Thanks to Ms. Marcela del Alcazar for no Bill Clinton – I’ll let you decide a white preacher from Indiana who inviting me to a reception at her art whether that was a compliment or a had a largely black congregation. gallery on November 10th. Some San criticism.) The movie’s poster was Seeking a more liberal environment, Francisco readers may remember her funny, too – it had a drawing of Hart’s they relocated to the northern International Village Gallery on campaign bus driving off a cliff. Then town of Redding, then to Larkin Street. This year it moved to I read Mick LaSalle’s lukewarm ’s Fillmore district. Menlo Park and was rechristened review of it in the Chronicle and Marcela’s Village. decided to skip it. Contrary to traditional media reports, Jones wasn’t really a man of God, but Arturo Garcia, born in Mexico and Mick pointed out the film’s a communist atheist who had traveled raised there and in Spain, has studied inconsistent timelines and other to North Korea. Before the massacre, painting in those places, plus San inaccuracies. He also wondered why it Jones had considered moving his Francisco, and New York, where he was made. In 1988 the Reagan to the Soviet Union. now resides. The paintings were administration was wildly popular striking – often mundane subject because the economy was booming matter that overwhelms you with and the world situation had stabilized. lifelike rendering. So let’s make a movie about a guy who wouldn’t have lost as badly as While there I got to meet Mr. Michael Dukakis did? Alejandro Toledo, who was president of Peru from 2001 to 2006. We hit it Despite not making it to the Oval off well and he even gave me his Office, Gary Hart made it to Ronald cellphone number. Though as we Kessler’s book, “Inside the President’s talked more, he looked like he Secret Service.” In it, secret service (Photo of by Nancy Wong.) regretted doing that. agents remember Hart lounging in his When New West magazine published friend Warren Beatty’s hot tub with an article alleging torture and abuse Marcela del Alcazar is also from Peru, Hollywood starlets. has lived in Spain, and is now a were occurring at Jim Jones’ Peoples resident of Woodside. Her gallery is at And returning to the man who had the Temple, the congregation – or rather, 883 Santa Cruz Avenue. job that Hart wanted, agents remember the cult – moved to the South how Ronald Reagan found out about American nation of and set up XXXXXXXXXX the affair that dashed the young, a community called . photogenic Democrat’s presidential Russian Hill Upholstery & Décor is San Mateo congressman hopes. Reagan was getting into an still located in Nob Hill, not Russian and his aide, , went there elevator at the White House when an Hill. to investigate the allegations. Jones agent approached him with the news ordered his followers to die for about the Hart sex scandal. Reagan XXXXXXXXXX revolutionary socialism – drink poison nodded and said, “Boys will be boys.” or else be murdered. 918 people died. Notes on a movie I didn’t see and a Then the elevator doors closed. He As this was happening, Ryan and book I didn’t read: I never go to the Speier were about to board a plane to movies anymore, but a recent one looked at the agent next to him and said, “But boys will not be president.” return home. Jones’ gunmen arrived at seemed intriguing. It’s called “The the runway, killing Ryan and Frontrunner” and was about Gary XXXXXXXXXX wounding Speier. As he lay dying, Hart’s failed 1988 presidential run that Ryan told Speier he wanted her to take th th ended because of the appearance of November 19 was the 40 his seat in congress. She later did. infidelity. (Actually, it ended because anniversary of the Jonestown Hart dropped out of the race; he was Massacre. To sum it up, Jim Jones was In 2005 I was emailed a submission “Madman in Our Midst: Jim Jones and Temple Choir available on YouTube. for the Herald reminding all of us the California Cover-up” is a very Though it is tough to enjoy it when what a tragedy (or rather, act of evil) interesting article Tom and Kathleen you remember what happened to the 1978 Jonestown Massacre was. It Kinsolving wrote about what really them. made an impression, bringing back happened, and how the powers-that-be memories of the Seventies, a decade let it happen for their own benefit. There’s a photograph of dead someone once summed up as the You can read it online. Jonestown members below a sign of a hangover from the Sixties' party. quote from George Santayana: Those Though “Drink the Kool Aid” was YouTube has Jim