Stories from the Sit-in: Former Journalist-turned-Congresswoman Cheri Bustos Interviewed Congresswoman Jackie Speier about Jonestown and the Lifelong Impact Gun Violence had on her
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the 26-hour sit-in protest on the Floor of the House last week, many stories were told about the importance of taking real action to reduce gun violence and the very real impact it has on survivors and their families. With the cameras turned off, former journalist-turned-Congresswoman Cheri Bustos used this opportunity to interview over 70 members of Congress on Snapchat about why this event mattered so much.
However, one story was simply too powerful and too important to fit in a 10 second Snapchat.
This is the story of California Congresswoman Jackie Speier. In 1978, when Rep. Speier was 28 years old, she was working as a legislative counsel for Congressman Leo Ryan from San Francisco. At the time, Congressman Ryan was hearing from many of his constituents who were worried about friends and family members who had moved to the Peoples Temple in Guyana, also known as Jonestown. When Congressman Ryan traveled to Jonestown to investigate, he was joined by Speier and an NBC news crew. After touring the facility and having notes passed to them by two people asking for help to escape Jonestown, someone attempted to kill Congressman Ryan with a knife and they fled.
However, on the tarmac an attack came and Congressman Ryan was killed, the only member of Congress to be assassinated in the line of duty. Congresswoman Speier was shot five times, in the arm, leg and back.
In her interview, Congresswoman Speier spoke at length about the thoughts racing through her head thinking that this was the end. She also spoke about how, for those who survive, getting shot is just the first step of a very long and painful process toward recovery. And, how those who have experience gun violence first hand understand why it’s so important to pass common sense measures that will prevent terrorists from acquiring guns, expanding criminal background checks to stop dangerous offenders from getting their hands on deadly weapons and moving in the right direction to stem the tide of street violence that plagues too many of our streets.
“Congresswoman Jackie Speier is one of my dearest friends and her story of survival and perseverance in the face of unimaginable tragedy must be heard,” said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. “Last week when I was interviewing members of Congress about why it is so important to stop with the thoughts and prayers and start taking real action to reduce gun violence, Congresswoman Speier shared her unique perspective as someone who survived being shot five times. While there’s no single solution that will stop all gun violence, we owe it to our children to move ahead with common sense policies to prevent suspected terrorists from getting deadly weapons, expand criminal background checks to deny violent offenders firearms and work to reduce gun violence in our communities.”