upper waypoint

40 Years After Jonestown, Moscone and Milk

51:43
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

San Francisco Housing Commissioner Jim Jones at an anti-eviction rally at the I-Hotel at 848 Kearny Street in Manilatown, Sunday, January 16, 1977. Jones was the leader of the People's Temple and 900 members of the church perished after Jones ordered them to drink cyanide-laced punch.  (Nancy Wong/Wikimedia)

In November 1978, the city of San Francisco was struck by back-to-back tragedies. First, a local religious group became an international story when its leader ordered nearly a thousand of his followers to commit suicide at Jonestown. Then, just nine days later, Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were gunned down in City Hall. On the 40th anniversary of this time of overwhelming grief in San Francisco, we look back on the impact the assassinations had on the city, and we hear the story of one man determined to trace his personal connection back to Jonestown.

Click the play button above to listen to a KQED News special.

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Pro-Palestinian Protests Sweep Bay Area College Campuses Amid Surging National MovementAt Least 16 People Died in California After Medics Injected Sedatives During Police EncountersCalifornia Regulators Just Approved New Rule to Cap Health Care Costs. Here's How It WorksState Court Upholds Alameda County Tax Measure Yielding Hundreds of Millions for Child CareYouth Takeover: Parents (and Teachers) Just Don't UnderstandSan José Adding Hundreds of License Plate Readers Amid Privacy and Efficacy ConcernsViolence Escalates in Sudan as Civil War Enters Second YearCalifornia Law Letting Property Owners Split Lots to Build New Homes Is 'Unconstitutional,' Judge RulesSF Emergency Dispatchers Struggle to Respond Amid Outdated Systems, Severe UnderstaffingLess Than 1% of Santa Clara County Contracts Go to Black and Latino Businesses, Study Shows