Under Lock & Key

Yo personalmente he tenido complicaciones de salud los ultimos dos años, specificamente infecciones estómacales (dos veces). Me diagnosticaron con H-Pylori (Helico Infección Bacterial) que basicamente viene de comida sucia en los cubiertos. Se sabe que esta infección causa cáncer estómacal si no es tratado apropiadamente. Adicionalmente he estado sintiendo quemazón en las areás privadas, en cual la prisión del estado de Florida y la union correción institución ha continuadamente corrido los mismos examenes, nunca intentando otra forma de tratamiento en cual solo causando que sufra más.

Repetidamente me han cobrado $3 por ir a ver el doctor solo para ser negado tratamiento adecuado. El personal medico igual que el personal de seguridad (los guardias) sigen actuando como que los reclamas de mi enfermedad medica es un problema mental y no un problema fisico, hasta que recientemente despues de dos años fui visto por el urologista y solo por el apoyo de mi familia y de continuadas quejas me dijeron que tenía calculo renal. Solo quiero decir que quien seas y donde estes todos podemos contribuir a la lucha para derechos basicos y con determinación podemos obtener o lograr nuestras metas y conquistar.

This is a response from Warden B. M. Cash at California State Prison, Los Angeles County to a participant in the campaign for proper handling of grievances. In this response, Warden Cash avoids addressing our comrade’s petition, effectively supporting the illegal activity of his staff.

The Warden received this petition from several prisoners, not just one, and s/he still doesn’t see a need to conduct h own investigation. This is just one example of the lack of redress afforded prisoners within the imperialists’ bureaucratic runaround. It is proof of our need for a new society; one where writing a letter to an administrator in charge of dozens of employees who are actively perpetuating your oppression leads to at least an investigation!

It’s January 15 and the vicious hatemongers who operate this facility have again flipped the heating system off, changing it to cooling. On Christmas Eve over a foot of white hit up here. This is an apex mountainous zone of the Pennsylvania Appalachian territory. A day after Christmas, there was a freezing hail storm that locked in the foot-plus of white x-mas at peak altitude.

On December 23 I was nestled in warmth underneath a wool/poly blend county-issued blanket with my head tucked under and my knees towards my chest like I was back up in the womb, when I heard someone with a walkie outside near my cell comment on the nice, humane and cozy warmth on the cell walkway. At that time I thought little of it while relishing the civil humanity of heating in a prison’s segregation unit in winter. But later that night, with the peculiar uneasiness about the temperature in my cell gradually, steadily, going down, I put my hand to the vent and became stupefied with anger. This morning there was a similar occurrence as the morning of December 23.

Several times this morning I argued with that same correctional officer (CO) in response to him making statements in front of my cell as to the warmth of the unit. My point was, plain and simple, “It’s cold outside. It’s supposed to be warm inside!” Yet, the CO played it down as some deranged joke saying that it wasn’t nothing for me and if I was out the cell running around the unit working I would be complaining about it being “warm” too. (I have been on 24 hour lockdown for the past 7 years and for the past 11 days I have been on what’s known as “Butt-Naked”. [I’ll get to the Butt-Naked thing in a minute; please keep reading]).

See, on December 23 the regular maintenance faculty went on vacation for the holidays. They didn’t return until January 4: the first normal working day of this new year. Now this time, the regular maintenance faculty is off for their normal Saturday and Sunday, plus, Monday too, as this is Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Monday is the celebration of Reverand Martin’s birthday in honor of his civil rights accomplishments, leadership and examples of peacefulness and righteousness.

It pains me to think that these hatemongers who operate this facility would be so viciously cruel as to shut down the heating and pump out air-conditioning in the middle of the winter, on a keep-lock segregation unit in a prison on top of a mountain in the Central region of Pennsylvania to spite Dr. Martin Luther King weekend, blatantly disrespecting the American notion of civil and human rights, mocking, ridiculing, and dishonoring. Yet, I am without doubt to these devil hatmongers’ viciously cruel intentions due to the fact that they blasphemed lord Jesus Christ the savior by saying, “I got a Christmas time present this year for them DHU prisoners that they’ll never forget: torture!!” and then manifesting their hate for 12 straight days.

On January 3, after hearing every excuse feasible as to why the AC was on blast, and had been continuously on blast for the past 10 days, I proceeded to unload a gallon worth of human feces, which I had been storing in my cell, saving it in half-pint milk cartons since Christmas, just for the occasion. I shitted the entire unit out! There was shit all up and down the walkways, on the stairs, the railings, the walls, high up on the walls, the ceiling, and the officers’ chairs and desks. It was shit splatting all over the place dropping at unexpected places outside the cells like bird doodoo. Everybody acted like they couldn’t understand why I did it.

The shit was splattered-scattered all over like spots on a dalmatian hound; and, the regular DH inmate workers were crying. After an officer, who must have pulled the shortest straw, came out with a shield, I went ahead and closed the box on my cell door where the shit propelled from. A special work crew came to clean the shit with a hose, a shovel, and later, a ladder. It took them 3 hours to clean it to satisfaction; but, there’s still shit gobs on the high ceiling, which have calcified.

Butt-Naked status

There’s this special punishment treatment program here at Cambria County Prison (CCP) classified by the administrators of this facility under the official title of “Security Risk” but, amongst the hip staff members and CCP prisoners/jailers, Security Risk is commonly referred to as “Butt-Naked” status (i.e. “they got Baby T on Butt-Naked again.”)

During one of my two previous stays here at CCP (from SCI Pittsburgh) while socializing with jailers outside the segregation yard cages, I was informed for the first time of what it was that those jailers called Butt-Naked (i.e. “You better be careful here because these hatemongers are really racist and like putting black men on Butt-Naked and don’t give a fuck about none of this civil-human rights shit you be preaching!”) A prisoner told me of how after he had “whipped the whole CERT [Community Emergency Response Team] teams asses and broke one of them pussies jaw” he was subdued, beaten by officers, stripped of all his clothing to total nudity, placed in a cell without any bedding or toiletries, left in handcuffs and leg irons and cuffed to the bed, and kept on Butt-Naked for over a month straight. He also told me that once, during the period he was on Butt-Naked for over a month, guards had the audacity to place another butt naked man in the cell with him who had just been put on butt-naked to “overcrowd” the DHU.

On the day I was transferred back to CCP, I witnessed a fellow state transferee be subjected to “Security Risk” Butt-Naked status. This prisoner, who happens to be transgendered, told me that officers beat her while in the jail’s intake area after 3 p.m. due to her complaints of being tired and wanting to get to a cell with a mattress to rest. They dragged and carried her from the intake to the DHU in chains and then taser gunned her and beat her more after they got her into a DHU cell before battering off all her clothing and leaving her in the DHU cell totally nude with no bedding, and no toiletries, beaten, cold and in pain without medical. She also was sexually assaulted by anal digital fondling during the episode.

I got socially acquainted with another prisoner in the DHU. I witnessed his holiday depression in 2009 after an officer pressed him about his family. One second he was speaking calmly with the CO and wisecracking, the next thing I knew he was cussing the officer out and banging on the toilet, bed frame, desk and light fixtures inside his cell without abandon.

He started screaming for the guards to “CERT the fuck up!” and come in his cell so that he may murder at least one of them, or, if they didn’t come in his cell to stop him, he was going to slit his wrists and throat and murder himself; because as he put it frankly, “Somebody gonna muthafuck’n die up in this bitch tonight!” He was banging on the fixtures in his cell trying to get some steel loose to make good on his word, one way or another. An officer who had tried to talk reason with him witnessed him making cutting gestures against himself in his cell and called in on walkie-talkie, “he’s cutting himself, it looks like it’s a razor blade.”

The CERT team did eventually appear. Instead of going right in, they doused him with 4 bursts of hot choke burn nerve OC gas for 5-8 minutes while demanding him to surrender his stance and come to the cell door to be handcuffed. He began loudly coughing from the effects of the gas, coughing interspersed with cuss screams of how the guards were cowards for continuing to spray through the door and not entering the cell. When the guards finally opened the door, they ran in on him and had him restrained in 10-20 seconds. I could hear him yelling, “You got me! You got me! Fuck! I’m not resisting! Y’all got me! Get off my fucking head!” And, I could hear the lead guard yelling over and over, “Stop resisting!”

