Making Room for Change

“When we deployed shame, we were utilizing an immensely powerful tool. It was coercive, borderless, and increasing in speed and influence. Hierarchies were being leveled out. The silenced were getting a voice. It was like the democratization of justice.” -Ronson, p. 10 When someone does or says something truly ugly, the impulse is so strong …

Reflections and What I’ve Been Up To

Thought I’d give you all a small update on what I’ve been up to lately. As many of you know, I’ve been working on a book about Peoples Temple. In the midst of researching many writings, documents, audio, and the wealth of material that exists on the subject, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to …

Q & A with Dr. Rebecca Moore

Over the past several months, I've corresponded with Dr. Rebecca Moore. In case you don't recall, she is the sister of Carolyn Layton and Annie Moore, who were prominent figures in Peoples Temple and in Jonestown (Check out the Jonestown category/tag to read previous posts on this topic). Dr. Moore is also the co-founder and …

Harbor Terrace, Part Four: Carl H. Drew

CW: DISCUSSION OF VIOLENCE *NOTE: STARRED NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED OUT OF RESPECT FOR THEIR PRIVACY. HAVEN’T READ PART THREE YET? READ IT HERE. "Surely many would find what we involved ourselves in, as objectionable." - Carl Drew Carl H. Drew grew up on a farm in New Hampshire. It's been very difficult to find much …

Harbor Terrace, Part One: The Place I’ve Always Lived, and The Story I’ve Always Been Told

CW: Some Discussion of Graphic Violence Scroll to the bottom for a glossary of people in this story. *Note: Starred names have been changed out of respect for their privacy. Are you proud of your hometown? I have mixed feelings about mine. Certainly, there are many things about Fall River, Massachusetts that I'd consider positive …

Anger, Blame, Empathy, and Understanding in the Wake of Extreme Violence

CW/TW: Discussion of suicide and violence I felt compelled to write this opinion piece after recently reading Understanding Jonestown and Peoples Temple by Rebecca Moore, who is the sister of two prominent Temple members, Carolyn Layton and Annie Moore. After reading this book, I think that, in my anger over the death of so many …

The Mystery Tape

Author's Note: Since originally publishing this piece, this article was brought to my attention. Reading it has prompted me to write an addendum, which you can find at the end of this piece. Among the multitude of disturbing images and ideas that my imagination produces when I'm thinking about the massacre at Jonestown, one of …

My Weird Obsession with Number Stations

You know how your senses can take you back to a place and time? Smells, scents, tastes...they can provoke a flood of memories, good or bad. A Vietnam veteran might flinch when a car backfires, because at that moment he's back in the dark, muggy jungle with bullets whizzing past his head. The same can …

Reflections & Opinions on Jonestown

I am revamping some of my Jonestown/ Peoples Temple pieces to reflect new (to me) information and changes in my own understanding and opinions on the subject matter. I'll make it known on my socials when I publish those. I intended to leave them up to make a point - that it is okay to …

Why I Often Think About Henry “Hank” Gafforio

As an avid consumer of the true crime genre, I obviously read about a whole spate of sad things. An occurrence that I find particularly sad, though, is when certain people who have been harmed seem to slip through the cracks, fading into obscurity over time as if they never existed. Society attributes greater or …