Memorial for Jonestown Mass-Suicide Erected After 32 Years

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES

Friends and family members were encouraged to make crayon rubbings
of the Jonestown memorial plaque unveiled Sunday (Image Courtesy OaklandNorth)

CALIFORNIA - 32 years ago, 918 followers of Jim Jones died at Jonestown, the spiritual encampment established in the jungles of Guyana intended to be utopia. The victims were coerced by Jim Jones in the Peoples Temple to drink cyanide-laced koolaid as authorities closed in on his camp, resulting in one of the largest mass suicides in history. Red tape and conflicts among families over whether to include Jones' name on the memorial spanned 32 years until a resolution was made Thursday when an Alameda County Superior Court judge gave permission to proceed with the memorial, which includes Jones' name among the victims.[link]