For this he was thrown in the coldest cell on the inhumanely cold unit, inhumanely cold from the heat being turned off and the AC on for the past week, stripped of all his clothing on Butt-Naked/Security Risk. He was placed on suicide watch as well. He remained on Security Risk until January 8, 11 days from his mental health breakdown suicidal/homicidal episode.

There is not very much doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t have succumbed to his happy holiday incarcerated suicide, seasonal depression were it not for the viciously cruel devil hatemongers operating this county jail/prison and controlling the conditions of confinement within the facility motifs of physio-psychological torturing and their shutting down the segregation unit’s heat and pumping out AC against its captive inhabitants. If it were not for the physio-psychological assault on his senses from the inescapable coldness of the DHU from December 23-27 he would have never succumbed on that Sunday night.

Now, I have myself braved Cambria County Prison’s Security Risk special punishment program. I had counted on the hatemongers courting up on me and placing me on Butt-Naked after my having shitted down the whole unit. But they never came for me that night. Then the next morning after the shitting, after I had dosed the officer picking up trash after breakfast with heifer-tit juice, the CERT came (headed by an officer named Kupacella, who threatened to “shoot” me and who was cleared of wrong-doing for bringing his personal gun into the facility and shooting a prisoner to death in 2006) and I was moved to another cell. After I was moved to the Butt-Naked cell the heat came back on.

I just got off Security Risk today. I was on security risk for a total of 16 days. On the 7th day, because I hadn’t given back the blanket on time (they give you a blanket and mattress every day for use from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., the hardest time to sleep, and expect you to happily give it back when they come at 1:30-1:45 for it) the CERT team (again headed by Mercenary hate monger CO Kupacella) came back, I was caught off guard by them. I didn’t know they were coming until they were right at my door! None of the the prisoners said a word even though they knew that the CERT team was geared up for somebody.

The Lieutenant told me “I’m giving you a direct order to come to the door and cuff up.” As soon as I went to the door to cuff as instructed, the Foreman officer of the CERT team (who I recognized visually and by his voice as Kupacella) said “go to the back of the cell” and repeated it 2-3 times. After asking “How am I supposed to cuff up? Do you want me to cuff up or go to the back of the cell?” The Lieutenant didn’t respond and the Foreman again said “go to the back of the cell!” Seeing that the box wasn’t being opened for me to cuff, I went to the back of the cell. The Foreman screamed “Put your hands up! Drop it! Drop it!” Then called in on the walkie-talkie to open my door. Needless to say I had nothing in my hands. The foreman had the door opened just enough to spray me aiming at my head with high-powered OC nerve gas. After he closed the door back, I took off my eyeglasses and laid on the floor at the front of the cell with my feet at the door and my hands behind my head. I was then beaten by the CERT team, dragged to the shower, and roughed up some more.

I was dragged back into the OC-contaminated cell totally nude. There wasn’t even a decontamination attempt made! The officer evacuated all the other 3 cells due to the spraying of the gas, but still put me back on the contaminated cell. (I believe more gas was sprayed in it while I was being roughed up in the shower.) I screamed in agony from the burning effects of the OC. I couldn’t open my eyes, because he had got me dead in the face! I continuously splashed my face with water from the sink, but as soon as I’d stop my facial skin would again feel like it was on fire! I couldn’t flush my eyes out either. The horrid screams of agony started after I first splashed my body with water, after that it felt like I was in an inferno pit! I would fill a cup to try and get the OC off my body with. I would be on fire for the 15 seconds it took to fill the cup, and after I poured the water on my naked body I would start burning up again in 1-2 seconds. This went on for 2 hours. I eventually gave up on the water and sat down and supplicated to Allah.

MIM(Prisons) responds: This prisoner writes a vivid account of the horrifying conditions in Pennsylvania prisons and the irrational responses that the torture conditions elicit from prisoners, ranging from suicide attempts to aggression to any other form of acting out that they can use to maintain some small amount of control over their lives. Control units are torture, and they are used as a tool of social control in prisons.

