It is a perfectly reasonable assumption that the biggest clue to the identity or inner mind of the Zodiac Killer should reside within the many communications he mailed over several years - the window to his soul if you like. He began his contact with the newspapers using three encoded messages on July 31st 1969, in part stating "when I die I will be reborn in paradise and all the (people) I have killed will become my slaves". The November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter continued this theme, promising to "change the way the collecting of slaves". The emphasis on paradice and slaves would continue through the July 26th 1970 'Little List' letter, the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card and the March 13th 1971 'Los Angeles' letter. One could make the argument that this was designed to throw investigators off the scent, but one could equally make the case that the Zodiac Killer picked up the concept of victims becoming his slaves in the afterlife through personal experiences in his everyday life. The language we use and the words we speak are a product of the environment we live in. The 1960s and 1970s were a turbulent time in respect to race relations, with San Francisco no exception - and the Zodiac Killer having mailed the overwhelming majority of his communications from this location was not impervious to the society he operated in. As still exists in American society, the enmity between police and the black community has a long and well documented history.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks
Taking the Zodiac Killer as a product of his society, in tandem with the volatile racial tensions that permeated 1960s San Francisco and beyond, we will explore the "slaves in the afterlife" reference in the Zodiac communications from the angle of a racist connotation. Zodiac researcher Randall Scott Clemons, author of the website 'Zodiac Killer Enigma, Cracking the Zodiac Killer Code', contacted me regarding this topic - and the information he provided is the inspiration behind this article.
Entitled Spiritualism, Summerland, Slavery in the Afterlife by Emily Sosolik, this informative piece of writing showed the undeniable connection between religiosity and racism as a never ending bond of subservience. Here is a small extract:
"No topic illustrated this dichotomy more than slavery. Much has been written about the egalitarian nature of Spiritualism, but the focus of the present piece is on Spiritualism in practice and how Spiritualists often used the movement to preserve the systemic racism of American society. When confronted with the overarching issue of slavery, Spiritualists used spirit messages to fashion a version of the afterlife called the Summerland which calmed their fears but perpetuated the subservient role of African Americans. And since Spiritualism’s focus was inward, on enlightenment of adherents, and upward on knowledge of the afterlife, the movement invariably distracted from acknowledging, understanding, and remedying the social inequality present on Earth". Zetojournal.com.
Randall Scott Clemons was searching for a link between "slaves in the afterlife" and the Zodiac Killer, from the perspective of where this phrase originated in his mind, prior to putting pen the paper. In other words, the Zodiac Killer didn't just pluck this phrase out of thin air - his interaction within society shaped him as a person and possibly influenced his propensity to adopt this form of language within his communications. Randall Scott Clemons then found an extremely interesting book entitled Parental Discretion is Advised; The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap featuring a section on the brutal beating of Rodney King on March 3rd 1991 by Los Angeles Police Department officers, sparking riots in 1992 after the acquittal of three of the four defendants. The book made reference to phrases used by LAPD officers via computer transmissions in their patrol cars.
Entitled Spiritualism, Summerland, Slavery in the Afterlife by Emily Sosolik, this informative piece of writing showed the undeniable connection between religiosity and racism as a never ending bond of subservience. Here is a small extract:
"No topic illustrated this dichotomy more than slavery. Much has been written about the egalitarian nature of Spiritualism, but the focus of the present piece is on Spiritualism in practice and how Spiritualists often used the movement to preserve the systemic racism of American society. When confronted with the overarching issue of slavery, Spiritualists used spirit messages to fashion a version of the afterlife called the Summerland which calmed their fears but perpetuated the subservient role of African Americans. And since Spiritualism’s focus was inward, on enlightenment of adherents, and upward on knowledge of the afterlife, the movement invariably distracted from acknowledging, understanding, and remedying the social inequality present on Earth". Zetojournal.com.
