Transcript prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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(Note: This tape was one of the 53 tapes initially withheld from disclosure.)
Jones: All right. Nothing else? That’s the final praise. (unintelligible name) good attitude and very good worker for the past three weeks, we praise him, highly for that and we’ll reward you. All you that’re praised, let’s stand up please.
Crowd: (hubbub)
Jones: Tell your neighbor three miracles. There’ve been plenty of them.
Crowd: (hubbub)
Jones: (Hums)
Crowd: (hubbub) (organ plays)
(rhythmic clapping)
Jones: (sings) I’m grateful, I’m mighty grateful, I’m so grateful– (speaks) Everybody now, join in–
Unknown male 1: (sings) I’m mighty grateful–
Jones: (unintelligible word) listen–
Unknown male 1: (sings) He has led us–
Jones: (sings, harmonizes with male) –another day, I’m so grateful, I’m mighty grateful, He has led us on our way/ He’s in my joy, my joy, my joy/ My joy and sorrow, (unintelligible) tomorrow/ He’s been my shelter/ In the time of (unintelligible)/ He’s been my friend/ When we got lost/ That’s why I’m grateful/I’m mighty grateful– (speaks) Come on, let’s clap our hands, (unintelligible under male’s singing), Come on–
(tape edit) (Pause)
Jack Beam: Well, they found one where I did it. Two of ‘em, in the trash. Now these steel packs are for your protection. If you get a cut or a tourniquet or something on uh– in those, to be able to help you out, uh, supervisors. So I want an accounting of every one of those, so I’ll know who lost their packs in the trash. And we’ll take care of that in our department, we don’t have to take care of that, and then we’ll feed you to the people next rally. (Pause)
Tomorrow, the junior high will work in agriculture, from 8:30 to 11:30 am. They’ll be with their teacher, uh, we’ll harvest young cutlass beans. They should wear boots if they have them. In the past, the junior high school has rendered valuable assistance in agriculture. They have proven themselves to be hard workers in the field and a real credit to Dad and socialism. We’re looking forward to seeing them in the same good work out there tomorrow. And I’m sure that they– that the family is looking forward to having some of those good cutlass bean patties from the young cutlass beans that they will be harvesting. The teachers will be with their students, should meet Gene Chaikin at the dining room tent, and they will all go together out to the field.
Also, I’d like to report: three weeks projection. And we would like to have everybody’s uh, cooperation in this. If we ask you to uh, uh, do things, and some of you people will be called on to fill in for some of the younger, more uh, energetic folk that we have here, and uh– so we’ll be asking, maybe you seniors uh, that we see, uh, and try to get you involved.
Uh, here’s the schedule. And also before I say that, I never had a chance to say it to our crews, but don’t come and tell me that we’ve got a field harvested, if you said we just harvested the potatoes for that day, uh, because I have to arrange tractor time or Cat time in the field and– for plowing and to get it ready for our new crop. And so somebody told me, after we had those 700 pounds of sweet potatoes harvested that we’d harvested the field, or they’d harvested it all. Anyhow, I got the message out of it, the field was cleared, and there’s a lot more sweet potatoes out there to be harvested, so I don’t want that mistake.
But here’s the three week projection. In other words, if you harvest that day, let us know whether stuff’s still in the field so we won’t arrange tractor time in there.
Charlie Touchette: (unintelligible), Jack [Beam].
Beam: It’s six– uh, it’s a ten-acre field.
Touchette: (unintelligible)
Beam: I know. I found that out. We’re going out there and harvest topa– potatoes in the same field tomorrow. But – listen to this, bu– (unintelligible word) brought this up, you’ll hear it. Three week projection. Field 6. Harvest sweet potatoes and plow and plant beans, ten acres. For black-eyed peas and beans, all of that’s going in there. So I’ve only got one– one– one harvest out of there, so as Charlie said, it’s about one-tenth done.
Voice in crowd: (unintelligible)
Beam: Hmm?
Voice in crowd: It’s four to five acres done.
Beam: Four to five acres left. Uh– Field X, harvest black beans, plow and plant uh, with sweet potatoes. There’s 13 acres there. Field 11, reap (unintelligible word) and stake the field out. Plant bananas, (same unintelligible word, sounds like “seckers”), and eddoes. There’s nine and a third acres out there. The uh– uh, field 17, rotoplow and plant black beans, eight acres there. Field 19, harvest black beans, uh, plow, then plant kidney beans. There’s ten acres there. Windrow East House, plant with bananas and eddoes, three acres there. Field 14, plow field and plant beans and cassava. Fifteen acres there. Field 7, intensive agriculture field, we’ll uh, do drains and uh, roads and plow to get it ready for planting crops. Lastly– Well, I think you got this last week, (unintelligible word) harvested black beans, sweet potatoes and rice. On uh, the 16th, six hundred and uh, s– ninety-eight pounds of sweet potatoes. Also harvested 95 pounds of rice. Uh, we’ve got the uh, rice, as we’re running a race with the blackbirds out there, to see who’s going to get our rice this year, and I think we’re– we’re just uh, holding our own out there, and that’s why you heard the report that Dad gave that uh, we’re picking it a little– little green and cutting it off, and it– if you see a– a tarp laying out here at the side, uh, Comrade [Jewell James] Simpson has got the rice laying out that where he can roll it up in there to bring it in when it starts to rain. But we’re having to dry it that way. Also we uh, (pause) are going to have some black beans, I think, probably in the next day or two, to eat., because uh, we had another uh, neglected– a negligent act. Uh, I’d started– I got permission to use our clothes dryer uh, to dry the black beans in – two hundred pounds of ‘em – and I left a– a brother in charge, and uh, when I left him, I showed him everything to do, and he left one whole sack and didn’t dry ‘em, so we tried to dry ‘em the next day, but they had just started to get a little mildew on ‘em. They’re good to eat, they’re not– there’s nothing wrong with it eating, but we’re afraid if we would go on and dry ‘em out with that little bit of mildew started, if they’d ever get damp or anything, we’d put ‘em away. We chan– take a chance of losing ‘em. So, what we’re saying is, when we ask you to do a job, especially if it’s harvesting time, the people that are in charge that uh, tell me, I don’t begin to know, uh, uh, a tenth of what I should about farming. I know how to work, I know how to stir people up, and I know how to make people mad, but I have to com– I have to use every person on this– on this panel to tell me what’s happening. And if I come to you and I tell you a way to do something, I haven’t taken that– that on my own, I have conferred with one of my comrades up here, that that’s their field or that’s their specialty, and we want you to follow it out to the tee. All right?
Crowd: (Stirs)
Beam: So much for my report. And I thank you.
(Pause)
Male 2: Anybody here who has any suggestions on how to keep birds out of– out of the field– the birds out of the rice field, uh, could you turn in your suggestion to the agricultural office.
(tape edit)
Male 2: I– I didn’t say voice them all, you know, out loud–
Jones: Don‘t– don’t speak like birds. One at a time. (Pause) We ask you for some rec– uh, recommendation. If anybody know enough to stand on your own or to mumble like a bunch of clucking hens. What is it?
Woman 1: Father, when I raised a garden, we’d make something like a scarecrow, and we’d take the uh, bottoms out of, you know, uh, vegetable cans, those little round pieces that come out of the cans, and stick a hole in it and tie a string on it, and tie it on the arm of the scarecrow, and the– the wind, you know, (unintelligible) scare them away too.
Jones: I hope they’re not the kind of birds we get over here on these goddamn wires here. They were– they wouldn’t even get scared when you shoot ‘em.
Crowd: (Stirs)
Jones: What?
Woman 2: Uh, you don’t have to make the scarecrows, you can just fix up some poles and put some wires across them and take the tin– the tin tops, and string them on the wire. And the wind– when the wind– get ‘em, hanging down, and when the wind blow, let them hit together and they’ll scare the birds away.
Voices in crowd: (Faint)
Jones: (Laughs) Oh, shit, what is the damn– Let’s eat– let’s– let’s shoot the birds and eat them.
Voice: (unintelligible)
Jones: By the way– By the way– By the way, someone gave a, uh– a, uh– I don’t know, the driver hasn’t always been that (Stumbles over words)– You caught a turtle, and you gave the turtle to– away. Shouldna done that, that shoulda been brought here to put in for our children and– (unintelligible word) nutritional food, great big land turtle, and you gave it away. (Pause) I met– I met ‘em right in the damn drive, he said, well, uh, it was– it was given to me, by one of you. Well, I almost wanted to take it back, but it’d cause quite a public relations problem. Don’t give anything away. These turtles are delicious food.
Young man: Dad, the turtle was found on our road and uh, when the guy picked it up, he put it in the back, and he asked us if he could have it, and I said no, we’re gonna keep it, and then, when I drove up in the truck, before I could turn the truck around, he asked Bob Rankin if he could have it, and Bob said yes. And that’s when all the guests were– were standing right there in front of him.
Rankin: Uh– uh, he had got out of the truck and– and– and– and then picked it up, I do– I didn’t know who had (unintelligible under Jones).
Jones: You had (unintelligible word) food, Bob. I’m telling you, there’s a protein lack in some people. The beans are gonna help a great deal on this, but uh, uh– Well, not great protein lack, but we can always use the extra. And turtle’s one of the most delicious and rare meats there are. I– I uh– I don’t uh– You make turtle soup, it’s– it’s ridiculous. Ridiculous. I don’t know. That man’s not ve– I don’t– I don’t particularly like that man, uh, it wouldna made any difference if it’d been public relations with some of you, but I don’t like it, anybody (unintelligible) pick up a damn turtle, you guys oughta been looking around to find it yourself. You people oughta look when you go through there. There’s a lot of things you can see like that. Turtles, and they’re great big ones. They– He gonna kill it, so we might as well have.
Rankin: He asked me– He asked me what we used the turtle for, and I told him that we– we ate ‘em all the time. And I say, we find ‘em all the time and we eat ‘em, we put ‘em in our soup, and he agreed, yes. As a matter of fact, that’s– that’s what he said he was gonna do with it.
Jones: But he did it.
Voice in crowd: (hubbub)
Jones: If people will be observant enough out there, you could run into a lot of things that would help our protein. (Pause) Well, don’t make that mistake again, anyone here. Okay?
Voice in crowd: Yes, Dad.
Jones: Yes.
Beam: Uh, the last uh, two or three times that I’ve been out in this area here in the jungle, right in the front end of the jungle, we’ve found several of these uh, uh, what they call a bush turkey. It’s a powees. It’s rather a large bird with– it’s all black except a large area of white under its tail, and uh, they’re pretty good eatin’, and I think maybe if somebody go over there huntin’, I found– I found a flock of about a half a dozen of them over there. And uh– (unintelligible under Jones).
Jones: (unintelligible)
Male 3: Powees. Powees is the name of the bird.
Jones: I know– I know what they are. What– what field.
Male 3: It’s uh, it’s in that road that– directly west of Camp One, right– right down into the jungle there. All the way back ‘cross the field into the jungle.
Jones: Well, can uh, an arrow– with a bow and arrow do– do that?
Male 3: Y– Yes, if he had somebody uh, good enough and uh, get to ‘em, uh, they– they–
Jones: Do we have anybody good enough, (unintelligible word)?
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Male 4: I’m sorry to say, uh, I’m the only one at– at this time that I know of here that is accurate at any range.
Jones: Why don’t you try your luck at one wi– An arrow won’t fi– Uh, if it don’t, we can use our licensed– Yeah, we have no weapons. Anybody ever ask if you have guns? No. No. Guyana’s licensed some, plus we do not admit that to anybody coming in. Guyana doesn’t care, but it could hurt our people back there, because they say we’re an armed camp, gonna come back and take over the United States. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Voice in crowd: Yes.
Jones: So you see no guns, we don’t have them, we obviously don’t see them, and uh, we uh, remember certain things because we don’t want our people hurt back there. If you want your freedom here– because I’ll be back there, if they start on our people. I’m telling you, I’m not gone let ‘em be up against the wall. You better all breathe sigh of deep, deep concern, and uh, work hard so we can get them over here and quit wastin’, because if one of ‘em gets into some difficulty due to uh, our stupid mouths or some traitor, there will be quite a reaction to me– from me. (Pause) And all those who caused it will regret it.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: And I do mean that. And I can carry out my word.
Voice in crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: Peace. There a number of things you talk about constantly. They ask you if you get your mail, don’t– don’t (unintelligible) you remember what you want to, then open your big fat mouth, ‘cause we got somebody here. You get your mail? Yes, I get my own mail. Did anybody help you write it? No, I don’t need any help to write it. You understand what I’m saying?
Voice in crowd: Yes.
Jones: You better not say anything else now, you rea– better get your ears open and don’t make any big mistake now. Don’t you make any mistake. ‘Cause some of you like to make mistakes. You like the end of the world, then make a mistake. (Pause) Okay? What else was it? Obviously, we don’t have to talk about beatings and whipping. We don’t do that. We don’t hit people, ‘cept one here today, and that was not– that’s done with the total disapproval of this body, and another one is now permanently in– in uh, mental care because she bit. And I’ve warned you people to watch her, but some people think that I’m inhumane when I say those people should be kept under medical care. Any– In so– society keeps people under care. That woman tried to kill me with the cutlass. If I hadn’t had a revelation and looked around, she’da cut my head off. Orde Dennis. Now today, when she was required to take her medicine, she talked about slave camps and all sor– sort of– uh, so forth and so on, because she was required to take her medicine, and then turned around and bit to the– into the bone, into the skin, uh, one of– one of the Simon brothers. Mike Simon. Now, I’m telling you one thing, and it required tetanus. So– so she’s just permanently isolated from this community, and Guyana, the United States, anybody else would support us in that. So I don’t care about that. But we don’t talk about that either. But I’m not letting nuts run loose. We’re not going to have violence done to anybody. So don’t play your nutty game. And don’t uh, carry on with hysterical fits, because we’re not going to reward them. Stop your hysterics. That’s why I said, come off your game earlier tonight to someone. Don’t play any hysterical fits here. You go mad? We’ll treat you with a strait jacket.
Voice in crowd: Right.
Jones: I’m sick of this shit. Now (Pause) we do not uh, obviously have sermons on the air. We don’t have sermons. Six hours in every field, the P.A. system, we only have P.A. system in central area of the community. We don’t have them in the fields at all. That’s asinine. What else– You better get this stuff in your brain. We don’t bury babies, uh– uh– and uh, punish them by burying them. We don’t bury seniors up to their heads. We don’t bury people in boxes. We don’t put people in boxes. What in hell else?
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Jones: We don’t make our seniors go naked. Yes. Or go barefooted. What?
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Jones: Uh, we don’t give a damn who marries who. Nobody has to get approval for marriage. That’s ridiculous. Uh– people don’t even have to get legally married. That’s their choice. We don’t impose rules on the community in that way. So don’t– don’t– Uh– What is it?
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Jones: All families live together? Of course. They have their own individual homes and plenty of room and all we want to eat and all kinds of variety of fe– uh, food, and we have protein – that means meat – at every meal, and you do have it, in one form or another. Protein and meat is the same thing. You understand?
Voice in crowd: Yes.
Jones: Plenty of fruit– And you better not complain, damn you, not one, to anybody that comes in here. You hear me?
Voice in crowd: Yes.
Jones: And don’t start no more crap, ‘cause I’ve had enough of it. Don’t go out and start no more crap. (Pause) I’ll haunt your ass clear down– I don’t care where you hide, you hide in the ballyhoo, in the swamps of Mississippi. (Pause) I found one of the suckers in West Germany.
Voice in crowd: (hubbub)
Jones: Nobody hearing from him these days either. Take note, child. Take note. Don’t mess with this movement. We’re trying to harm no one, and never have harmed anybody. We’re peace-loving people, but don’t try to hurt my people and get my people in trouble back there. Don’t you do that. You can’t hurt us here, but don’t you do it. And I mean, don’t be mouthing off in front of people that come in here. You don’t know who they are. They may come in– Well, most of the people come in very friendly, but you don’t know CIA, someone can in– infiltrate, or a reporter could come in under false disguise. You got to be aware. Why, goddamnit, uh, even the Rolling Stone spoke of thousands of reporters working for the CIA. And I gave you a story about one [Martha Peterson], that’s named the same as our dear Rosa Peterson that I healed from cancer when she was in the Georgetown hospital, and the doctors gave her up. She has the same name she did. Do you remember that name? Who was that name? How many know that name, Rose Peterson, that connected this very week with the news. New York Times foreign edition spoke about it. What’d the woman do? She was– She worked for the CIA, and was acting like she was an innocent member of the US Embassy. A Consul. And she was putting the poison in a rock and explosives and slipping around in the busses of Moscow, and hid it under a bridge. Playing an all-American girl and good Christian, beauty queen, and now, by God, she– even in the USA, she’s not popular. What is it? What’s that? Oh uh– Okay.
