Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex - Federal

[Hook]
My way might not be your way
But it’s okay
It’s alright, your way might not be my way
But it’s okay
It’s alright


[Stic.man]
Yea, I used to go to church
But the church didn’t quench my thirst
Mama taught me to put god first
But she never tried to block my search
I was curious, young but serious
Why's religion so mysterious
Why is black life so hard?
They say you’re not supposed to question God
Well is it okay to question the pastor?
Was it passed down from the slave-master?
It was only the truth I was after
But I never could get a straight answer
So I couldn’t relate to the sermon
Put down the bible, then I start learning
About life, didn’t know where the path would lead
But I had to get off my knees


[Hook]


[Stic.man]
I build with the Five Percenters
On the God within us, it’s no limits
Study the Metu Neter from Kemet
All saw, I remembered
Smoke herb with the Rastafarians
Grew my locks became a vegetarian
Following the Tao, building with the Baba Laos
Jewels being handed to a innocent child
My mind is a Buddhist temple, the truth is simple
I try to be principled
Walking with a warrior spirit
Ain’t nothing like learning from first hand life experience
I’m a realist, that’s all I deal with
Respect the truth, that’s all I build with
A child of the universe
My religion is life and it’s just as valid
I strive for balance


[Hook]


[M-1]
I gotta admit, I don’t know
In the end which way it’s gonna go
Why we sit by the project window,
Instead of living off the land with my kin folk?
Is there even a master plan?
An unseen hand? Is God a man?
Some say that’s sacrilegious
Same folks selling us lies about Christmas
Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny
Just so the capitalists can make money
They say God will take care of it
But you a terrorist if you say the same thing in Arabic
It’s so hypocritical
It’s a miracle, listen to the message in the spirituals
Wade in the water, I’m following Ms. Tubman and Nat Turner
I'm praying for my freedom
and heading for the border


[Hook: x3]

In 2016 I remember the transition unit program starting out as a voluntary program as I briefly mentioned before in previous letters. It began as prisoners in seg who have a lot of seg time and what it does is it’s a program (24 weeks) broken down into 4 phases (6 weeks) a piece of classes for 1 hour a day of which you’re brought out of your cell (you and 5 other prisoners in your class of 6) and you’re chained and handcuffed to a desk for 1 hour a day for 4 times a week. You’re instructed by a facilitator and do journaling in class, then do homework (where it’s mandatory that you fill in every single line in every book of you’ll be considered “unexcused,” and won’t graduate for missing one “single” line!). This is a little “draconian” when you see the books; because most of which are long and some prisoners are illiterate (or won’t speak English) or simply just have mental deficiencies and are being kicked out unjustly and discriminated against. There was only a few prisoners starting out in the transition program as they asked me if I wanted to participate in the program while I was serving A.C. (Administrative-Control Status time!) in seg.

I told them “no,” why would I want to do a 24 work program when all I had to do was a 90 day A.C. cycle (term-period!) and get out of seg?! Being that it started out as a “voluntary program,” they accepted my answer and I was released from seg after 90 days! As the years went by and violence in KY D.O.C. rose, I noticed that “The Supply and Demand” concept went into effect within the prison industry of Kentucky. When the administration started making it “mandatory” for all acts of violence to have to do the transition unit program, I learned from my unit administrator at the old prison I was at K.S.P. that “Frankfort, KY” (the capital of Kentucky) told the D.O.C. that they “must” start showing that they have filled all their bed space in their transition unit program or the program is to be discontinued. With the program being voluntary they couldn’t achieve this so they went ruthless style and made it mandatory. Pretty soon it wasn’t just only violence that made the cut for the program, but also drug offenses. Too many disciplinary reports in a year, etc. etc. To where now, at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, they have an entire dorm of people who are waiting to do the program! The need for bed space was made. Mandatory programming produced “The Demand” and the violence, drug offenses, too many disciplinaries etc., produced “The Supply.”

