Transcript | Annotation | Source: 89-4286-HH-2-12-17 (PDF) | Month Index
I put in a call to Carol about 8.30. She said she’d take the Friday afternoon plane and be back in the office on Monday. She said she was very busy. She hadn’t located housing yet. She talked to Tom and to Bob Garb.
I sent my medical receipts to the insurance company. I sent the premium for my car insurance.
I offered to Bob O’Neill and to Dorothy Stookey my help with any extra work. However, all I was given was the memo on the Puerto Rican attorney fees which had to be typed again for Garb’s signature.
Nicci was very busy today and I did one item for Tom.
At 11.45 I had lunch with Glenn Hennington at the Main Street building where he is working now. We ate our lunches outside. Glenn likes the people he’s working with now better than these he worked with formerly. I told Glenn that I was looking for someone who would like to share my car so that I could cut expenses. What I want is someone who needs it to go to work on weekdays, and I could continue to use it on weekends. Glenn will try to think of someone. I consulted him as to how much I should charge under such an arrangement.
The weather had been foggy this morning but cleared up later.
This afternoon I added phone numbers, which Carol had left me, to her desk address book.
I took an hour’s nap on getting home tonight.
I ate leftovers, dressed for service.
Magnolia phoned for a ride. I called Mary who said she had been sick with flu, asthma, and so on, and was not well enough yet to go to church. However, she was taking care of her great grandchildren.
We drove to the Temple at ten minutes to 8.00, arriving at the same time as some of the Valley buses were unloading.
I turned in the five dollars I had pledged for the work on Jim’s teeth. (In April, 1976 I had not yet learned whether Jim actually used the money collected for himself.)
In the beginning of the service rides were obtained, announcements made. The congregation sang.
Liz told me Jim McElvane was seriously ill in U.C. Hospital with osteomyelitis.
The offering was taken. Each aisle is to have a floater, and I have been assigned as a floater in one aisle.
A tape of one of Jim’s sermons was played. Shortly after it was started Jim entered on the podium; it was nearly 10.00.
Someone asked a question on interference with the printing of our newspaper which I did not understand. Jim said we should be more concerned with what the capitalist press omits.
Jim referred to the disrespect of some of those close to the body of the Father which discredits what he’s trying to do. “If you can’t show respect, remove yourself from your special position. I am going to cut out laughter and show the seriousness I feel for this cause.”
Jim took another offering.
Jim spoke of the trial of the whites who attacked Joe Wilson and Ronnie James in Santa Rosa. More people are needed to attend. The jury will start deliberating tomorrow. You who are there will be the determining factor, as the district attorney is not trying very hard. It is a white versus black situation. The black people in Santa Rosa will not be safe if the attackers are not convicted.
Jim: Remove Carrie Page. She has objected too much to certain words used in this service.
Our members raised more money than any group selling tickets for the youth group. We will get special mention in the newspaper.
Commendations were given.
Chris Cordell was questioned concerning money which was stolen from the Bogue home. He said he was joking; Jim decided he should take a lie detector test. He admitted he took one dollar. His natural parents questioned him. The counselors stressed that only Jim’s love saved him from jail before. Jim led the probe into his feelings. Rick Cordell stated he revealed hostility toward his dad who he believed was austere. Chris said his mother criticized his dad to him. Jim wanted people to be guided by this. You only lead your child to destruction by trying to get your child’s sympathy against the other parent.
Marvin Wideman was brought up. He has been increasingly rebellious. He has been accompanying Chris. Members of a gang, of which Chris, Teddy McMurray and Marvin are the organizers, were named by Jimmy Cordell: Von Smith, Dean Scott, Vincent Lopez, Tommy Bogue and others. Jim was angry, called them pigs, fascists, a counter-revolutionary movement. They had been on the floor before and were told to disband.
Chris admitted he didn’t go to the work projects. Julene Wideman admitted she was upset at Council for disapproving her daughter’s coming back home. She didn’t stay for the Sunday night service and took Marvin home. The counselors criticized her for her attitude. Evelyn, her daughter, said her mother was too easy on the children. Jim received reports this gang gave the junior choir and others a bad time. They didn’t watch the films on black history.
Michael Briggs’ grandmother gives the two Briggs children money, Jim said so that she can use them. She gave Tommy Bogue Michael Briggs’ address, and Tommy wrote to Michael. Jim forbade the children from having anything to do with her. He said he didn’t want to see any two of this gang together. Tommy had been moved to the Solomon house. Teddy McMurray said he didn’t come up to the Valley because he said a house couldn’t be found for him. Liz thought Teddy was still at West House. Jim wanted the leadership to know where everybody is. He complained about the organizational failure and held Liz responsible. She is to check the placement of the summer work crews in the various homes twice a week.