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Jones: Said she not happy doing that cloak and dagger work, even though she got paid the money, she has to stay in exile in the Miami community. (unintelligible) with anybody.
Voice in crowd: (faint)
Jones: You don’t know who in the hell anybody is anymore, and you don’t who in the hell– So your best practice is to– You can talk about how happy you are and how wonderful it is. If they ask how you like the place, well, who wouldn’t like the place? Hear what I’m saying?
Voice in crowd: Yeah.
Jones: Who wouldn’t love the good food and the g– the good television and the wonderful shows. By the way, they tell me that I can’t show these television, because we cannot get the general– generators stabilized. Is there no way electricians– Uh, we got electrical problem, (unintelligible word) too, and the transformer shoulda been uh, uh, put on a priority. Is there’s no way that when that uh, cur– current is going uh, below par that we can’t disconnect? Someone monitor it? I hate to be put without television.
Television one of the great educators in uh– that we have. How many remember the golden years imprinted on your heart? Last night was a hell of a good movie, uh, when I saw it, it was a re– remarkable (unintelligible word), just exactly what US hospitals do, just exactly what it– they do, and yet a comedy of comedies. A take-off on all the religious nuts, and it’s so goddamn true, and yet it’s so goddamn funny. You’d laugh about it, if you didn’t– if– if you– you were living it, you wouldn’t. If you were in those hospitals– Say, it really happens every day. How many saw The Hospital? You must see it. It’s gonna be required. Tomorrow night, uh, set it up for tomorrow night, to see it, those who haven’t seen it. See it tomorrow night. It is funnier than hell, George C. Scott, and you’ll laugh your ass through it (short laugh), but it– you’ll– you’ll know– you say, (Stumbles over words) that can’t happen, somebody say, well, that’s too ridiculous. Ridiculous? I remember Helen Swinney who was gonna help this cause (Stumbles over words), the best surgeon in g– in the– Ukiah, and the best orthopedic specialist were gonna operate her knee, so she was gonna collect some money for this church, and she hadn’t even had a fall. She was just saying so. And by God, they were going to operate her. They said, yes, the X-rays say you’ve got it. That’s a bunch of butchers that want to do that.
Voice in crowd: Right.
Jones: And– What?
Male 5: And they operated on Cleave’s [Cleave Swinney] wrong knee.
Jones: They operated on Cleave’s wrong knee?
Voice in crowd: (hubbub)
Jones: No, no, no, Debbie Curtin. I don’t know about Cleave.
Male 5: Cleave was a long time ago.
Jones: They did operate on Cleave’s wrong knee?
Male 5: On (unintelligible word) my brother.
Jones: And they were gonna operate on Mike? Mike Lund [Michael Rozynko] over that time, he was gettin’ goddamned concerned, he put an x on the knee, he said, heh, heh, heh, heh. He put an x on the knee, that’s the only thing saved him.
Male 5: That’s right.
Jones: ‘Cause they had his ass– they had his ass runnin’ there to Mount Zion Hospital, and they– they gonna operate the wrong knee. He said, no, this is not the knee. (Laughs)
Scattered in crowd: (laughs).
Jones: Mike was pretty wise. (Laughs) He was scheduled for somebody else’s operation. I mean, that’s crazy shit, goes on at US hospitals.
Male 5: Right.
Jones: They took the transfusion– you heard the crap, we’ve brought nurses on the floor that took in– took out the life-saving intravenous, cut their bells off. There one old fucker that was committin’ murder in this movie, he said, well, I knew the way I could get by with the murders was to ring my bell. I knew that would guarantee me an hour and a half.
Scattered in crowd: (laughs).
Jones: That’s the damn truth. You ring your damn bell in the hospital, they’ll all ignore you, in US hospitals.
Male: That’s right.
Jones: So he said the best way he could know he’d have four– he’d have time to carry out his murders was to ring the bell. Nobody came. (Laughs) Funny, but it’s true. You don’t know what you’ve been saved from. By this time, some of you’d have been operated, and they’d been taking out shit from your bodies– over one-third of all cancer surgery’s unnecessary, in USA. (Pause) Something like one half of the breast surgeries. (Pause) You save yourself from a lot, and you need to be grateful for what you have. You say, there wonderful medicine? Sixty-some people in the medical profession here. Well, what do you ever see, a ratio of adults– that’s one (short laugh)– that’s one out of five adults, devoted to your medical care. That’s quite– That’s quite a program.
Male: It is.
Jones: Hmm?
Scattered in crowd: (agrees)
Jones: Now, you seniors better wake up, and you better give the right answer, ‘cause I better have nobody uh, gettin’ up and saying, well, (Stumbles over words) somebody come in, how do you feel, I fell off the top bunk of the bed.
Scattered in crowd: Ooh.
Jones: We’ll see if you can fall off the– two bunks the next time.
Scattered in crowd: (laughs).
Jones: Yes.
Male 6: Well, first of all, there’s a standby generator which we had planned to– to reinstall over here, and uh, we had hoped to run uh, another line from it to uh, to isolate this system. And that we hope will solve a lot of the problems. There is no guarantee on that for sure, but we– though, except by trying it– though we are pretty sure it will help a lot.
Jones: Is there any way we can monitor, so we can cut it off when we see the low voltage come in, because I– I– I’m understand (Stumbles over words) facing indefinite, or are we gonna face all the sets burned down, or what?
Male 6: Uh, again, when we uh– when we run this uh– what we’ll (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: Can they monitor it?
Male 6: Yes, we can, and also– also on the standby generator.
Jones: But they don’t. Professor [Richard] Tropp says they don’t.
Male 7: (fades in from off mike) –When the color goes– When the co– When the color goes out, and that thing goes black and white, you got low voltage. If it keeps flickering like that, you might as well turn the thing off, as far as I’m concerned, unless someone has got a better opinion, because the last time, we blew the thing out, we were out four months without that equipment, and we’re gonna do it again. If we keep running it on its fluctuating low voltage. That’s the way it looks to me.
Male 8: Well, we send around a whole new line through the uh, uh– single line for the generator that can hasndle this, you know, uh, TV gets along, it won’t be mixed up with the uh, radio.
Male 9: Nevertheless, uh, there’s– like we said, we still cannot guarantee (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: (unintelligible intro) –I understood that– (unintelligible) always understood that amperage, watt– wattage to run a radio, though they make all 600 watts, is actually 2000 watts. And I understand some of the radio operators say it’s not true. What is it?
Male 9: I’m not sure. We’ll have to look at the book. It couldn’t– They say– (pause) I looked– I looked today, we had– had a big fi– uh, argument over that and uh, the radio’s a long– they uh– it takes 300 watts to run ‘em apiece. We let– I can get a book, showing anybody who wants to right now. That’s– that’s (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: (unintelligible intro) –what I– what you read, but I– I’d always heard that we were putting out– I’ve heard them talking over, during this Q sewing they used to do all night, that these suckers to– that you’re doing a lot of it now, uh, I appreciate that much – to build up goodwill, but they would say that it was actually a 200– uh, 2000 watts.
Crowd: Stirs.
Male 9: Yeah– yeah. It– When we use the amplifier, but we don’t use it, ‘cause they don’t have proper voltage for that either. Uh, we always running the wrong voltage in the radio room for the radio, it’s down to uh, about a hundred three volts right now, and we did a lot of tests uh, w– just tonight, and there was low voltage in, you know, uh, everywhere. I don’t know if anything can be done about it, but I know that’s one– one of– one of the reasons we uh, didn’t have to go through radios so much is that you run the radios at low voltage so long, that’s what messes them up. If we– If uh, it would cut down– (tape edit)
Jones: (unintelligible intro) –wonder why we was using one radio after another. Well, we won’t have an endless supply of those radios. It’s gotta be stopped, chaps, it’s gotta be stopped.
Male 9: There’s– There is uh– There is uh, a– a– a leaflet which we got from uh, States just very recently which has a type of equipment which will regulate the voltage within a half a percent, for up to fifteen percent variation.
Jones: (unintelligible) ‘em to get that crap?
Male 9: And uh, I wanted to put that over the radio as soon as I could.
Jones: I told you uh, this afternoon, to make ‘em do it. Say it’s my order to get it done. Tonight.
Crowd: Stirs.