We do disagree with this prisoner’s statement that carrying out brutality in the prisons over MLK weekend is “blatantly disrespecting the American notion of civil and human rights.” The Amerikan notion of humyn rights is the supremacy of the few at the expense of the many. This is the imperialist system. There is only lip service given to humyn rights when it is convenient, for instance protecting the Kurds in Iraq once Amerika no longer finds Saddam Hussein to be a useful ally. But the systematic destruction of basic human rights is commonplace in Amerikan militarism. And we see it daily in the criminal injustice system.

I was rereading ULK10 when I came across the article “Mao’s Combat Liberalism very relevant in PA prisons”. The prisoner was referring to ULK issue #5, November 2008. From the article by the prisoner, I can honestly say I sympathize with him, for myself and a few others here at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJDCF) in San Diego, California have been dealing with a lot of the same type of shit.

Here at RJDCF Administrative Segregation, where I have been for almost 18 months because some other prisoner said I tried to extort him out of commissary items (which I did not do at all), I have seen exactly how a good portion constantly back down from fighting the rampant corruption and oppression by the pigs because at the time it’s not affecting them. But once it does, they scream it’s unfair and demand unity.

To me, these people are just like the pigs themselves. Out only for their damn self. It’s pathetic.

I, for the past 16 months have been fighting tooth and nail against all forms of pig corruption and oppression. Even though I am what is called SNY (Sensitive Needs Yard) a.k.a. Protective Custody, I fight for the rights of all prisoners, be they SNY or mainline actives. I’ve done quite a few appeals as well as filed a few court claims. I do this even though it comes back to haunt me in the form of retaliation from the pigs in authority. But to quote a famous movie, “frankly my dear, I just don’t give a damn.”

There’s not a whole lot more they can do to punish me or make my life miserable. How could they? I’m in Ad-Seg for 18 months for non-disciplinary issues as it was soon found out that I did not extort anything from anyone, yet they are keeping me here 18 months for “enemy concerns.” I’ve been awaiting a non-adverse transfer for most of the time, about 16 months. The most corrupt pigs keep on going like they’re nearly invincible: they issue me short portions of food, tamper with food and mail, and try to shut me up with bullshit. They constantly try to make other prisoners hate me. But I have been the one with the last laugh so far. The prisoners know I fight for them. They ignore the pigs, and show support for me even if they all don’t fight on their own. I have won nearly all my appeals, and have the courts looking into these issues. I will not bow down to these sadomasochistic pigs and their oppression. While difficult to fight, they won’t hinder me.

These pigs do such a great job of keeping us all at each others’ throats. Yet there are some of us, regardless of custody status, SNY, mainline, race, religion, crimes, etc, who just care about giving back, just as much, if not more, than we get.

As I said, I’m SNY. I see active mainline prisoners fighting themselves. This is contributing to their own oppression and making the pig’s job even easier. The mainline looks down on SNY prisoners like they are all baby rapers and killers. Yet there’s more unity on the SNY side of the fence. We put bullshit prisoner politics behind us. To me, it’s the mature thing to do.

The prisoners do pigs favors by fighting each other. And the ones who don’t fight each other kiss the pigs’ asses to get favors such as dope, cellphones, and other shit. But when something happens, these same collaborating prisoners demand unity that they themselves don’t show. I used to be similar, but I’ve changed. Now I even help those people because this is still fighting the right fight. I know a few who would do the same, but they are very few.

Prison would be a much better place if more people stopped oppressing themselves and each other on top of what the pigs do. We must put the bullshit aside for once in our lives. Leave behind the racism, mainline/SNY hatred, the selfish attitudes, the “it’s all me” mentality. We need to all grow the fuck up.

Unite and fight oppression, fight the pigs, fight for your true rights. If you don’t, you’re only slaves, puppets, whores. I’m not advocating violence against the pigs. I prefer you do it by educating yourselves properly, not with the bullshit these authorities want you to learn. True history, true politics, true reality, they exist.

We were taught in American schools that communism is a terrible way of life. When people bash it who were communist, it’s because only a few of them, usually exiles or people who would’ve been punished, fled from responsibility and put it down. Yet I’ve met a lot of others who have nothing but good to say about it. People will never truly be 100% happy. Not everyone. Most can be just fine.

