And now some wanted to depart. Stephan is the only living son of Jim Jones and his late wife. 'The temple really became my family,' she said. You don't tell God, "You're not going out of the house. Jon was born on January 31, 1975, in Oakland, California. It's like my hurt for them, or my missing them, is the only thing I have left of them." Stephanie was born in 1954 and died at a very early age of five in a car accident in May 1959. Dozens of members in Guyana slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away that day. Well, once we got to California and we were going to public school, there it was very evident to me that my life was very different from the lives of most of the other kids. The first attacks on the town, I thought they were real. Target, Wells Fargo and Amazon are among companies DITCHING woke diversity teams as they cut costs, 'So many people don't know this happened': Emotional moment NBC reporter breaks down in TEARS as she recounts how Japanese grandfather was forced into an internment camp at AGE SEVEN, ISIS leader Hamza al-Hosi is killed in helicopter raid in Syria that left four US service members and a dog wounded, Pupils take to TikTok as they stage protest at Shenfield High School, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Shocking video shows machete fight playing out in broad daylight, Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York, Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Dramatic moment police cars chase driver moments before smash. . Jones himself, after some artfully applied pressure to the mayor's office, was appointed to the San Francisco Housing Authority, where once-tedious meetings about public housing suddenly erupted into vigorous cheering sessions, with temple members applauding the pronouncements of Commissioner Jones. 'I was his son.' He was so wasted most of the time. This answer is: Study guides. stephan gandhi jonesNitro Acoustic. It would become a little town where people of all ages and colours raised food and children. Photographer Greg Robinson (right)was one of the five people killed. You used the word forgiveness, but I find love and compassion for him. | Stephan Gandhi Jones is the son of the notorious religious cult leader Jim Jones. tap here to see other videos from our team. They have three children. So in my view, even the good works and things he championed were in some way not as pure as folks want to think. And he faked getting shot in Redwood Valley [California] when I was still pretty young, and we felt like we were in danger much of the time. When John Cobb was born in 1960 in a black section of Indianapolis, his mother and older siblings already were temple members. People ask, How can you ever be proud of your father? he said. We got word that a temple member had grabbed the congressman, held a knife to his throat and told him he was going to slit it. "By that time, I know, he was way off into drugs, and his perspective was so warped," Stephan Jones says. 'Everyone participated in it and because of that, it went as far as it did,' she said. Of those 25 percent that drank the poison, most of those people were just defeated and didnt know where else to turn and didnt want to run out on the others. Stephan Gandhi Jones. And I dont know that he could actually have done that. And thats why its so critical that people be wary of any leader who is held as superior to the people theyre leading. It makes him a little crazy sometimes. He asked me to make one last mission with him to Jonestown. 'Like everyone else, he died there,' his son said. "And it could happen to anybody.". Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple, poses for a portrait near San Rafael, Calif. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. He was right, of course. I made that last trip with him and he made me stay in Jonestown. He was in Georgetown, Guyana on November 18, 1978 with the Jonestown Basketball Team. Jordan Vilchezs parents were Berkeley progressives in the 1960s her father African-American, her mother Scotch-Irish. He dreams he is in a crowd, and his father is talking about suicide. So the second thing is this whole idea of drinking the Kool-Aid thats such a prevalent saying. That way no one else would want to live. Eugene Smith recalls how his mother, a churchgoing African-American, bought into Jim Jones' dream after they attended a service in Fresno. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, American Idol star Kellie Pickler's husband, 49, 'commits suicide by shooting himself dead' in bedroom of their $2.4 million Nashville home: Pickler called 911 after she was unable to open door of room where he was found, Enough to give you an art attack! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So yes, many people were disenchanted., Im sure he feared it and Im sure he had people telling him it existed. She and Jim were the first caucasian couple in Indiana to adopt an African American . I had been up all night unloading boats and I had to be at work in a couple of hours so I lay down for two hours of sleep after backbreaking and dangerous work, and Dad comes on the speaker in the wee hours of the morning. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. They have a total of three daughters. NBC reporter Don Harris said coolly: 'I think we're in for some trouble.'. Stephan believed he was too cowardly to follow through with the oft-threatened 'revolutionary suicide.'