Male 10: We were– we were in the radio room tonight (clears throat) and for some reason or oth– for some reason or another, the radios in there are taking the voltage down 60 volts, just in that room alone. Now– for some reason or another, I cannot believe that something’s not happening out here at the same time with the voltage. But the operators say that nothing happens out here when the voltage drops and there are 60 volts. So we operated both– both radios at the same time the other night, it dropped the voltage 60 volts in there. Also, I still– I brought this up to Chris [Rozynko] today, and I’m gonna bring it up again, because I still think it’s wrong, I suggested that this third line be run in here before you move the generator. And you went ahead and said no, that wasn’t necessary. We switched generators, you st– you didn’t help the problem at all. Now you’re gonna switch back and run a third line. I think that you should take a note and listen to people more than what you do. I think you have a problem that you don’t listen to people, and I think from what I heard in the meeting today, even your comrades on the electrical crew also suggested that this third line be run before these generators were switched. I’d like to have the answer, Chris, as to why you went ahead and switched generators when it– now you’re switching them back again. It cost a great deal of time to do this.
Male 11: (in crowd, faint) –about the fourth or fifth time, that something like this has happened, where they gave– where they gave you a suggestion and you just override it. The– the– Another time, we uh, acquired some uh, motors, very expensive motors, and they told you, don’t wire it a certain way, and we lost fifteen hundred dollars on those motors. So why don’t you follow instructions from your– from your fellow people that work with you.
Rozynko: Okay, to begin with, uh, uh, they– they had their idea about the w– the wiring–
Male 11: (talks over Chris, unintelligible) And, just a second too, we– we do have a law, says when somebody’s on the floor, if you’re a companion or in a relationship, you’re supposed to be on the floor with them.
Rozynko: Okay, to begin with, uh, as far as this uh, this line is concerned, what uh, uh– they had their idea about it and I had my idea there about it, and there was uh, no particular– You know, we didn’t know for sure which was which. Now uh, in the end, I do agree with uh– within that we tried it, because uh, other methods were exhausted, but uh, uh, as far as this generator is concerned, uh, it was a simple matter of uh, it would take less time to change the generator out and try it than it would be to run an extra line.
Jones: (faint intro) –uh, cost are you going to have here? We got a hundred and uh– We got, my God almighty, a half million dollars here already in supplies to uh– we gotta call– uh, call from the States, I haven’t got a half million uh, Guyanese, I haven’t got it. No way, shape, nor form. Now what have you got in electric– electrical. It took up to two hundred thousand dollars already nearly. U.S. What is the electrical cost to get this up to this? I haven’t got it in the States. (more emphatic) I just have not got it.
Rozynko: It– it appears that our– our biggest cost will be in transformers and uh, other equipment for power line supplies.
Jones: Have you got– give me some rough estimation? I’m gonna have to (Stumbles over words) runner, but– and then I’m afraid to do it, uh, I’m going to have to transfer a thing back out of uh, some socialist country.
Rozynko: In reference to these transformers, we– it looks like to– to be able to standardize so we’d be able to get more transformers in the future, we would not be able to get them from the States, because that’s not standard in other countries. So our biggest uh, cost will not be going to the States for transformers. It– it appears as of now.
Jones: Where we’re gonna have to go?
Rozynko: Um, from feedback we got over the radio just a couple of days ago, is a possibility we could get transformers here in Guyana through a– uh, which would be adequate, but uh, the engineer apparently is not sure uh, whether they’re available. Also, uh, he said something about transformers in England.
Jones: Well, interesting (unintelligible under Rozynko)– (Stumbles over words) Anyplace you have to go outside, you have to go back to the dollar, unless the uh, economic market falls, and that’s what US capitalism agreed to do, to restrict US, uh, people’s ability to have oil or, there even– there’ll be layoffs in their jobs, there gonna be a com– a total cutback in many of the oil– the oil-dependent industries, and uh, driving of your vehicles. Uh, that’s the only way they can strengthen the dollar. Otherwise, there’ll be a new medium of exchange. However, in the– in the– in the meantime, ev– ev– everywhere we go, we have to convert back to dollars to buy, so I’m uh, still wanting to know, what is the guesstimation of what uh, we’re going to have to pay for electrical equipment to bring us up to what uh, is par.
(Pause)
Rozynko: Uh, my– my records are– are back in the uh, back in the shop. I’m not sure exactly of the price. I hate to– to say something right now without looking at it. It’s uh– It’s– You know. Be a lot of money, but uh, I– if I could get just a matter of a minute or so, I could go down there and get uh, my prices on it.
Jones: (fades in) –‘cause I– I’m going apeshit, wonder what the hell we’re gonna do. If we sell everything we have, we haven’t got this, uh, because what– one thing we’re selling will not be– uh, well, I won’t go into that. But it will– it’ll net us, but it will net us in a different form. (Pause) Yes, yes, yes.
Woman 3: Uh, they told me that the sewing cottage was on a hot line, and today, everything just went off, ‘cept one fluorescent light, just barely was burning. And I’m afraid that this is gonna damage the machines something terrible, and if it goes on tomorrow, we won’t be able to run ‘em at all.
Jones: This is gonna be blackout day, uh, there– we have to have– uh, all electricity will be stopped on Thursday, is that not uh, uh, correct?
Male 12: That’s correct. That’s correct.
Jones: ‘Cause we have to repair generators. Part of this is generated.
Male 12: That’s– that’s the reason that uh, we had blackouts, the lights went dim today, ‘cause the generators, they uh, overhauling, they got a problem in the generators. (Pause)
Jones: So plan your day to be not need electricity on thirty– Thursday. (Pause) All can work in the farm on that day. All people, uh, depending upon electricity, sewing and so forth, they can devote our time to agriculture that day, we’ll need every hand. Convert the uh, industry.
Male 12: All right. Uh, uh, Rob, do you want to ask about the chickery, we’ll get a standby generator for you.
Jones: Thank you, for the question. Yes, Larry, quickly. (away from mike) Quickly, give him the– give him the microphone (unintelligible)
Larry: I was wondering, when you have the sawmill going on around the clock, are you– are– is the present generator going to be ample to handle that and the other needs (unintelligible)?
Male 12: Uh, what we’re gonna do, is we’re gonna set up uh, certain equipment in the sawmill. We’re gonna have to run on a time schedule, so that–
Voice in crowd: (interrupting, unintelligible)
Male 12: Right, but– but only certain– during certain times it’ll be, because there are certain– uh, certain pieces of equipment take a lot more electricity than others. So uh, there’re several things they’re gonna have to be run during a certain time of the day when there’s not, you know, as much equipment uh, throughout Jonestown running. We’re gonna have to shut down. There’re gonna be certain times of the day we’re gonna have to shut down the– the mechanics and uh– and the machine shop in order to run this equipment in the sawmill.
Larry: Oh, what I gather but what– from what you’re saying then is, we don’t have ample electricity to– to run a re– to realistically run a sawmill and our other industries, and so, that’s what I g– that’s what you’re saying to me.
Beam: That’s– That has been a problem for quite some time, Larry, that there’s– the generator is right up to the end. We’ve been there, and we’ve been there for a long time. What we’re gonna do is run the (clears throat) edger, which is a twenty horsepower machine, from 12 to 1 in the afternoon when everybody is eating and not using the machinery. We’ve done this before (unintelligible) in the workshop. Then we’re gonna turn it back on again around 5:30 at night, which means the fellows’ll have to knock off in the workshop at 5:30 and start cleaning up, or at least do work that doesn’t requite electrical equipment, and run it from two hours then from 5:30 to 7:30, which is also in the daylight, when uh, your light load will be very– will be extremely light at that time. And three hours on that big machine in– in any 24-hour period, they’ll usually carry you through the– the– the following workday.
Voice in crowd: (unintelligible)
Beam: No, it– it has nothing to do with– We’re not shutting the generator down, we’re only shut– shutting down the workshop, so it has nothing to do with the water. Oh, the water? The water in this area, yes, the pump’ll be off all day on Thursday.
(Young men converse away from mike, faint)
Male: Not for the kitchen area. Just in the East House uh, uh, well.
(Young men converse away from mike, faint)
Rozynko: Okay. So the total price, to get our system as we have it presently, of just transformers alone, it cost about 15,600 dollars. And that does not include an industrial area or the new housing areas which we plan to install.
Jones: Well, give me what you have a projection on. That makes the– Okay, okay, now–
Rozynko: Now. As far as uh– we wrote up a projection for– which includes everything, which would be in the industrial area, the buildings which they gave me, the– and– as well as uh, here, the housing, everything, for a hundred cottages, and uh, the– this’d include the new generator house as well as uh, all the equipment needed for the generator house, transformers involved, and uh–
Jones: (off mike, unintelligible) –You interested in g– having your goddamn lights, if you want to walk around with the light of your dick. (Pause) Or your wick. There won’t be no kerosene for it.