Even Mao himself admitted to mistakes. If people learn from them that’s great. It shows maturity and responsibility. If not, they are fools, it’s that simple.

Our mistakes are many. We’ve been quick to accept a certain way of life. Look where that’s gotten us. Our rehabilitation in prison is a joke. We’re not rehabilitated, we’re segregated. And we’ve allowed it by accepting it’s the real way. It’s not people. Wake up. Look between the lines. We’re miserable because we allow it.

Unite. Put bullshit back in the garbage. Educate yourselves. Stand on your own 2 feet and fight the real fight.

MIM(Prisons) adds: The prison movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s was strong because of the unity in action around issues that affected all prisoners. We need to implement such a strategy, and not just focus on self as this comrade reiterates. It is up to leaders to step forward and lead this effort. This comrade acknowledges that they used to be narrow-minded in their approach but changed. The more leaders who step up, the more people will change and see unity in action as a reality.

Jan. 20. 2010 - U.S. aid arrives at a Haitian hospital, ready to save lives.

As we embark on 2010 it seems that a tragic disaster has struck the Afrikan people. A few years ago it was hurricane Katrina and now Haiti. I was just building with the brothers on how in 1804 Haiti won its independence, defeating the French imperialists on January 1st. Twelve days later an earthquake rips trough Haiti at the magnitude of 7.0. Now, I’m not sure who is to blame, but I have my suspicions. You know, since 2006 there’s been a tsunami in South Asia, a hurricane in New Orleans, and now an earthquake in Haiti. All are dark skinned nations! Like I said, I have my suspicions, which I’ll get into later.

Sisters and Brothers, we need to come together and focus on Our people in Haiti! We, the brothers of a plantation in New York called Clinton [Correctional Facility], have got together and we were so moved by the horrible images on the news, newspapers and radio that we are willing to donate clothes, food and money from our accounts to help our Afrikan Haitian mothers, fathers and children.

As New Afrikans, we understand fully our purpose in life and it’s to help our people whether they be in the u$, Cuba, Afrika, Brazil, Jamaica, etc. We understand that the Amerikan Red Cross takes out a percentage from the money donated and we really don’t want that type of middle man pilfering from our donations. So we ask if you can have an outside agency that’s willing to come to this plantation and others throughout New York to pick up the items of clothing, food and an address that we can write to send our funds and condolences. We are talking with the Superintendent and hopefully by the time you respond we should be ready to go. We really do hope you can help us help those in need.

Bloods and Crips, I ask that we take a minute to understand that we as a people just lost close to 50,000 men, women and children in less than 24 hours! That number unfortunately will rise in this catastrophic event. Please, please, please stop the tribalism and join forces and help our people! At this rate we’ll be extinct in no time!

MIM(Prisons) responds: Many more than 50,000 have died and many more will. The situation in Haiti is horrendous and as this writer goes on to point out, this does not happen to europeans or amerikans. He draws parallels to the ethnic cleansing that took place in New Orleans and Southeast Asia following hurricanes and tsunamis. This comrade blames it on man correctly, but does so in a mystical way later in the letter (unprinted). These disasters are man-made because of economics. While climate change may increase extreme weather, earthquakes occur at a level humyns have yet to interfere with.
[see our correction for this article]

It was not long ago that the united $tates went into Haiti and kidnapped President Aristide, who has been in exile ever since. As the Haitian people call for his help in their time of need, 5 digits worth of u.$. troops march into their country, controlling everything and allowing little aid to get through. The history of u.$. “aid” to Haiti is well-documented and clearly not in the interests of the Haitian people.(1)

Real solidarity means supporting the self-determination of Haitians. If you want an organization that claims to send all its money directly to Haiti, you could donate to the Bush/Clinton fund. (It may end up being sent in the form of occupation troops though.) The real standard of where to send aid should be where the Haitian people are building their own institutions. Years ago the united $tates crushed programs that were developing Haitian medical personnel, and now amerikans want to pretend to be their saviors.(2) While we do not endorse any particular funds at this time, we have compiled some information on groups that may be able to get donations into the right hands.