Jones sermon clips, Who Do Not Remember The Past Are routinely used in popular lexicon his vulgar rantings, and his last words. Condemned To Repeat It. (even though the cult followers really There’s also audio of Temple It would be nice to think, when we drank poison-laced Flavor Aid), the members swearing their dedication to remember the unfortunate souls who actual massacre wasn't. Odd, really, as the violent overthrown of the U.S. bought Jim Jones’ social justice snake it was the largest single loss of government. No doubt Jones had them oil, that something like this could American civilian life in a non-natural do that as a way to blackmail them. never happen again. But if Jones was disaster until the events of September YouTube also has a KQED report two alive a few years ago, can you imagine 11, 2001. days after the massacre. On it, Willie how many of those Occupy protesters The author of the submission was Brown summed up the Peoples would have joined his Peoples Tom Kinsolving, son of Lester Temple as another organization that Temple? In this current age of Kinsolving, the journalist who warned could “deliver bodies” – an interesting politicians who get elected by the Bay Area about Jim Jones, the way to put it. Yes, Jones had a knack promising people free this and free diabolical cult leader of the Peoples for getting people to show up at the that, it probably could. Temple, until it was too late. rallies of politicians who supported him. If you want to read more about the Shortly after the email Tom, his sister San Francisco of 1978, there’s a new Kathleen, and I think their father (I Tom Kinsolving doesn’t cut Jones’ book titled “Cult City” by Daniel could be wrong) flew out from back former supporters any slack. Besides Flynn. It follows the what you’ve east to attend Berkeley Rep's Willie Brown, they included Jerry heard is wrong tone of Kinsolving, production of a play about Jonestown. Brown, Cecil Williams, , including debunking the I didn't attend the play, but I went with George Moscone, Jane Fonda, Angela was a right-winger who killed Harvey them to a Q and A event made up of Davis, Phil Burton, Herb Caen, Milk because he was gay narrative. journalists who covered the Peoples Carlton B. Goodlett, and Rosalind White was a Democrat who supported Temple in the Seventies. After the Carter. (Supervisor Milk and Mayor affirmative action - and, ironically, panel answered a few questions, Moscone were murdered nine days gun control – who murdered Milk implying the local press tried after the massacre by ex-supervisor over a non-gay related issue, and doggedly to expose Jones, Tom Dan White.) whose campaign manager/ chief of politely called out from the audience staff/ business partner was gay. He also refers to those who espouse that their answers weren't true, and the Jim Jones was a nice guy until he Also, in this issue of the Herald, you backed his assertions with old went crazy near the end narrative, as can read “San Francisco 1978” by Ace newspaper clippings, telling them that well as those rattling off the usual trite Backwords. they “blew it.” conspiracy theories, as Jonestown apologists. The San Francisco Herald is ©2018 by The journalists onstage were left Gene Mahoney (except work not done by speechless. One even hung his head in Stanley Nelson, who survived the Mr. Mahoney as artists retain the apparent shame. massacre (and whom Kinsolving copyright to their own work). The characters, events, and situations in Good considers a Jonestown apologist) When the Jonestown Massacre made Clean Fun comics are fictitious; any the news in 1978, I was 13 years old made a movie, “Jonestown: The Life similarity to persons living, dead, or in and living in New York, and figured it and Death of Peoples Temple.” You hiding is purely coincidental. Though well- was just some freaky religious cult in can read a transcript of Lester and known people and places appear, it’s a California that went amok. Little did I Tom Kinsolving confronting Nelson at work of fiction, none of the events ever know how influential Jim Jones and a screening of it online. happened. Ads do not appear in online version. Contact: Gene Mahoney, P.O. his Peoples Temple were in San Amidst all the ugliness, there is some Box 843, Redwood City, California 94064 Francisco. beautiful gospel music by the Peoples