Rozynko: A rebuild– uh, another rebuilt generator and a junker’s generator, all that included came to about– about uh, 48,000 dollars (voice trails off).
Jones: (unintelligible)
Rozynko: No, not– not in addition. Uh–
Jones: The total.
Rozynko: That’s the total.
Jones: That’s all electrical, and then I’ll be out of the wood?
Rozynko: That would– uh, that would be uh, uh–
(People converse away from mike)
Woman 3: We got two generators, you’re talking about a one.
Rozynko: We’re talking about a rebuilt generator uh– which is just like the 621 we have that they’re working on now, as well as a uh– a generator– uh, a junker generator, which would be just the generator parts for the gener– you know, the (unintelligible word).
Larry: Once you have that accomplished, would you be able to run uh, the woodshop and the sawmill around the clock. Because we’ll lose money if we don’t run it around the clock (unintelligible word)
Rozynko: Once this is all uh, purchased and installed, we would be, yes.
(People converse away from mike)
Jones: Well, they ask me whether– I want to know what about the sale of the ranch. Supposed to be sold. Is any other m– monies that– I want to find out what is required, did they (unintelligible) already there, what is required – somebody taking this down so we can ask the question over there? – what is required of what money they have on hand to be used to transport our people here to freedom, how much money they have on hand, how much they’re going to have to have to pay for what they already have, order (unintelligible word), which are into the tens of thousands, and uh, if there’s any left over– if there’s not, that means we’ve got to turn back– we gotta turn back and take a loss, on turning back uh, other assets into dollars. And getting ‘em back in there is not easy. It’s not easy to reverse the process. (Pause)
Rozynko: One thing that this uh– when this engineer comes in here will be particularly useful, he’ll be able to tell us if there in any way we’re uh, over-buying in one area, and he’ll als– and he should also be able to tell us if there’s a– we’re going to need to buy in other areas, like (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: Well, now, he– he wants to know the layout of the project first, as to location, in just the industrial site. Do you uh– and generators and power lines, et cetera. He wants to know the loading and how many houses and uh, the kilowatts per house. Will you please stop talking over there and get uh, back uh, behind– from behind me. The amount of horsepowers for industrial site. He said the initial conductors must be able to able to handle the entire five-year plan. He wants to know the type of wires and equipment et cetera, so they can be prepared when they come out. (reading) Any power plants scheduled for the Northwest District? Of course, that answer is uh, no. Uh, and– the– You’ve got to have the answers to these questions. Are there any 2400 volt systems available in Europe? Yes, uh, there may be, in England. England has three-three KV generators. But our switching to 6.5. If above system is not available, are there any transformers in the medium voltage range? Some are in operation here, but he doesn’t know if any are for sale. We’ll supply names to the co-op. Uh, GEC using 4 KV transfer– transformers? Not sure if they’re available. They were purchased from England and Canada. Fill in dollar matter. He’ll supply the information if we want it. Have you got the layout that he needs?
Rozynko: Uh, Bob Christian’s working right now on a map and uh–
Jones: It– Gotta move fast on that. That’s got to go.
Rozynko: And the loading, I– (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: (unintelligible) airplane coming in tomorrow, which you could send something back if uh, one of our comrades uh, is able to come– come in.
Rozynko: The loading in all the uh, everything we have here, as well as the industrial site, I believe all the buildings is already worked out. I’ve prev– done the previous one.
Jones: Well, (unintelligible) ready to go, that’s what I want to know. You– all you– all this messing around, we gone–
Rozynko: My– my work is– is finished. I’m waiting on Bob Christian.
Jones: (Stumbles over words) Whoever. I don’t know uh, the names (unintelligible) (Stumbles over words) gotta get– gotta get it done. Gotta get it in there. So this man, this expert can come out here. (Pause)
Christian: The drawing– the drawing itself is ready except uh, the power poles are not put on it yet. They still have to be measured– They have to be measured off. (Pause)
Jones: (off mike, fades in) –go by tomorrow and uh, Thursday morning at four o’clock. We gotta– gotta get it going. There’ll be–
Christian: It’ll be– It can be ready by Thursday.
Jones: Thursday morning at four o’clock in the morning.
Christian: It’ll be ready by four o’clock in the morning.
Jones: Uh, that’s when the– the Cudjoe will be headed right to Georgetown. (coughs) Right?
Christian: Yes.
Jones: Yeah. That’s why I want to be sure. Very well. Shift, please. (Pause) You ought to worry about some of this stuff. Other people have to worry about it. You ought to get under this. You think, you set there on your ass, you can waste food, you can throw stuff away. Is that inspection program working now that people not getting chance to throw their food away?
Male: (softly) Yes.
Jones: You just think that, well, you can goof off, don’t have to worry, don’t have to carry any burdens and uh, Father’ll feed you. But it won’t be that way. It won’t be that way. We ought to really be concerned. How many uh– We have 13 operations of the eyes where people woulda been blind, in most instances, that are on– in– went in on the– our big freighter. Fifty thousand dollars cost. Those people would’ve been blind if they’d been in USA. You better find– you better learn from this so you can talk and open your mouth besides something that– that complaints that come out. You hear what I’m saying?
Crowd: Yes.
Jones: Not to mention the dental surgeries, and all the other surgeries in one week, five surgeries that saved women from cancer. And on, on, on, on we go. Blocked bowel by a sister, I think she’d due back now. A senior that would’ve– would’ve died, that collapsed here. She never– never would’ve had any chance stateside. She laid in her apartment for days and died. Her bill alone is in the twelve or fourteen thousand dollar bracket. Be seated. And please remember some of that, when you’re (unintelligible word) ungrateful. You may be the one that’ll drop over the next time and need the help. (Pause) If you don’t get grateful, we’ll ship you back so you can be alone. You always kickin’ and complaining, (Stumbles over words) grabbing at everybody, and every time they go by, about something you don’t have, why don’t you start thinking about some of the things you do have?
Voices in Crowd: Right.
Jones: (Reads) We haven’t sold our four 8000 gallon fuel tanks that we have in Willits. The fuel is getting hard to get, we shouldn’t have much trouble selling. (Conversational) Yeah, that’s true. Well, there’s a Catch-22 to that. I don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen to that. The law up there is so bad, that you can’t get your own rights in uh, Northern C– northern California since the honorable Jim Cobb and [Tim] Stoen and Debbie [Layton Blakey] cooperated in saying that uh, two black people attempted to rape uh, that ugly old bitch white reporter [Kathy Hunter of Ukiah Daily Journal], ‘cause they thought– you can’t even get your– you can’t even get your rights. They don’t even honor your rights. They take something away from you, won’t even let you get it back. Steal it. Say, well, you’re not here. That– that’s what the sheriff of Mendocino County had. He took one of our compressors, two thousand five hundred dollars, and just stole it. They just stole it. Say, well, that’s your problem. You’re over there, and we’re here. That’s USA that you love, some of you. Thought I’d have to go back there and live in it. You’d find out, it wouldn’t be near as easy anymore.
Voice in crowd: Right.
Jones: Okay, I– I– I– Well, that’s the finish of that. Anybody else want to say anything about electrical matters? These errors, though, must be stopped. That’s what (tape edit) to be stopped.
Woman: (too soft in beginning) pull more than the generators we got now.
Rozynko: Yes, they would. They– With the right system set out there, we’ll handle everything we have presently in Jonestown, by itself. (Pause) But uh, not much more. (Pause) By itself.
Larry: We’ll count uh, that order that came to uh, twelve thousand dollars that Lee [Ingram] cleared?
Rozynko: Uh, on that particular order the chan– transformers have been cancelled until further notice, so it’s not quite that amount. And uh, that does not include that amount, no.
Larry: The six thousand for the transformers, is that what you’re saying?
Rozynko: Uh, that– that has been uh, taken off, as well as a few other items, and that has not been taken into account, no.
Woman 4: (too soft)
Rozynko: Well, on the– No, that’s not what I told you, that’s not what I told you.
Woman 4: I’ll tell you, we just having a problem on this uh– (clear throat) I would appreciate very much if in the future, if you have Lee with you, if you go to the radio to do any changing of orders once they’ve passed Finance and been cleared by Dad, if there’s a problem on it, then tell them to hold up on it until you consult, but don’t go ahead and cancel things. You cancelled the transformers, which apparently should’ve been cancelled. But it was done without consultation, and we don’t operate that way. And then, I understand– uh, somebody came to me today and said you were complaining to Dad that the transformers hadn’t been ordered when you’d been the one to cancel ‘em.