Long Live International Solidarity!

notes:
(1)This article gives some more background: http://monkeysmashesheaven.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/haiti-beware-amerikkkans-bearing-gifts-aid-becomes-pretext-for-u-colonial-occupation/
(2)This article also gives good background and contemporary information: http://www.sfbayview.com/2010/earthquake-in-haiti-under-aristide-haitians-were-prepared-for-disaster/

Comrades, once again the Kay Kay Kay of Klinton has struck again. One of young brothers of 19 years of age was literally used to demonstrate Ultimate Fighting Champion moves while none intervened. This occurred on 1/12/2010 here at Clinton Correctional Facility in the Lower F Block. The little brother reports that these devils tried to lynch him by way of strangulation with their hands clasped around his neck.

Years ago, Lower F was the long-term keeplock. Four galleries of cells, 40+ cells a piece, straight dungeon. Then it became transit block. Now in 2010 it’s a transit and ASAT housing block.

Basically, the Lower F Block is the orientation program for new lumpen arrivals. It’s obvious that corrupt, racist, biased lynch men lurk about preying on the young brothers or elder child-like ones. Some forget how dangerous prison is supposed to be, which is a no-no for the oppressor in Blue/Grey and white.

This report is the latest in a series on brutality at Clinton Correctional Facility. Also see:
Kkklinton Censors Article then Cracks More Skulls
Kkklinton Continues Persecution of New Afrikans
Victim in Clinton Brutality Needs Legal Help

Greetings to all who support what is right! My story goes like this: I recently noticed a friend of mine with a very large bump on his hand due to a brown recluse spider bite. I asked him, “what happened?” He told me that he filled out an emergency medical request form and informed medical staff of the type of spider and its location.

Well, no one responded to even look at it until 19 days had passed. I asked him if they were going to treat it and he said, “yes, they did.” They had given him a couple band-aids and a small packet of ointment. Well, this morning I saw him again. They had to amputate 3 of his fingers because the poison from the spider bite had caused severe damage over such a prolonged period of time. However, if they would have responded sooner, then he wouldn’t have lost his fingers.

A law came out some time ago called “The Plata Case” which entitles all inmates in CDCR to fair and prompt medical attention, as well as other medical treatments. For the most part, the staff are still negligent, and when they are confronted with that particular issue they say “due to budget cutbacks, we are short of staff!” They cling on to any reason to blame the budget so their job income can be more. A lot can be done to save my friend’s fingers, but when I see the attitudes of the medical staff and the way they treat the inmates in a non-professional manner, it’s obvious they are unloading their aggressions and animosities on the inmates needing medical attention.

MIM(Prisons) adds: Plata v. Schwarzenegger, docket no. 3:01-cv-01351-TEH (N.D. Cal.), is a federal class action civil rights lawsuit alleging that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) medical services are inadequate and violate the Eighth Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This case was filed in 2001 and as of early 2010 the state is still resisting as a federal receivership has recently taken over the CDCR’s medical care. MIM(Prisons) promotes long legal battles that are strategically chosen to create space for the oppressed to organize and to expose the system. Almost nine years of court and prisoners of the state are still losing fingers and worse unnecessarily. Now that the system is exposed, the other side of our struggle is building the independent institutions of the oppressed that demonstrate better ways to do things.

New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) reports that Mr. Amare Selton (aka Ra’d) #93A3756 died on 9/17/2009. An Eritrean national, Ra’d was an active anti-imperialist who began working with MIM in the mid-1990s.

Comrades of Ra’d have communicated with the DOCS central office in Albany, local Imam’s, the statewide Chaplain in New York City and staff at Attica Correctional Facility, including the head counselor. The only information anyone could provide was the date he died. They all claimed to know nothing else and that they could not obtain further information. We print the following testimonies to honor Ra’d - Rest In Power comrade!

A comrade who studied with Ra’d:

Some of our readers will recognize Ra’d as someone who was an active and well-developed participant in our study cell. Contributing to this eulogy reminds me that the first time i remember Ra’d, a Sunni Muslim himself, struggling with MIM(Prisons) was in an extended debate over MIM’s eulogy for Saddam Hussein. And as someone who spent over two thirds of his time in various long-term isolation he wrote on mental health units and an article on solitary confinement that was circulated at national conferences addressing the topic.

