But...
when Dad got there, it was a very different environment.

For Dad, the Temple didn't exist beyond him.

The world didn't exist beyond him.

It's the ultimate addiction, I think.

Adulation.

One of the first things Dad did when he got to Jonestown was to take people's passports away from them.

If you wanted to go back stateside, you had to ask his permission.

Do you want to go home?
... No.
Well then be seated and shut your mouth and don't be in my face anymore.
Jim Jones worked diligently to break apart the family unit.
Everything you did was monitored.
Get out of my sight!
I was trying to keep some humanity around here.
[people making commotion]
Sit your ass down.
Dad became cruel.
And we became...
numb to it.
He had us trapped.
We had no way out of Jonestown.

It’s all good. You got the pass.
You got the ‘hood pass.’
I’ve got the ‘hood pass.’ Okay!
I just wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who watches and supports the show.
Thank you for joining me on this incredible journey through the darkest corners of our world.
Whether you’ve been with us from the very beginning, or if you recently started watching ‘Trafficked: Underworlds,’ your enthusiasm and curiosity drive us to uncover the truth behind black markets.
No matter how hidden, or how dangerous.
So here’s to you, the fans of the show, and to the countless underworlds we have yet to uncover.
We couldn’t have made it this far without your support.
Thank you so much for watching.
If you want to continue investigating with me, be sure to watch the newest episodes of ‘Trafficked: Underworlds,’ now streaming on Hulu.

How very much I’ve loved you.
How very much I’ve tried my best to give you a good life.