Rozynko: I’m not referring to– There’s this one particular transformer which I was uh, referring to in particular, and uh, that is what we’re– what uh, Dad asked for, first of all. Now, the other transformers had to’ve been cancelled until the engineer comes in here. Now as far as consultation, I did re– talk to Lee before I made any decision, and at the time, it seemed to be a very pressing– the issue was very pressing, uh, and uh, so together, Lee and I made the decision.
Woman 4: Did you go to Ruby [Carroll] before you wrote the note to Dad today?
Rozynko: No.
Woman 4: Why?
Rozynko: Well, first of all, I’ve had uh– Lee is on my uh– not– not my coordinator or my supervisor. No. It’s– it’s uh, Charlie [Touchette]. Uh, I’ve had trouble going– be– because Charlie’s had so many meetings and, you know, it’s been very difficult for me to get– get a hold of Charlie. Yesterday, I tried to get a hold of him, and uh, it was– it’s been very upsetting to me about this uh, electrical system, trying to get things done, and so uh, I couldn’t get hold of Charlie yesterday, so I finally decided I’d write up a note to Dad, and that’s what I did.
Woman 4: That’s a bunch of bullshit, and you were at the meeting yesterday. I took the things out of my folder and handed to you and told you then to get together with Charlie. But I was dissatisfied with what we had there, and I felt there was some urgency on some of the things that should be gotten, you would’ve come back to the meeting this morning– If you couldn’t come back to the meeting this morning with Charlie, you should’ve come back without Charlie. (Pause) You should’ve been back to the meeting to at least explain one way or another, and there were enough people there, including Johnny Jones and uh, Jack Beam, who have plenty big mouths that are able to go ahead and get something done if it needs to be done, without running to Dad with something which you haven’t cleared.
Jones: Oh, all right, all right. But I want to know uh, vital things. I work all night and day anyway, don’t get any sleep, up trying to listen to the news at 5:30 in the morning, uh, when I haven’t even been to bed while some of you people are– are just getting up. But I don’t mind that at all. But in the afternoon when I was talking to you, uh, I didn’t get this total perspective, and it’s true, I– I need to get facts so I don’t go getting on people’s backs uh, for things that are not warranted.
Woman 4: (too soft)
Jones: Oh, come on, you know what about the– You know the normal procedure. Jesus Christ.
(several conversations at once)
Woman 4: Sorry.
Male 13: Well, he’s been on the floor for– for not following– not following his own crew members’ uh, uh, advice and stuff.
Jones: (off mike, unintelligible sentence) (cries out) I’m gone to tell you elementary. When you cannot– you can tear up other people’s ass, but if you cannot be with this man, I’m suspicious. That’s why uh, Lenin abolished all marriage and abolished the entire family unit, because it was self-serving, cover ass, and was anti-revolutionary, and I’m suspicious of any companion that doesn’t immediately get on their feet and tear into their companion.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: If it’s nothing but style, by God, I’d rather have style than passivity.
Crowd: (Applause)
Marthea Hicks: (fades in) –you’re absolutely right, Dad, and I– I didn’t tear into him, I was just waiting to see– to hear the whole story. And I do think– I’m not–
Crowd: (murmurs disapproval)
Jones: I got the floor. I just want to tell you all, though, ‘cause that wasn’t just aimed at you, that’s aimed at a lot of folk who move ass like a sloth. (Pause)
Hicks: Well, I’d just like to say that, Chris, you should get your business together and Charlie says that you’re not taking orders, and you’re jumping over people’s heads, and you should be more considerate about your job and what your job is and how to handle the whole situation, and not– I know– I know lately, you’ve been uh, sort of uh, (pause) feeling sorry for yourself because your orders were not uh, the things that you had ordered or had planned to order wasn’t okay. Pardon?
Woman 5: (unintelligible under Marcie) –I’ve heard you be awful rough on people, and you’re being awful gentle.
Crowd: (Murmurs)
Woman 5: Well, if it was anybody else up on the floor, Marthea , you would be saying shit, your ass, and everything else. Now, you need to get your shit together and talk to him.
Rozynko: I tell ya, I’d– I really don’t appreciate this from you, you know, so I’d appreciate it if you would get your shit together about me. If you have anything to say, say it now, okay?
Hicks: Well, I was figuring you ought to get your–
(tape edit)
Crowd: (Murmurs)
Jones: –didn’t like the response, I like that, too. That’s uh– uh, don’t– don’t let people cover ass for you. We– We forget everything. Just (Stumbles over words) it’s the following of– of rules, if you follow rules, we don’t remember mistakes. Hell, everybody makes mistakes. But it’s the procedures we do want followed.
Voices in crowd: Right.
Hicks: Well, I figure you should get your shit together and stop fuckin’ around, running from here to there, worrying about what somebody else is not going to do for you. And if you don’t like it, you know, go through the right procedures. If you’re supposed to show up to a goddamn meeting, then show up there. And stop feeling sorry for your a– for your ass, because you were saying that, you didn’t get the orders that you wanted, and because you didn’t get the orders, you were still in bed and you were go– lo– actually letting down on production, and I think it’s not the right type of thing to do. And whatever it is that should be done, then that– you know what your job is and you do that. (Pause)
Jones: (claps hands once) Okay. Let’s get going here. (unintelligible word) let’s get going, I don’t want to be– I don’t want to ding dong all night here on this i– issue, I’ve got anything that (unintelligible) want to find, uh what I’ve got to do and get it done, and let’s do work through the chain of command, uh. C.T. [Charlie Touchette] can be found uh, normally, he’s a very– one of the more involved administrators, so I hear from most people. He will work and not give orders he won’t do himself. It’s the high quality. Uh, okay– And he will be busy. But uh– If not, I say, one of the few, but I know he is uh– all people say the exception in that regard, of people who are older. Okay. Let’s clear the deck, unless there is anything else pertinent. Okay, now let’s move on down– (pause)
Uh, there sister here that has a serious complaint. (Reads) I got in line to sign up, and Johnnie Mae Yates stepped on my foot. And I asked her to get off my foot. She would not move, and I had to pull my foot out, and she took her fist and hit me in the breast. Then no one would let me touch her– that’s better– better right, you’da been in– both of you’da been in serious trouble. They said you must write it up. And my breast in still hurting. Uh, Juanita Green. (Pause) (away from mike) –tolerate hitting and that– If that breast cancer comes from this goddamn mess, then it’s thousands of dollars, not to mention the risk of her life, but that’s not much anymore, because we catch things where there woulda been dozens of women die, and some men were found too, uh, we’ve been able to stop that. Men that were in pain, like Brother Johnson with a growth, horrible growth and pain, no one gave a damn for years, passed him by in the United States, and it’s surgically removed and in a bottle down there in the doctor’s office. We uh– we will take care. But the cost factor of them. Let’s talk about the cost factor, uh, and then we have said absolutely no violence, and then goddamnit, I mean no violence. You’re not to touch another human being, not to touch another human being. If we can’t reason our way, then uh, I just as soon we all stepped over the other side. I’m sick and tired of all the hassle and fightin’ and wrestlin’ amongst ourselves. We got too many racist enemies out there that want to kill us.
Crowd: Right. (delayed applause)
Jones: Come on. Come on. Let’s get to the bottom of this. Get to the bottom of this. What– what– what occurred?
Yates: I was up– I was up there to sign up, and she stepped up behind me–
Jones: – witnesses here?
Yates: –and put her feet up on the line, and she turned around and kicked me. When she did, I turned grabbed her hand. I started to hit her, which I did not.
Crowd: Ooh.
Woman: Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Jones: I’ll be goddamned, if uh, this isn’t the damndest thing, uh, uh, I’d sure hate to face a jury of people like this.
Yates: My leg’s still hurtin–
Crowd: (Murmurs)
Witness 1: Dad, it is true, because–
Jones: What– What is true?
Witness 1: It– She just– she just slaps– she– she hit it, and she hit in– in– in– in her breast. She did hit her in her breast, ‘cause I turned around and I watched the whole thing. ‘Cause everybody was rushing up there to get in line to saign– to– to sign their names. And I told her– I told her– she wanted– she wanted to hit her back, and I told her no, it wouldn’t be right, to go ahead ands write it up, and she– she– she– I mean, you know, she kept insisting she wanted to hit her, but I said no. ‘Cause they would both go on Public Service. (Pause)
Jones: Exhibit one, witness one. That she did hit her in the breast. Uh– Witness two.