While the DOCS refuses to release a cause of death, comrades can attest to the fact that he was not suicidal. He found himself placed in mental health units for “anti-social behavior” such as getting into physical altercations with staff.

The enclosed photo is from 2004 following an extended beating of Ra’d by CO’s E. Rizzo, M. Woodward, B. Smith and Sgt. T. Mitchell at Auburn Correctional Facility. After facing harassment including having his water shut off and no one responding to his complaints, Ra’d barricaded his door to trigger a cell extraction in hopes of getting the Sergeant’s attention. In his affidavit he describes the long series of beatings and abuse he faced as a result. Sgt. T. Mitchell dug his knuckles into his neck saying, “Does it hurt, you nigger, you piece of shit…does it hurt now, stinkin’ nigger…you fuckin’ nigger…”

A fellow prisoner at Attica wrote after Ra’d’s death:

The article in Under Lock & Key on censorship is an accurate description of what is going on at Attica Correctional Facility. They stop our mail from reaching certain destinations.

I recently wrote two complaints on officers in Attica. One was for an officer literally threatening me that if i was in general population i’d be going home in a body bag.

And the second complaint was regarding an officer who was serving my Kosher meal and while i was at my cell door for my hot water, he purposely tipped the cup over scalding my left hand and my private parts. This officer smiled the whole time at me. Attica is the most racist and dangerous prison in New York State. Everyday we are subjected to assaults by staff.

Now there is a new corruption going on in Attica by a lot of correctional staff. When any prisoner is brought to special housing, which used to be known as solitary confinement, all their stamps, cigarettes and even porno books are being stolen and given to snitches and ass kissers. This is done so that the stamps and pornos can be exchanged for cigarettes. Cigarettes cost almost $10.00 in New York State and you have officers robbing us to support their tobacco habits.

When you drop complaints, officers come to your cell threatening you with physical violence if you don’t sign off on your complaint.

Society labels us with the tag of criminals, and for many of us we deserve such a tag. But i have come to know that some of the worst criminals in the Department of Correctional Services are working for it.

A close comrade who lived alongside Ra’d in recent years:

O Allah, receive our brother and comrade Ra’d with open arms for he aspired to be a martyr. O martyrs receive your brother (Ra’d) for he is one of our beloved. O prophets smile at him and give him some sweet foods and drink and most of all receive us when our turn comes. Hopefully, as we fight back unshackled, uncuffed.

Latin Kings vs. Black Gangsters Disciples, Vice Lords vs. Gangster Disciples, Netas vs. Insectos, Crips vs. Bloods, Surenos vs. Nortenos, MS~13 vs Latin Kings, etc. This senseless and endless beef between us who are in rival street organizations does nothing for the revolution. It does nothing to help the oppressed people of the Third World order.

This message I write today is not for the ignorant amongst us but for the true revolutionaries. When it comes to any cause united we stand and divided we fall. This isn’t just a cliche. It’s as real as it gets.

To be specific, I address this to all the groups within the U.$. that the imperialistic federal troops have labeled “supergangs.”

As rivals I realize that there can never be no real truce between enemies (too much blood spilled and riders buried). However this isn’t about kissing and making up for I know that bad blood can’t turn good. It’s also real that this message won’t influence those of us who want to continue banging. However for those of us who have metamorphosed into bona fide revolutionaries and want to make a united stand against injustice, let us use all our influence and power to call a cease fire and turn our focus on the real enemy.

“In unity we can bring any evil system to its knees.” The divide and conquer tactic of war has been used by opposing forces for centuries. One out of the many of examples used by the Federal Bureau of Instigation (FBI) to divide and conquer stands out in my mind. The one they employed in the 70s when they tried to cause beef between Fred Hampton, a leader of the Black Panther Party in Chi-town and Jeff Forte, the head of the Black Peace Stones in the same town. (Both komrades were strong and had command over mass riders). The Feds attempted this by sending both groups false information about one another. When the plan failed, the pigs simply rushed komrade Fred’s apartment and executed komrade Fred and another Panther komrade Mark Clark, and shot at komrade Fred’s pregnant fiancee (she lived). Occasionally security employs this tactic within these modern day concentration camps. If we’re busy fighting one another it keeps our minds off of the real oppressors.

