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March 4, 2019 • 1hr 31min
#11 - God's Socialist: Prologue
The Martyr Made Podcast
This episode serves as a prologue to a series exploring Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple cult. The host, Darryl Cooper, explains that this episode will provide some background stories and ideas to set the stage for the full series to come. He notes that the next episode will be released in the coming weeks.
Cooper frames the Peoples Temple story as a window into the rise, radicalization, and eventual destruction of 1960s protest and civil rights movements. He positions the 1978 Jonestown mass suicide as a shattering end to that era. The host encourages listeners to give the series a chance, even if they think they aren't interested in the topic.
#11 - God's Socialist: Prologue
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Key Takeaways
- This episode serves as a prologue to a series exploring Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple cult
- The host provides historical context around racial tensions and violence against African Americans in the 20th century United States
- Stories are shared about Latino gang violence against African Americans in modern-day Los Angeles
- The Great Migration of African Americans from the South to Northern cities is discussed, including the challenges and violence they faced
- The host reflects on encounters with homeless individuals and grapples with questions of moral responsibility
- Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple are introduced as a movement that aimed to help the poor and marginalized before ending in mass suicide
- The episode sets up the series to explore the radicalization of leftist movements in the 1960s-70s through the lens of Peoples Temple
Introduction
This episode serves as a prologue to a series exploring Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple cult. The host, Darryl Cooper, explains that this episode will provide some background stories and ideas to set the stage for the full series to come. He notes that the next episode will be released in the coming weeks.
Cooper frames the Peoples Temple story as a window into the rise, radicalization, and eventual destruction of 1960s protest and civil rights movements. He positions the 1978 Jonestown mass suicide as a shattering end to that era. The host encourages listeners to give the series a chance, even if they think they aren't interested in the topic.
Topics Discussed
Racial Violence in Modern Los Angeles (1:33)
The episode begins with a lengthy excerpt from a 2007 Southern Poverty Law Center report on Latino gang violence against African Americans in Los Angeles. Key points include:
- Latino street gangs are engaging in a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against African Americans in some LA neighborhoods
- The violence is often random and motivated solely by racial hatred
- The Mexican Mafia prison gang has issued a "green light" authorizing violence against all African Americans
- Specific stories are shared of African Americans murdered by Latino gang members
- The racial violence has been ongoing for over a decade but is escalating in frequency and intensity
- African American populations in many LA neighborhoods are declining as a result of the violence and intimidation
The Great Migration and Northern Resistance (45:59)
Cooper transitions to discussing the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to Northern cities in the early-mid 20th century. Key points include:
- African Americans fled lynchings and violence in the South only to face riots and firebombings in Northern cities
- A story is shared of the 1951 Cicero Race Riot, where a white mob violently prevented a black family from moving into the Chicago suburb
- European immigrant communities in Northern cities often violently resisted the arrival of African Americans
- The "Red Summer" of 1919 saw racial violence explode in dozens of US cities as black populations increased
Cooper argues this history shows African Americans have faced continuous oppression and violence since slavery, even as they sought better lives in new regions.
Reflections on Homelessness and Moral Responsibility (56:11)
The host shares personal stories of encounters with homeless individuals in Los Angeles and reflects on questions of moral responsibility. Key points include:
- Cooper describes feeling conflicted about how much help to offer a beaten, shoeless homeless man he encountered
- He reflects on habitually walking past a severely mentally ill homeless man in his neighborhood
- Cooper grapples with how to justify not doing more to help, given his relative privilege and resources
- He imagines being judged harshly for his inaction at a hypothetical Day of Judgment
- The host suggests we tell ourselves stories to avoid confronting the full humanity of homeless individuals we encounter
Introduction of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple (1:10:13)
Cooper introduces Jim Jones and Peoples Temple as a movement that aimed to help society's outcasts and marginalized. Key points include:
- Jones and his followers fed thousands of hungry people and comforted the forgotten and outcast
- They welcomed all, including addicts, criminals, and the mentally ill
- Jones denounced the world as evil and sought to create a place of peace for his followers
- The host draws parallels between Jones and Jesus Christ in their missions to help the downtrodden
- Cooper notes that "saviors of the world" tend to lack compromise and can become radicalized
Framing of the Peoples Temple Story (1:14:13)
The host provides context for how he will approach telling the Peoples Temple story in the series. Key points include:
- The series will not just be a biography of Jones, but will explore the social movements Peoples Temple was connected to
- Cooper positions the story as a microcosm of the radical left's trajectory from the 1960s to 1970s
- He argues Peoples Temple has more in common with radical leftist groups than other religious cults
- The series will trace the path of radicalization from civil rights to black power to revolution
- Cooper notes Jones would be remembered as a civil rights pioneer if he had died in the 1960s instead of leading a mass suicide in 1978
The Final Moments at Jonestown (1:16:13)
Cooper vividly describes the scene of mass suicide at Jonestown in November 1978. Key details include:
- Over 900 people, mostly poor African Americans from urban areas, died at Jones' command
- The host imagines Jones surveying the scene of dead bodies after the suicides
- He recounts how Jones' wife Marceline tried to stop the suicides but was restrained
- Cooper reflects on the series of compromises that led followers to this point
- He notes most followers went to their deaths voluntarily, viewing it as "revolutionary suicide"
Structure of the Podcast Series (1:28:42)
Cooper outlines how he has structured the podcast series on Peoples Temple:
- It will include both long narrative episodes and shorter topical episodes
- Tangential topics like 1960s-70s radical movements will be covered to provide context
- Episodes will explore religious movements, the FBI's COINTELPRO program, leftist militant groups, and more
- The host plans to release episodes every few weeks until the story is fully told
Conclusion
This prologue episode sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of Jim Jones, Peoples Temple, and the broader context of 1960s-70s social movements and radicalization. By providing historical background on racial tensions and reflections on moral responsibility, Cooper frames the Jonestown story as a microcosm of larger societal issues. The host promises a comprehensive series that will go beyond just recounting events to grapple with the complex factors that led to the tragic ending of Peoples Temple. Listeners are encouraged to approach the series with an open mind, as Cooper aims to provide new perspectives on a story that is often reduced to clichés.