culture, and that was in late 1969 when All that would change — San San Francisco 1978 the so-called “60s” was almost over. Francisco’s smug sense of itself — a couple years later in 1978, when ex-San By Ace Backwords The watershed moment was when Francisco supervisor Dan White snuck Nixon resigned in the summer of 1974. into City Hall with a loaded gun and Stumbled across an internet discussion It was as if the cultural war that had murdered Mayor Moscone and about former San Francisco mayor been “the 60s” was finally over. And supervisor Harvey Milk in cold blood. George Moscone the other day - “Was the hippies had been declared the Moscone a cool guy or an asshole?” victors. Nixon had resigned in disgrace, Got me thinking ’bout those old days. the Vietnam War had been exposed as a colossal failure and — whaddaya’ I remember Mayor Moscone as being a know? — the Hippies had been right all pretty popular figure back then. San along! So naturally it was Party Time!!! Francisco really fancied itself as the hip, progressive City That Knew A I think another slightly misunderstood Better Way back then. We were ahead aspect of that period is this: When of the curve and it would be years people think of “the ’60s” they think of before the rest of America (the the hippies and the counterculture and Neanderthals!!) caught up with us. And the Civil Rights Movement and all that. George Moscone seemed the perfect But basically, what it was - it was a mayor for those times. He had that hip, Liberal Revolution. Nixon, and all he cool Clinton/Kennedy image. I mean, represented (white, middle-class, he drove a flashy convertible sports car, heterosexual, Christian, Republican was rumored to have a black girlfriend, males) had lost. And the Liberals had and he had a well-stocked bar in his won. And when you look at it, when office at City Hall. You could easily you look at virtually every social imagine Moscone by mid-afternoon, change in American society from the calling it a day, and breaking out the ’60s to the present (and there have been martinis. Making many a’ toasts to that plenty of these changes) almost all the This incident, too, is slightly beloved City By The Bay. changes have moved America in a more misunderstood. I heard they recently and more liberal direction (which I Moscone seemed as much a toast- made a Hollywood movie about this guess is why American society keeps master general — the convivial party incident, and Dan White is portrayed as getting better and better every year, he host — as he did a politician. And a raging homophobe. I’m sure this says, sardonically). make no mistake, my friend, those were makes for an exciting Hollywood PARTY days back then. The mid- And believe me, San Francisco at that villain, but the truth (as usual) is 1970s. time was Party Central. I remember slightly different. In fact, Dan White’s hitting San Francisco for the first time campaign manager/ business partner/ The 1970s are a slightly understood in the summer of ’76 as a wee lad of 19. close friend was gay. And in fact, decade. People think of “the ’60s” as And I’ll never forget that first Gay White had generally sided with Milk this wild decade. In fact, the 1960s Freedom Parade I went to (well, I for most of his tenure as supervisor. It were NOTHING compared to the 1970s didn’t actually go to it, I happened to be wasn’t until White got into a non-gay when it came to “sex and drugs and living on the streets so I was there in issue dispute with Milk and Moscone rock 'n roll.” People think of the ’60s the midst of it whether I went to it or that he went ballistic. And it's worth and they think of all these wild hippies. not). I remember this open-air, flat-bed noting, White gunned down the But in truth, that whole business really truck going down Market Street with all decidedly un-gay Moscone first. But I didn’t catch on until the ’70s. The these half-naked men chained to guess that’s neither here nor there. hippie counterculture was really just a crucifix-like boards while big, beefy Harvey Milk was the first openly gay tiny fringe thing in the ’60s. In fact, I leather boys whipped them on their elected politician in America. So his don’t remember seeing a single long- backs. And everyone seemed like they place in history was already secure. haired hippie guy in my entire town in were wired out of their minds on speed. And his martyrdom cemented it. the suburbs of New Jersey until around It had the air of a frantic party that had Though it's likely Dan White wasn’t so 1970. It wasn’t until Woodstock that been going on non-stop for weeks, with much a homophobe as just your garden the hippie thing first really started to no end in sight. variety flaming asshole. catch on with mainstream American I remember hitching from Berkeley ministered to the black community in back to San Francisco on the night they the inner city. His whole act had been announced the Dan White verdict. He pulled directly from the Heroic Civil only got sentenced to about 7 years, Rights Leader handbook. And in fact, I thanks to the famous “ don’t remember hearing one single bad defense.” (The story everyone believes word about the Reverend Jim Jones is that White claimed he had been from a single Bay Area media outlet in binging on Twinkies prior to the all those years, pre-massacre. In fact, I shooting - and his blood sugar went remember several hugely laudatory haywire - causing temporary insanity. articles in the San Francisco Bay The reality is that a psychiatrist at the Guardian — that muck-rakin’, truth- trial said White went from eating seekin’ progressive tabloid. (Though, healthy food and dressing well to eating in typical Guardian blowhard fashion junk food and wearing dirty clothing, — they had the gall to run a big article which indicated depression - thus the after the massacre blaming the San “diminished capacity” defense.) Francisco Chronicle and the San I spotted this posted on a bulletin board Francisco Examiner for misleading the and it made me wonder . . .### Anyways, that night hitching to the public about Jim Jones.) city, I got picked up by a station wagon And now… a clip from a 2016 full of gay guys. They were going to Overnight, San Francisco went from column of The Society Page San Francisco for a quiet, peaceful, being the Hip Cool city to “the Whacko dignified candle-light protest, to voice Capital of America.” San Francisco By Gene Mahoney their displeasure over the White verdict would never quite regain its - which quickly escalated into a mass equilibrium. And, as they always say at I was walking down Polk Street riot, with City Hall set on flames and the end of portentous blogs like this: “It recently and noticed that Russian Hill dozens of police cars burned to a crisp. was the end of an era.”### Upholstery and Decor is still around. I The cops responded in kind by remember putting up posters around storming into a Castro Street gay bar, If you’re goin’ to San there to promote a client years ago - armed with billy clubs, and beating the and a woman who worked there came holy crap out of any gay-looking person Fran-cis-co . . . out of the store and asked me if I was they could find. It was like a night of embarrassed to be putting up posters for citywide warfare. The famous White By Ace Backwords a living. And that's when it hit me: How Night riots. (When a reporter asked does a mere mortal achieve such For about 9 years, from 1976 to 1984 I some gay guys why they were greatness to actually work in an mostly considered myself a “San destroying the city, one of them upholstery store? Franciscan.” I lived and/or worked in famously replied: “I guess we ate too San Francisco during that period. And many Twinkies.”) Hey, who knows – maybe she actually it was the center of my professional and managed it. Or owned it! I don't know, The city had already been reeling from social life. my meager intellect is just musing out the Jonestown Massacre, which had loud, so to speak. You read Herb Can every morning and happened just a week before Moscone you felt you were a part of this special and Milk had been murdered, so it was In this society we practically deify community. There was still a real like a double whammy - a one-two doctors, lawyers, scientists, and others charm and magic to San Francisco back punch in the gut. in extremely cerebral professions. But then. It was filled with like-minded we often forget about upholstery Like Moscone and Milk, the Reverend people like me, who had come from all salespeople. So right now, think of this Jim Jones had been another San over the U.S., drawn by this vision we woman I wrote about, and be justifiably Francisco institution during those had in our heads of what San Francisco humbled. times. And the /suicide of 918 was. And it largely lived up to that people (a good many of them former vision. Oh, by the way, Russian Hill San Francisco citizens) was truly mind- Upholstery and Decor is located in Nob Nowadays, I haven’t been to San boggling. Jim Jones was practically a Hill, not Russian Hill. If that woman I Francisco in years. I wonder if I’m liberal wet-dream. He (falsely) claimed wrote about is reading this, you might missing out on anything. to be of Native American Indian want to fix that.### ancestry, he adopted numerous children of different races and ethnicities, and he