We need to start moving as one when it comes to the revolution. If you are strong enough to be a revolutionary, this means you’re prolific enough to move the masses within your own organization towards the cause of revolution. If you take roll call of the members we have within the largest street organizations within the U.$. we have what? 1/2 a million members? A million? If we ceasefire and move as one towards revolution we will become a force to be reckoned with. With all our different colors and ideologies we can become a united nations of revolution.

The biggest gang in the united $tates is the police. There are 660,000 police officers below federal level - state and local - 659,000 of them to the man has no trust in the FBI and yet when called upon they work together to oppress us. If they can work together in distrust then we can work as one headed in the same direction for the same goal.

When individual people work together for a common purpose there is power available to the group that isn’t available to individuals, union is a fundamental basis of power.

Genghis Khan once stated “one tribe is like a single arrow, easily broken. All tribes together we become unbreakable.” Even if you are alone within your group when it comes to revolution, you are armed with the knowledge that all it takes is one resolute revolutionary, one disobedient spirit to turn a flock of sheep into a den of lions. You must truthfully ask yourself are you ready if need be to die for the cause? Then you must truthfully answer yourself. This is important because part of the imperialist’s false superiority is their unwillingness to die. On our end I’ll repeat Andrew Young who said “it’s a blessing to die for a cause, because you can so easily die for nothing.”

Once we get started they can’t kill a cause. Fighting for a cause is everything, simply believing in a cause is not enough.

I read a lot of articles written to MIM by my fellow komrades in chains that basically add up to “po po whupped my ass” or “these CO pawns/administration are dogging us”, what I don’t read in those same articles is what did you do or are you going to do or are doing about it? Because if an act of action is not in your makeup and character then that’s when you voicing your grievance to MIM is a futile whine.

Fidel Castro once said “a revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.” As I strip down daily and look in the mirror I take notice of the many scars handed down to me by correctional goon squads from my numerous battles with them for standing against their tyranny.

I remember the few komrades who stood side by side with me against the OAK clubs, mace, tasers, etc. And went to the hospital with me after they tortured us for fighting them. There was never enough of us. We were always the minority. We still are the chosen few. Thus I reach out to all street organizations under the banner of revolution. This is a call to arms forsaking all others. Let men and women of courage fall in and under this banner.

Back in the dayz when Amerikka made their power move on our red brothers (indigenous people) to rob them of their land, one of the many tactics used to conquer these proud peoples was to give them and then sell them “firewater” (alcohol). This disabled many of our red brothers ability to fight for their freedom, thus making it easier for the imperialistic blue coated amerikkkan storm troopers to lead many red families into western concentration camps (reservations).

Now today as I look around me I see many potential revolutionaries and even vanguards for the revolution but they are disabled by a similar poison that disabled our red brothers ability to fight. Whether it be called alcohol, heroin, cocaine, meth, PCP, etc. Poison is poison. For a revolutionary to poison himself is to bring poison to the revolution. Don’t get it twisted, you are either a revolutionary or a drug addict. You can’t be both.

You can never be a valid asset to the revolution in an altered state of mind. And even if you don’t use poison but you sell it to the oppressed people of color for your own profit then you are still not a revolutionary but a death merchant who profits off of the weaknesses and misery of your own peoples. The same law applies here. You are either a drug dealer or a revolutionary. You can’t be both.

This strategy to feed us the oppressed nationalities poison is still used today by covert operatives of the united states of amerikkka. Don’t believe the hype? The CIA played a key part in introducing crack cocaine to the urban communities of Los Angeles, California. Does the name “Freeway Willie” sound familiar? These meat warehouses called “correctional facilities” are not concerned with how much drugs a prisoner sells or uses, their main concern is that we don’t escape, don’t commit acts of violence against their plantation keepers and that we don’t stack up arms. Their concerns are against the very characteristics which make up a revolutionary.

Revolution starts with our minds. If our minds are altered, there is no revolution. If you are down for the revolution, then poison is not in the equation and can never be. Be clean, strong and sober. Fight to win.