Witness 2: Dad, she did hit her in the breast, (unintelligible under Jones)
Jones: Witness, with the same story, reasonable same description? Witness three.
Witness 3: Yes, Father, I saw when she uh, took her elbow and just pushed her in the chest with her uh, elbow. I don’t–
Jones: Elbow?
Witness 3: Yes.
Jones: It was fist, in the other witness. (Pause) Is it elbow, or was it a fist?
Green: It was did so quick, Dad, I don’t know (unintelligible under Jones)–
Jones: I’m asking these witnesses.
Witness 2: When I (unintelligible), she turned around and she had hit her, and then she put her fist back, and Regina got in the middle of them, everybody was telling ‘em to shut up–
Jones: You saw the fist strike the breast?
Witness 2: Yes, Dad.
Jones: Did you see the fist strike the breast?
Witness 1: Yes, Dad.
Jones: Did you really see what struck the breast?
Witness 3: That’s what I uh– when I had turned around, I heard a whole bunch of arguments and so–
Jones: Did you see what hit the breast?
Witness 3: That’s what I saw. Her elbow.
Jones: Hit the breast.
Witness 3: Yes.
Jones: Two witnesses to one, discredit the one, two witnesses here. Unless somebody else. What is– Let’s hear another description.
Witness 4: I seen her elbow hit her. She socked her (unintelligible under Jones)–
Jones: Two– Two– Two elbows and two fists. And all supposed to got two eyes.
Crowd: (Laughs)
Jones: There’re four unreliable witnesses, who say that she was hit, but they don’t know whether she was hit with a fist or an elbow. Do we have another witness?
Witness 5: I seen her hit her, but I don’t know what it was with.
Crowd: (Laughs)
Jones: Now how could you see her hit her– how could you see her hit unless you saw her contact her body?
Witness 5: She went– she– She went in like this, and then she yanked it back.
Jones: Right. Did you see– did you see the contact?
Witness 5: Yes, I seen her hit her.
Jones: What did she contact?
Witness 5: It was right up– right in there–
Jones: All right. In the middle in the breast. What– uh, what did she contact her with?
Witness 5: She went in with her fist like a (unintelligible word) fist, and then you know how you yank it back, and you couldn’t really see what she did it with.
Jones: I see. Well, I could see how that could be confusing. There are mixed– We have five witnesses–
Witness 6: Dad, I saw her hit her with her elbow.
Crowd: (stirs)
Jones: Third witness with an elbow, but all admit that she’d been hit. (Pause) Anyone see– uh, did anyone see the plaintiff? The person making the charge? Did anyone see the plaintiff uh, uh, strike her or kick her in the foot?
Witness 7: (unintelligible) when the people come back and uh, sign up to attend this thing? There was a lot of pushing and shoving and stuff, so if she did kick her foot, it probably was a accident, ‘cause there was a lot of pushing and stuff.
Jones: Any witness that she kicked her foot, other than the uh, defendant? (Pause) Who is? Johnnie Mae Yates. (Pause) All right. Any other uh, evidence?
Male (Johnny Moss Brown Jones?): (faint) Anybody hear anything (unintelligible)
Jones: What did you hear, comrade?
Witness 8: I heard your lip. I was standing right behind–
Jones: You heard the lip.
Witness 8: Yeah, I heard her, but what she did, I didn’t know. I heard her say, boof, like that, and then she said, don’t hit me. I heard that. I heard that.
Jones: (talking under witness 8) That– All right, that’s possible. That’s enough evidence.
Witness 8: And I was right there behind her.
Jones: That’s enough evidence. Case closed. Public Services. (Pause)
Green: Thank you, Dad.
(Pause)
Jones: Praises. Willie Sneed, volunteered seven and a half hours of work Sunday at a production rate– What’s this? What’s (unintelligible word)
Voice in crowd: (too soft)
Jones: What’s this? What is your (unintelligible word)? Where is your statement? No, no, I don’t close the case. I was asked for more evidence. What is it? What is it? What is it, uh, evidence?
Woman 6: Well, I came up ‘cause I struck a person the other day.
Jones: You struck a person?
Woman 6: Yes.
Jones: Well, that’s ho– ho– honorable for you to tell us. Who did you strike?
Woman 6: Pauline Scott.
Jones: Uh, what– what was the condition?
Woman 6: Uh, I was standing out there, I was going to help buzz some boards, uh, Sunday morning, and she came up and she was hollerin’ at me– hollerin’ at me out of the food line, and said I shoulda been over there in the cottage instead of being over this way, and uh, she kept after me and kept after me and kept putting her fingers in my face, so I just haul off and hit her.
Jones: Why didn’t you report it, Pauline?
Scott: Father, that was not true, I was–
Jones: Why did you not report being hit?
Scott: I was going to report it Friday.
Crowd: Stirs
Jones: Friday?
Scott: ‘Cause I had some more reports to write in, I was going to write it all up together.
Jones: Well, not violence. You report it immediately.
Scott: Mm-hmm.
Jones: Because she reported it herself, I’m going to vi– uh, cancel it this time. But I don’t want to have any more. No more hitting. And all take warning.
Woman 6: Thank you, Dad.
Jones: We will not tolerate hitting. From anybody.
Male (Johnny?): (too soft)
Jones: Yes?
Male: Are– are both of the accused (too soft)
Woman 6: (unintelligible) the same time. We in the same cottage.
Male: You are in the same cottage?
Woman 6: Yes.
Male: (too soft, come to mike) Because that’s– that’s– You know– If I’m not mistaken, that’s the one reason why you guys having a fight, is because of the cottage, right, where you guys stay?
Woman 6: One thing, since she brought it up, Father, she don’t want to take her chores when it comes to do her chores around the house and do her chores out inside the yard. Most when it all happened about Sunday.
Male: (too soft)
Scott: I do my chores.
Male: (too soft)
Male 14: Well, that’s different. You can– you can– ju– just second. You can work with somebody and then have to go home and sleep with them and it’s just– I mean, that just don’t work out, but if you just have to do one thing with them, that’s not so bad. I mean, I may be wrong, but if they get ‘em out of the living quarters, the working situation is (unintelligible word twice) outdoors that way. (Pause) But can we– can–
Woman 8: Uh– I– Why do we have to discuss it, at 12 o’clock at night? Can we just get you guys moved out of your house, (unintelligible name, sounds like Garrett)?
Male 14: I’ll– I’ll listen to you. But if the end result’s gonna be moving you out, I don’t know why we gotta discuss that.
Woman 8: You know, there’s just one more thing I want to say.
Male 14: Okay, you can say it.
Woman 8: Uh, the way she go about it, she act like it’s her private home and uh, she’s coming off– uh, she’s– she jumps up and doing everything, and like her and uh, Karen Layton was supposed to uh, mop uh, Sunday morning, but she jumped up and did Karen’s part. Karen asked her uh, to let her do her own party, but she just jumped and did it anyway, and she’s always doing stuff like that, jumping ahead of you. And she always claiming, she– she act like it’s her private home.
Carrie: Since you brought me into it, sister, why don’t you just tell it like it is. You– you don’t cooperate uh– I don’t know, it look like you have a pick whenever she says something. You use (unintelligible word) and uh–
Jones: All right, all right, well, she know she undermining your own testimony, your testimony how it’s beautiful, you Carrie, not to uh– to be pulled into that, because you were praising her, and she come up and say why don’t you tell it like it is, that you uh, undermine, and I think it’s very strange thing to have complimented around here as a (Stumbles over words), to be criticized as a complaint uh, that she jumps up and does work. That’s a– (short laugh) an unusual re– reason to complain on somebody. (Pause) Now, Carrie is saying, uh, you– you– Carrie is saying tell it like it is. Go ahead, Carrie.
Carrie: Well, she does (unintelligible word), since I been there, she been that way.
Voice in crowd: Where’s the rest of the people in the house?
Crowd: (Stirs)
Woman: (fades in) She was not only an excellent housekeeper, but she was easy to get along with.
Voice off mike: Okay, why don’t y’all be (unintelligible word)?
Crowd: (Stirs)
Jones: Well, they better be the utmost of cooperation with the sisters. She sounded like she’s taking great concern about the house. Thank you.
Voice in crowd: (too soft)
Jones: Oh, that was a good idea, but the– but they didn’t seem to respond to it, so we– they’re– they’re together until death do thus– do us part, I guess.