I later viewed a document from a fellow comrade showing all the contracts (a public records printout from internet) that the KY D.O.C. rereceives over $500,000 a year to fund the program at our specific prison! Now I’ve graduated the program twice at 2 different prisons and at no point does anything in the program or altogether (staff and all) cost that much! The only thing they pay for is old (MP3 players or radios) and they give you T.V.’s (which is most of the time, if you’re not using your personal one, they’ll give you one out of the program. But really, it’s not from the program it’s borrowed from the property room. Everyone in the program pays for and buys their own canteen (commissary) every week so there is nothing being paid for by this large sum of grant money. So who’s pockets is this money going to? Or where is it going to?! Because it’s definitely not being spent on the program! Okay so there is a “long waiting list”

First allow me to say that I am in no way homophobic and hold no bias nor any prejudice toward gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, or queer people. However, I find it inhumane that, while men can flaunt themselves around in thongs, booty shorts, leggings, mascara, eyeliner, makeup, and sports bras, I am being denied pictures of my fiance because she is wearing those exact same things. The woman who has dedicated her life to me, stands by my side through the trials and tribulations, who has weathered the storm, someone who I am going to wed.

I have been denied pictures of my fiance on vacation in a bathing suit because they were “sexually explicit” but in turn a gay man can receive pictures of another man in boxers? I am restricted from receiving pictures of my fiance in boy shorts or leggings while men walk freely past the guards and Warden wearing those and everything is fine.

The Kentucky Department of Corrections Penitentiary System encourages homosexuality while banning intimacy with your loved one. Your visitor is not permitted to wear a dress, shorts, leggings, or tight jeans on a visit, meanwhile transgender people are encouraged to receive hormone shots to grow breasts, walking hand-in-hand around the loop with another man. In the Kentucky Department of Corrections Penitentiary System homosexuality is forced upon the heterosexual inmates where men can lay in a cell with another man in their arms, but magazines such as “Idore”, “Spicy”, “Straight Stuntin”, “King”, “Phat Puffs”, or “Sultry” are not available or restricted to purchase. Magazines with women in clothes like two piece swim suits are restricted. But why? Because they are women, or because they are what, real women?

How do you combat a whole state, let alone a prison, where the Warden is promoting homosexuality? (Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, Warden J. David Green).

I am not concerned as to what other inmates choose to indulge in, I just want to be able to receive pictures of my future wife in her boyshorts, leggings, in her intimate state, to help with my sexual release and soothe my mind, to escape, but instead I am subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and the promotion of homosexuality within the Kentucky Department of Corrections Penitentiary System.

MIM(Prisons) responds: We agree that the Kentucky DOC is being intentionally cruel in its biased enforcement of rules around sexually explicit materials. This is happening in a number of states, including Texas where at the same time some prisoners are being forced to watch porn. And as we know corrections officials communicate with each other, it is likely no coincidence.

It’s a tactic the police have used forever; treat certain people differently from others in an arbitrary way and watch them turn on each other. They’ve used this against political prisoners, granting one prisoner more freedoms than eir comrades to promote suspicions that the privileged comrade snitched when in reality ey had not.

Administrators know how important pictures of loved ones, including “sexy” pictures of partners, are to prisoners. Just as the comrade we addressed in a longer piece on the nature of sex and sexuality, this Kentucky prisoner says ey has no issues with LBGTQ people. Yet, we sense the resentment here in what ey wrote. We call on our readers not to let that resentment cause you to turn on others who are not your enemy.

There is a right-wing talking point these days that the woke government is trying to turn people, especially children, transgender or gay. These identity politics are being used to manipulate people, and to get votes. If comrades are serious about fighting the “enforcement” of homosexuality in prisons, we suggest allying with gay prisoners who will likely be strong allies in a campaign to allow all prisoners to have equal rights to express their sexuality. Meanwhile, the fight against censorship of photos should connect to the fight against political censorship of mail. It should be illegal for the state to stop any mail that is not a direct threat to safety. If you are organizing around these issues we want to hear from you.