Tommy received a letter from a girl in Los Angeles. Jim said her mother, Jean Gibson, was unacceptable in this temple. She had been guilty of welfare fraud. She passed bad checks. She took money without withholding being taken out. She faced seven years in jail. Jim got her out. Jim said he didn’t believe she was honest. He ordered that she make restitution or be turned over to the authorities. She took up with a white racist. She tried to proposition Jim. We took care of her children. She’s hiding up in Ukiah. “It’s hard for us who are honest to face how despicable some people are.” (I couldn’t tell which of these offenses Mrs. Gibson had committed before going to jail, and which were recent.)
Another report was received that Marvin Wideman threatened another child. Jim said to Julene: If he doesn’t change after tonight’s discipline, he is to hit the road.
Mark Sly and a new boy, Rory Macon (who had stayed at my apartment the other night), took his mother’s car (presumably Dee-dee’s) to the white police to complain about the mother; she had scolded him about his grades. Jim took note of Rory, asked the nurses to watch him for kidney trouble. He said he saved him from dying from kidney trouble when young.
Sylvia James’ companion, Reggie Upshaw, resented her pregnancy because she had a nice child by a former relationship. The doctors told her she shouldn’t bear the baby or she’d die. He left her. He beat up on her before. She has had three abortions. Jim warned them. Jim decided he should box with a man twenty years older than he is. He refused. Jim: Either do it, or we’re finished. Sylvia was now at home dehydrated from hemorrhaging. Reggie is the son of Ann Peterson.
Each member of the gang got fifty whacks each. Tommy and Chris are to be dealt with separately.
Tom Grubbs fought Reggie. Reggie put Tom down twice. Jim was angry because Larry Layton recommended Tom to fight; he could have been hurt. Larry knew Tom was frightened of fighting. Larry was hostile, wanted to see blood. Jim said he wanted Lisa to see how sadistic his tendencies are. Tom was put in a bad light. Jim had Tom fight Larry. Tom knocked him down. Larry apologized.
Lucy Crenshaw recalled how Larry answered a question she had when she was new. He answered that he couldn’t relate to minorities because he was from a white upper class background. Jim’s complaint about him was that be won’t bear his share of the work. Others stated that his room was dirty. He wouldn’t give a seat to a black sister on the bus. Mike Prokes said he was a leach and a parasite. Why is he here?
Larry said this is the only meaningful thing there is.
Jim asked how many were here for protection. How many for principle alone? Few stood for principle alone. Some stood admitting they are here for protection and again, claiming they are here on account of devotion to principle. It developed that what Jim wanted was to know who are here solely because of belief in the cause, wouldn’t call upon him though in grave danger. Finally, all decided they couldn’t guarantee they would never want Jim’s protection for selfish reasons.
Mae Spriggs said Larry was very hostile. Several agree. But the majority left it up to Jim to decide whether he should stay on Council.
The Macon boy got only ten whacks. Chris took the pain well. Jim wanted to know why he can’t get his life straightened out, Tommy the same. Why can’t you put as much interest into keeping a few rules? Think about it and tell me.
Mary Tupper has been a problem at work projects. She said she wasn’t going to work at gardening. She was team captain. The rest of the team resented her not working. Several spoke of her attitude as getting worse. Ruth Tupper said she thought Mary should not be a leader, should get fifty swats, and have a work project at night. Rita Cordell has a bad attitude too.
Jimmy Moore told on himself, but there was a question about his motivation. Was be saving himself some punishment when someone else turned him in? He said he wanted praise for telling on himself.
Jim had given instructions to Mike Prokes that a certain Janie should have a counselor beside her. Apparently Jim bad foreseen that something in the meeting would upset her. He had used his power to put her to sleep. When she awakened she would not know anything that had happened. Mike had not followed instructions. He forgot. Jim put to a vote what punishment Mike should get. Most voted for ten whacks, but some thought he should get fifty.
Jim insisted on taking ten stripes himself. Five were for Jimmy Moore and five for Mike. Jim had mentioned that if Mike received fifty he would take them for him, as he is a good worker. He was aware that Mike had no interest in living. “You wanted out so much, that you neglected something very important.”
Jim was hit ten times. Almost immediately blood clots circulated in his system. They reached his head and he was in terrible pain. However, he vowed he should come through it, as we still need him.
Those who had voted for fifty stripes for Mike, because they had heard Jim say he would take them instead, were required to file past Jim and look at his tongue which was ulcerated from speaking so much.
Mary and Rita both thought they should get fifty whacks, but on account of improper organization of the work crew, Jim exempted them. They’re too young to be in charge.
Jim said the most essential task which he could not neglect was to raise the necessary funds for the survival of this family. He took an offering by sum, requesting the names of those who gave. I put in another dollar.
Jim performed some healings.
On dismissing the meeting at 4.00 o’clock, Jim emphasized all should be sure to meditate at 6.00 and watch the speed limit because he had had to use his energy to keep himself alive.
I took home Contonia, Toby Stone and her two children, and Magnolia.
I got home at 4.45. I decided to sleep until 6.30, put up a lunch, but not eat breakfast.