Guyana proposes site of 1978 Jonestown Massacre to tourism; draws concern from Jackie Speier
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Nearly 50 years after the massacre at Jonestown, the South American country of Guyana is considering opening up the site for tourism.
The country's tourism minister tells the Associated Press it is aware of pushback, but they are backing the effort, which will be run by the private group Wanderlust Tours.
In November 1978, more than 900 Americans followed religious leader Jim Jones to Guyana, where he promised a perfectly equal society.
It quickly turned dark, after questions about coercion emerged.
"They had documents indicating there were guns being smuggled into that country," said former Bay Area congresswoman Jackie Speier in an archive piece.
And more than 900 Americans, a third of them children, died.
Many pressured to drink a cyanide concoction, and defectors were shot.
"People play games, they lie and lie," Jim Jones said.
RELATED: FROM THE ARCHIVE: Jackie Speier talks about surviving Jonestown massacre in 1978
Bay Area congressman Leo Ryan was assassinated, and his then-aide, former congresswoman Jackie Speier, barely survived.
"I was shot five times," she said.
Decades later, Guyana's government wants to turn what's left of the compound into a tourist attraction. Speier is appalled by the notion.
"I think it's a bad idea. I don't think it's appropriate to aggrandize that kind of cult activity."
The tour would take visitors into the remote jungles of northern Guyana, daunting excursion in its own right.
"The experience certainly had a powerful impact on my life in terms of never, you know, expecting a tomorrow and living every day fully. And being very vigilant about identifying cults, and looking at what happens to people when they got get engaged in that kind of an organization or involvement. And I think that it it's another example of how our government really failed us," Speier said.
She says it differs from a memorialized museum.
"These people were taken against their will and were murdered and it's an important life lesson for all of us....It's such a bad story, such a horrible story. I don't think you learn lessons by creating a an adventure activity, wanderlust adventure?!"
She would rather see focus on lessons learned.
"Our government failed American citizens abroad. And I think there should be, now that it's been nearly 50 years, all the books should be opened, all the FBI files, all the CIA files, and we should really take a look back to see where were all the mistakes. And how we should take steps to make sure we don't repeat them anything else."
Speier says she urges the U.S. government to get involved to prevent this from becoming a tourist destination, and is planning on calling The White House to ask President Joe Biden to take a stand.