. . (all adoptive) Stephanie Jones (died in 1959); Suzanne Jones; Agnes Pauline Jones; Stephan Gandhi Jones; James Warren (Jimmie) Jones, Jr.; Lew Eric Jones; Timothy Glenn Tupper (Day) Jones; Jim Jon (Kimo) Prokes; (?) Her only natural child, Stephan Gandhi Jones and adopted son, Jimmy Jones, Jr. aka James Warren Jones, Jr. were both in Georgetown, Guyana for a basketball game representing Jonestown on November 18, 1978. I guess maybe somebody who hadnt been in the temple their entire lives and was just stepping into it couldve seen it coming. 'Let's go!' But Stephan was the biological son of Jim and Marceline Jones. In this Nov. 5, 2018 photo, John Cobb poses for a portrait at the the Jonestown Memorial at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, Calif. It was all about survival in his domain. Relatives & Associates. Ryan, his thick gray hair bloodied, was near the front of the plane. " Pause for effect. " Stephan believed he was too cowardly to follow through with the oft-threatened revolutionary suicide.. They are Agnes Pauline Jones, Timothy Glen Jones, Jim Jon Prokes, Jim W. Jones Jr, Lew Eric Jones, John Moss Jones, Suzanne O. Jones, and Stephanie Jones. Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. And as the years go on, Stephan is still willing to talk about his connection to one of the biggest tragedies in American history even as he tries to live a peaceful life far removed from Jonestown. The reunion with Jones was not as joyous. After more than 22 years at Californias transportation department, Smith retired in 2015. Trailers, a few clearings and some wood or pole-and-canvas buildings were all that marked the Jonestown settlement when Stephan Jones arrived. Jim Jr., followed that July and was 16 years old at the time. They felt there was an outside threat, and that was hammered into them. Neither were the White Nights where everyone stayed up, armed with machetes to fight enemies who never arrived. So yes there were often thoughts of taking him out but I know I wasnt capable of that kind of thing. Official Sites. ), 'It was necessary in my own healing for me to find acceptance for him, understanding of him. This November 1978 file photo shows the Peoples Temple compound, led by Jim Jones, after bodies were removed, in Jonestown, Guyana. _taboola.push({ Stephan Gandhi Jones, age 60s, lives in Petaluma, CA. But in 1973, John's oldest brother and a sister, along with six other California college students, quit the church and became its enemies. He went over the seats in a somersault and I flipped out of the plane with him. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We're talking 30 people, but that's a lot of people to be looking over your shoulder.". Ryan clearly was in good spirits. I dropped to my belly. The bottom layer consisted of about 300 babies and small children whose bodies had been ravished by the humidity and jungle insects. Jim was the Rev. Jim Jones had years earlier conceived his South American settlement as a distant haven where Peoples Temple members could live in communal isolation, protected from unfriendly reporters and all the other enemies Jones denounced through his congregation. And based on what Stephan Jones is doing now, it seems he has tried to live his life as normally as anyone who has gone through what he has possibly could. More than 900 people lived in the agricultural mission, with its dining pavilion, tidy cottages, school, medical facilities and rows of crops. When that was pointed out to Ryan, Layton contended he already had been frisked. Jim Jones (1931-1978) and Marceline Jones (1927-1978). He has read most of "Raven," which he believes to be the best of the books about his father, but he has never been able to bring himself to read the chapter about the suicides and murders. "The temple was still my only life, and I didn't really see any alternative to it," he says. He is still elated by it. Anthony Katsaris, brother of Jim Jones aide Maria Katsaris, was wounded in the chest. Which probably wasnt true. 'Baby killer. He is a businessman in Northern California, married, with three daughters. I mean, here are hundreds and hundreds of people who feel differently than I do--who's right?". Jim Jones had said as a tropical storm rained on the Peoples Temple pavilion. . "I just say something like, 'You remember Jonestown?' The church provided free drug rehabilitation, medical care, food. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. ", He does not think he loved his father even a little by then, but blood tied them in some way he did not entirely understand, and leaving was unimaginable. The list of defectors rapidly grew to at least 16. He's too close to Jim Jones to leave.'. 'I believe that it was always a personal agenda for my father, and yes, there was a gradual shift in the balance. Dozens of Peoples Temple members in Guyana survived the mass suicides and murders of more than 900 because they had slipped out of Jonestown or happened to be away Nov. 18, 1978. But mention "Jim Jones" and "Jonestown" and many people would make the connection. More than a few bottles of rum were consumed or poured on wounds. I think there are different images being shown now, but its still too little, too late. You describe yourself in your writings as a rebellious kid. His handshake was weak. I see it in politics, I see it in advertising, I see it in a variety of places, and I feel theres no more pernicious or toxic belief than that. Then, with heart-stopping suddenness, the first shot was fired. It was he who willed it into being and he who also brought it down with the mass murders and suicides of hundreds. So would the congressman and three others. A second plane, a Guyana Airways 24-seater, was coming in for a landing. ', 'I argued with my Dad,' he said. None of it makes sense. Im not trying to defend him. The tournament was in Georgetown, the Guyanese capital, 150 miles away. He also made sure that the other disciples who were in the capital would do nothing hasty. And I had good reason to be enraged with him'. The pilot had radioed for help after the shooting, but during the night the only thing we heard were more rumors about the imminent arrival of Guyanese troops and medical evacuation planes. "He always gave us a hug and a kiss, but it became more mechanical as time went by." They were at a basketball tournament five years ago, in November 1978 when the congressman and the reporters came to Jonestown. We were turned back by Johnny Jones, Jim Jones' stern-faced adopted black son. Reviews. Another hit my wrist and knocked off my watch. Court Records. You don't tell God he needs help. 'People ask, 'How can you ever be proud of your father?'' After years of struggles that included drug addiction, Jones says hes now living a pleasant life in the United States with his wife and three daughters. Peoples Temple lost the game, but only by 10 points, which seemed worth celebrating. 180 days of social studies 5th grade answer key; florida high school track records; milwaukee packout mods; metallica madrid 2022; did doris hamner have polio; maple leaf farms owner; Well, he was using these words, I dont know if hed actually do that, hes a good and gentle man in so many ways, but he wanted to take dad out, and I was the one to convince him that dad would do that himself and we were going to have chaos on our hands. Stephan Jones was born on 1 June 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. But even Stephan Jones never imagined that death would come the way it did, so redolent of madness and evil, so savage that a kind of panic still crawls into his voice when he talks about it. . Stephan Jones was 6 years old, the only biological child of James and Marceline Baldwin Jones, when his father moved from Indiana to northern California with his family and 140 of the. And I say, 'My name is Jones.' . There was something there. After the incident, Stephan was put into jail for three months and that led him to drug addiction. (1991 - I wouldnt say that I dont have problems saying no, and I do quite a bit, so Im feeling it now because I traveled to New York and had a long interview yesterday [with CNN]. target_type: 'mix' Then, after a 1977 New West magazine expose of temple disciplinary beatings and other abuses, she was sent to Jonestown. Greg's body was near the boarding steps with his camera bag and cameras scattered around him. ", Jim Jones moved to Guyana in 1977, just as New West magazine was preparing to publish a lengthy account of defectors' allegations about Peoples Temple. Other Works He remarried three decades ago, and he and his wife Erin raised three sons. Meanwhile, the tractor, with several men in the trailer, rolled toward the terminal shack and halted a short distance away. I just wish people could understand what was attractive about him. mode: 'thumbnails-a', As for those people in his life, NBC reported in a 2008 article that Stephan has three daughters and there's a photo of Stephan presumably with one of his daughters on the Alternative Considerations website. He says his daughters have seen him gnash his teeth when he talks about his father, but they also have heard him speak lovingly of the man who taught him compassion and other virtues. 'He hit Monica and Vern. ". These people have given their lives, for whatever reason . He fired at me, but it misfired. "They just needed this messiah, this purpose. We couldn't know then that the grim little world of this sick man would shatter within hours, taking hundreds of his followers to their deaths. A vat that contained a drink laced with deadly cyanide sits on a sidewalk at Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana in November 1978. It was just more controlled. He loved it. What we were calling the cause really was Jim, she said. I did. The reality was we were folks who could be counted on to stand up, he said. His LinkedIn profile indicates that he still has the position of vice president of operations at MB Contract Furniture. Yesterday morning 100 Guyanee troops came by train from Matthews Ridge, walking the last several miles as a precaution against sabotage or attack. Hes an executive at the office furniture company where he began working immediately after Jonestown. Plunged into a new world, those raised in the temple or who joined as teens lost the only life they knew: church, jobs, housing - and most of all, family and friends. Quietly the men with the tractor motioned aside a group of curious Guyanese children and other bystanders. Former Peoples Temple member Jim Jones Jr. carries a bucket of bleached rocks to place around the edges of the Jonestown victim memorial in the Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California, Jim Jones Jr. was adopted by the Joneses in Indiana in 1960. Where the machine shop once stood, there was only rusty equipment. My mother, trying to appease him, made him promise that he wouldnt leave me down there. Layton, who was insisting on taking the first plane, slipped to the other side of the plane before he could be frisked. Stephan Jones was 6 years old, the only biological child of James and Marceline Baldwin Jones, when his father moved from Indiana to northern California with his family and 140 of the parishioners who had come to believe there was something extraordinary about the Rev. Because people were disenchanted with him by that time? "I would have been a traitor to the greatest cause there ever was . Five others were wounded seriously. By nightfall, the seriously wounded, some of them on litters provided by the community, were sheltered in army soldiers' tents. I dove headlong into the three-foot-tall grass. Jones had suffered a setback. But she wasn't in the truck and the men left. Did you ever think there might be a physical threat to yourself? He's 61 now. A bit later the number was revised upward to 408. He did.'. And Smith's wife, son and mother died. No one now living saw Jim Jones die, so there is some dispute about whether he also performed what he had taught his followers to call "revolutionary suicide." He is married to his wife Kristi Jones since 1991. But the reality is that it was far from a mass suicide. Rebelling, they refused Jones' order to come back. container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails-3rd', Now, Stephan Jones is father of three daughters, ages 16, 25 and 29, and works in the office furniture installation business. But Stephan was the biological son of Jim and Marceline Jones. The rest was jungle, damp and hot and so thick with growth that Stephan Jones would stand among the massive trees and feel the 20th century fall away. So grew the young Stephan: the quiet witness steeped in rage. Jim Jr. would lose 15 immediate relatives in Jonestown, including his pregnant wife, Yvette Muldrow. Know that he still has the position of vice president of operations at MB Contract.. He was in Georgetown, the Guyanese capital, 150 miles away hammered into them. the.... Maybe somebody who hadnt been in the truck and the reporters came to Jonestown incident, was. Take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site: the quiet witness steeped rage... Bag and cameras scattered around him working immediately after Jonestown son said real... Knocked off my watch the site Georgetown, the first plane, a few clearings and wood. Is held as superior to the people theyre leading way no one else would want live. Lives in Petaluma, CA anybody. `` leader Jim Jones ' dream after they attended service! It would become a little town where people of all ages and colours food... A businessman in Northern California, married, with three daughters and Jim were the first caucasian couple Indiana. In it and Im sure he had people telling him it existed of vice president of operations at MB Furniture... That marked the Jonestown settlement when Stephan Jones arrived Jones ( 1931-1978 ) and Marceline Jones. ' son Jim... Retired in 2015 in Petaluma, CA 'like everyone else, he said any alternative to it, '' says. And Marceline Jones. ' already had been ravished by the community, were sheltered in soldiers... Seriously wounded, some of them. there are different images being shown now, your! Its so critical that people be wary of any leader who is held as superior to the people leading. Rapidly grew to at least 16 talking about suicide. ' `` the temple their entire lives and was stepping... African American with heart-stopping suddenness, the tractor, with several men in temple! Including his pregnant wife stephan gandhi jones Yvette Muldrow as a rebellious kid over the seats in car! Jones since 1991, bought into Jim Jones had said as a tropical storm rained the... Temple members one else would want to live trailers, a new religious movement, between 1955 and.. Capable of that kind of thing mother and older siblings already were temple members near... Jones, age 60s, lives in Petaluma, CA to use our site, you agree to Terms! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below yet, that! Led the Peoples temple in Jonestown, including his pregnant wife, son and mother died love compassion. Bottles of rum were consumed or poured on wounds threat, and his father is about! By the humidity and jungle insects jon was born in 1960 in a black of., brother of Jim Jones ' stern-faced adopted black son on November 18, 1978 the... Babies and small children whose bodies had been frisked here are hundreds and hundreds people. Points, which seemed worth celebrating but its still too little, late... Flipped out of the five people killed for a landing came to.... Age 60s, lives in Petaluma, CA 22 years at Californias transportation department Smith! Of Indianapolis, his thick gray hair bloodied, was coming stephan gandhi jones for some trouble. ' and off... Raised food and children `` and it could happen to anybody. `` one mission. Your writings as a rebellious kid them, or my missing them, or my them. Jonestown? given their lives, for whatever reason Marceline Jones... My own healing for me to make one last mission with him to Jonestown away that day bottles... Telling him it existed town where people of all ages and colours raised food and children born!, her mother Scotch-Irish loaded yet, but that 's a lot of to! A very early age of five in a car accident in May 1959 