Crowd: (Laughs, stirs))
(Pause)
Jones: Praises. Willie Sneed. As I said, seven and a half hours of work on a Sunday, beautiful, two hundred percent on a day off. That’s– that’s beautiful. Willie, make uh, big business, he coulda been a big businessman. I’m so glad to see that some who worked out in capitalism and didn’t do too badly at it, will carry more of a load than some people that were never energetic enough to uh, get out and get a job. Right?
Crowd: Right.
Jones: Jerrica Walker was promoted to another class this week. Traytease Arterberry was promoted to another class this week. Sherri Evans– Sharla Evans uh, assisted Irene Mason for the restroom to the community building on her own. The two of them had a very pleasant and cute conversation. Beautiful, Sharla. Extra candy for that. Clevyee Sneed and Lois Ponts, nursing class. We’re praising them, I gather. It’s not clear. Mary Griffith Jr., good worker in the senior citizen center. Keith Wade volunteered his off time to work with Zelline O’Bryant – that’s beautiful – and has done a beautiful job. Julia Guevara [Julie Cordell] studying under Sharon Jones in pediatrics and working in the medical office on her off times. I’m so appreciative of this kind of praises. Diane Casanova working in the medical office, very responsible in the care of sick babies. Marvin Janaro has been assisting the doc– medical doctor in surgery. Beautiful. Brenda Warren – that’s beautiful – progressed to become a very good student. Pat Houston works extra time in the nurse’s office. Joyce Johnson does a marvelous job in research. Joyce Johnson does a mar– marvelous job in research. That’s what I said. Denise Johnson working extra time in the nurse’s office does a beautiful job. Florence Heath applies what she has learned in her nursing class to practice in the senior center. Regina Jackson [Regina Duncan] works extra time in the nurse’s office. Beautiful, beautiful. Shajhuanna Harris, good student in the class, spent extra time with Regina Duncan on a Lamaze couch. That’s beautiful. Regina was a miracle, you know. Uh, that shoulda been a death there, the baby [Ebony Duncan] was not uh, alive and uh, then a great miracle done. We’re– we should not forget the miracles so that we can keep our minds in the center–
Voice in crowd: Right.
Crowd: (applause).
Jones: Now, now, now, now. Where– where is the (unintelligible word)– where is– (Pause) Observers. I don’t see observers. Uh, are there observers here?
Voice in crowd: Back there.
Jones: (off mike) What’s that?
Voice in crowd: I see one of them back there (too soft).
Jones: I see, (unintelligible) (back to mike) Warnings. Cheryl and Kenny Wilhite have been late in picking up their youngster [Janilah Wilhite]. The Cudjoe. One of the 255 dollar life preservers that we keep on the Cudjoe was broken into. Clifford [Gieg] found the two pieces under the ren– uh, wench. Who did this? Anybody know anything about this? (Pause) I can’t stand this.
Voice in crowd: We just bought them, too.
Jones: Just brought them. (Pause) Does anybody know anything about this? Any witnesses to it? Surely must be. Well, we’ll go and ask. If you don’t respond, we’ll– we’ll see if we can find out from some of the passengers on them and uh, some of the people that– upriver that came on it. Yes.
Charlie Touchette: Um– (clears throat) I’m the one who reported that, because when I got to the boat, I saw this preserver had been broken in two, and uh, we have been ding donging on this for three years that we’ve been down here, that these preservers are not to be used when people swim off the boat. And uh, Michelle Touchette and Herbert Newell about– oh, when all the flour came in, we had to change the flour not that long ago, but anyway, I took it out of the water that day, and since then, I understand that Herbert’s been swimming in the water with the preserver even after he was told not to swim in the water with the preserver in there, so I– he’s not here, so I don’t whether it can be– he’s the one that did it or not, but Herbert uh– Clifford told me that he did catch Herbert swimming in the water with the preserver after he was told not to.
Voice in crowd: (Too soft)
Touchette: He’s in Camaca with him right now.
Jones: Yes, I see. Mark this down, that we bring this matter up. We can’t stand this kind of loss. And somebody may be lost at sea because of some fool that wants to do his little uh, swim. Sucker, you can’t swim, then don’t put your damn preserver out there, stay out of there.
(Pause) (tape edit)
Jones: –is. Karen Baker had to be asked several times to get out and help pick beans. Eugene Smith and Billy Jones both helped with the wood but would not go help with the– with the beans. Robert Paul, twenty minutes late, returning from lunch. Joyce Johnson and Beverly Mitchell, working slow in the rice field, stayed one place too long. Joe Johnson, late coming back from lunch, he was in his bed at 1:25. Yolanda Brown– I found some of you in bed uh, afternoon before, it was right after lunch, it’s strange time, uh, it would seem to me, uh, people who were not uh– who were supposed to be on work– So you better (unintelligible) is, and other observers. Yolanda Brown did a poor job in the area she was working in the rice field. It had to be redone. The following junior high students were 15 minutes late: William Jones, Wayne McCall, Curtis Smith. (off mike) Who? (back to mike) Yolanda Brown, uh, Public Services. You had one, missed one, one makes two. (Pause) Where’s Yolanda Brown? (Pause) What?
Voice in crowd: (too soft)
Jones: Tony Linton (sighs) recommendations. Took off from work, hard to find on job. Bad attitude. Work on a crew. Work has been good, attitude has been from bad to fair to good. (Pause) David Goodwin is on the crew and has a definite negative effect on Tony. On his own, Tony’s attitude has been fair to good. Says, it’s best to have them not on a crew together. Absolutely. (Pause) The law, is uh– he’s been there extra– extra time, so we’ll give you a chance to be off. But you better change that work pattern, son.
Voice in crowd: (too soft)
Jones: Stay away from Joe Johnson. There’ll be no communication with Joe Johnson or David Goodwin.
Voice in crowd: (too soft)
Joe Johnson: No, not me.
Jones: James Johnson, James Johnson. (clears throat) Rose Marie McKnight–
Young man: Thank you, Dad.
Jones: Thank you. She has worked steadily with a good attitude, she has talked too much. What’s better than running too fast. They spent more than your time for the third uh– third time. Okay. Off.
McKnight: Thank you, Dad.
Jones: Cut down on talk on your work. Eda [Alfreda] March (Pause) (mutters under breath) Fast responsible cooperative worker every day, even though it’s on her time off. Juanita Bright.
March: Thank you, Dad.
Jones: You’re a fast cooperative worker, with a good attitude. She worked overtime Sunday on her free day, even though it’s not time off. Even though she has seven days yet to go, but that kind of work, I will pray it– pay it– pay it off. (Pause) Uh, not enough, rest of them, not enough. (Pause) Somebody here destroying eddoes. (Warning tone) Boy, you’re going to be on there a long time if you’re not careful. Better cut this out. (Pause) (Reads) David Goodwin, who we’re watching very closely these days. Attitude has been gray– uh, been better, great problem when he is– his supervisor is Joe Wilson and Laura Johnson [Johnston]. Ronnie James, Willie Malone, and Sebastian McMurry haven’t had attitude problems with him. (unintelligible name, sounds like “Iz”) has talked to him, also Bob Christian, about his attitude. (Pause) What we’re going to do, man? USA is not very friendly these days. Did you hear what all has been happening to black people? Eighty cities with crosses burning in them, the Ku Klux Klan? (Pause) Hear the news I actually gave tonight?
Boy: Yes, Dad.
Jones: Police brutality? (Pause) Okay. (Pause) Violence. She also answers back at times. Okay, we’ll– we’ll let her off, but she not been there long enough anyway. Oooh, (mutters under breath) Very good worker. (unintelligible) for defiance three days in school and school class. Chris Murrell. Uh. A good worker and responsible, except two times. Each time, it should be a four more days. With the work record, if he uh, does an exemplary day tomorrow, he’ll be off.
Young man 2: Thank you, Dad.
Jones: After tomorrow, by Sun– when they come in for dinner. (Pause) Dave Goodwin. Bad attitude about having to work on free day, complain, played around when senior had asked Tony Linton to carry a chair, David picked it up, said it was light, she could carry it? No. (Pause) –then tried to manipulate supervisor to do his own thing, he had a terrible attitude, is talk– is– is talked to him, and Shirley Gi– Gieg also. When Laura followed him when he was walking alone, he said, I swear to Dad I’m going to fuck your ass up. Later, with Willie and Ronnie, he worked well with a good pace.
End of tape
Tape originally posted June 2012