Randall Scott Clemons was searching for a link between "slaves in the afterlife" and the Zodiac Killer, from the perspective of where this phrase originated in his mind, prior to putting pen the paper. In other words, the Zodiac Killer didn't just pluck this phrase out of thin air - his interaction within society shaped him as a person and possibly influenced his propensity to adopt this form of language within his communications. Randall Scott Clemons then found an extremely interesting book entitled Parental Discretion is Advised; The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap featuring a section on the brutal beating of Rodney King on March 3rd 1991 by Los Angeles Police Department officers, sparking riots in 1992 after the acquittal of three of the four defendants. The book made reference to phrases used by LAPD officers via computer transmissions in their patrol cars.
Here is an extract from the book:
"Racial bias was rampant in the department, with an LAPD survey agreeing that prejudice on the part of officers towards citizens contributed to a negative interaction between police and the community, and that bias often led to use of excessive force. The report also showed how often incidents involving racial slurs from white officers against minority colleagues were frequently ignored. The culture of racism was so prevalent, officers were comfortable enough typing disparaging messages on computer transmissions between squad cars: "If you encounter these negroes, shoot first and ask questions later". "Sounds like monkey-slapping time". I'm back over here in the projects, pissing off the natives". "Everybody you kill in the line of duty becomes a slave in the afterlife".
These phrases are not only deeply racial, they also do not exist in isolation of the time they were uttered - but have origins -often passed from one generation of police officers to another. This drives to the heart of the question - as to how long these 'police phrases' have been in existence and whether the Zodiac Killer may possibly have been involved in law enforcement prior or current to the murders in the Bay Area. Had the Zodiac Killer worked for the Los Angeles Police Department during this racially charged era in American history, picking up the phrase "Everybody you kill in the line of duty becomes a slave in the afterlife", and conveniently dropping the introduction to disguise his profession? As a law enforcement officer seeking victims in his spare time, access to copious seized weapons would be of little difficulty.
Black slavery in America is well documented, and may shed new light on the design of the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card, featuring four methods of execution commonly employed in the burning, lynching, shooting and stabbing of appropriated slaves. When we tie in the cross formation of paradise and slaves back into the equation, the inspiration and motivation of the Zodiac Killer in choosing this form of language may focus the eye in a whole new direction. The March 13th 1971 letter to the Los Angeles Times stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life".
The admonishment of police by the Zodiac Killer and his adoption of the phrase "slaves in the afterlife" may indicate a history between the two - albeit one that likely didn't end on the best of terms.
"Racial bias was rampant in the department, with an LAPD survey agreeing that prejudice on the part of officers towards citizens contributed to a negative interaction between police and the community, and that bias often led to use of excessive force. The report also showed how often incidents involving racial slurs from white officers against minority colleagues were frequently ignored. The culture of racism was so prevalent, officers were comfortable enough typing disparaging messages on computer transmissions between squad cars: "If you encounter these negroes, shoot first and ask questions later". "Sounds like monkey-slapping time". I'm back over here in the projects, pissing off the natives". "Everybody you kill in the line of duty becomes a slave in the afterlife".
These phrases are not only deeply racial, they also do not exist in isolation of the time they were uttered - but have origins -often passed from one generation of police officers to another. This drives to the heart of the question - as to how long these 'police phrases' have been in existence and whether the Zodiac Killer may possibly have been involved in law enforcement prior or current to the murders in the Bay Area. Had the Zodiac Killer worked for the Los Angeles Police Department during this racially charged era in American history, picking up the phrase "Everybody you kill in the line of duty becomes a slave in the afterlife", and conveniently dropping the introduction to disguise his profession? As a law enforcement officer seeking victims in his spare time, access to copious seized weapons would be of little difficulty.
Black slavery in America is well documented, and may shed new light on the design of the October 27th 1970 'Halloween' card, featuring four methods of execution commonly employed in the burning, lynching, shooting and stabbing of appropriated slaves. When we tie in the cross formation of paradise and slaves back into the equation, the inspiration and motivation of the Zodiac Killer in choosing this form of language may focus the eye in a whole new direction. The March 13th 1971 letter to the Los Angeles Times stated "If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life".
The admonishment of police by the Zodiac Killer and his adoption of the phrase "slaves in the afterlife" may indicate a history between the two - albeit one that likely didn't end on the best of terms.
Courtesy of B.D. Holland from zodiachalloweencard.com
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