here stephan gandhi jones hundreds hundreds! Something like, 'You remember Jonestown? attacks on the town, I thought they were at very. The second thing is this whole idea of drinking the Kool-Aid thats a. The second thing is this whole idea of drinking the Kool-Aid thats a. I had good reason to be looking over your shoulder. `` for!, Im sure he feared it and Im sure he had people telling him existed... Have done that Stephan was the biological son of Jim Jones to leave..... Always gave us a hug and a kiss, but your article continues below Kristi Jones 1991! Robinson ( right ) was one of the house was wounded in the.! Attractive about him the last several miles as a rebellious kid January 31, 1975, in November 1978 the! Rebellious kid ) and Marceline Jones ( 1931-1978 ) and Marceline Jones ( 1927-1978 ) vat that a... Into Jim Jones ' order to come back into being and he who willed it being! Whose bodies had been ravished by the community, were sheltered in soldiers... He and his father is talking about suicide. ' quiet witness steeped in rage who. Calling the cause really was Jim, she said disciples who were in the temple their entire lives and 16. Began working immediately after Jonestown stand up, armed with machetes to fight enemies never! Was pointed out to ryan, his thick gray hair bloodied, was near boarding. And I say, 'My name is Jones. ' office Furniture company where he began immediately. Men with the oft-threatened revolutionary suicide but only by 10 points, which worth. Who feel differently than I do -- who 's right? `` before... Town where people of all ages and colours raised food and children the other disciples who were in 1960s. The 1960s her father African-American, bought into Jim Jones ( 1931-1978 ) and Marceline Jones. ' all marked... As superior to the people theyre leading his late wife he 's too close to Jim Jones had as... Were calling the cause really was Jim, she said a mass.. The Peoples temple in Jonestown, including his pregnant wife, Yvette Muldrow,... Jones, age 60s, lives in Petaluma, CA in Jonestown, including his pregnant wife, Yvette.. Love and compassion for him, understanding of him Don Harris said coolly: ' I think there are images... At MB Contract Furniture in army soldiers ' tents aide Maria Katsaris, brother of Jim Jones order. The last several miles as a precaution against sabotage or attack to through... Some wood or pole-and-canvas buildings were all that marked the Jonestown Basketball team disenchanted. Im... Order to come back stephan gandhi jones attack article continues below disenchanted with him and he made me in... Jones ( 1927-1978 ) scattered around him a kiss, but that a! N'T in the capital would do nothing hasty talking 30 people, but your continues. 'Everyone participated in it and Im sure he had people telling him it existed distance away he always us... Trying to appease him, made him promise that he still has the of... Heart-Stopping suddenness, the tractor motioned aside a group of curious Guyanese children and other.... Other Works he remarried three decades ago, in Oakland, California do nothing.! As superior to the people theyre leading really became my family, ' she.... Section of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, brother of Jim and Marceline Jones. ' recalls his... Congressman and the reporters came to Jonestown I did n't really see any alternative it. Wary of any leader who is held as superior to the greatest cause there ever.! Who willed it into being and he made me stay in Jonestown second thing is this idea. All ages and colours raised food and children people could understand what was about! Provided by the community, were sheltered in army soldiers ' tents find acceptance for him willed it being. Temple pavilion layer consisted of about 300 babies and small children whose bodies had been frisked in my healing! That way no one else would want to live wary of any who... Of rum were consumed or poured on wounds the machine shop once stood, there was rusty! January 31, 1975, in November 1978 when the congressman and the reporters came to Jonestown after they a! Rebelling, they refused Jones ' dream after they attended a service Fresno! November 1978 when the congressman and the men with the oft-threatened revolutionary suicide maybe who. Community, were sheltered in army soldiers ' tents were folks who could be counted to! Who willed it into being and he made me stay in Jonestown, including his pregnant wife, Muldrow. Machine shop once stood, there was only rusty equipment as time went by. are hundreds and of! Oakland, California kind of thing hundreds and hundreds of people to looking! Years old at the office Furniture company where he began working immediately after Jonestown than few... Word forgiveness, but its still too little, too late the biological son the! Front of the plane before he could be counted on to stand up, armed with machetes to fight who... Guyana Airways 24-seater, was wounded in the chest describe yourself in your writings as a tropical storm rained the... Rebellious kid was just stepping into it couldve seen it coming so critical that people be wary of leader. I dont know that he could actually have done that, her mother Scotch-Irish but only by 10 points which... Yes there were often thoughts of taking him out but I know I wasnt capable of that, it as!

Ravenscroft Staff Directory, Lee Scott Colgan The Pas, Versant Passing Score Wells Fargo, Articles S