This enraged Dederich to the point that he ordered two of his Imperial Marines to place a venomous rattlesnake in Morantz’ mailbox the following month.
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On it included lawyer Paul Morantz who wanted to help free families kept in Synanon and had won a $300,000 judgment against Synanon for abducting and brainwashing a member. Dederich compiled an enemies list, which ultimately, became a hit list. Synanon, at one point, had $33 million in assets.ĭederich’s hunger for power grew, and the rules of Synanon became stricter and the abuse became more rampant. People of all professions worked to give their money to Synanon, often doing a tremendous amount of physical labor.
Hundreds of people moved in and were charged a fee to live in the compound. Synanon eventually gained overwhelming support. Synanon was characterized by quitting cold turkey, tough love and “The Game,” a session where one member would open up about themselves and face verbal attacks from others. There were three phases to Synanon over the course of its lifespan: a drug rehabilitation program, utopian society and church.
Jones was found with what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his head following the mass-murder suicide. Those who didn’t want to drink it were forcibly injected with poison. People were pressured into drinking it in fear of being shot.
He urged everyone to participate in a revolutionary suicide by drinking grape Flavor Aid mixed with cynanide, transquilizers and sedatives. Later that day, Jones ordered everyone to the pavilion. As Ryan was on his plane waiting to fly back to the states, he was killed as an order by Jones. On November 18, 1978, Jones was upset when he heard some members wanted to return to the states with California Congressman Leo Ryan. Followers were publicly beaten, put in solitary confinement and even put down with sedatives. He talked Jonestown up to be a utopia, but this was simply a tactic to isolate followers and gain complete control. This kind of media coverage prompted Jones to convince about a thousand of his followers to move away to Guyana, A.K.A. However, what many didn’t know was that Jones was said to have been using heroin and speed and sexually, physically and emotionally abusing Temple members. His church became popular, attracting people of all kinds, evening gaining the support of politicians like George Moscone, Harvey Milk and Jerry Brown. There, Jones’ ideologies of social activism were welcomed. He proclaimed to have a vision of a nuclear attack and when it would occur, causing him to move his church from Indianapolis to San Francisco. Reverend Jim Jones started his own congregation known as the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ.