MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
First, on B.P.-391 in Texas, there are units that are fighting this
policy, yet here on Connally Unit they are taking and denying everything
they can and they are not allowing us to appeal anything. We’ve written
a bunch of grievances and they all got returned saying that the issue is
not grievable, and when we file step 2’s, they are all getting thrown
away. We have no wins here on Connally.
Second, we’ve contacted the TDCJ ombudsman on multiple ranking
officers and regular officers. In doing that we are getting retaliated
on and harassed. They are cell searching and destroying our property,
tearing our pics, denying us our privilege of commissary, rec or day
room. We’ve sent multiple grievances on these officers and they never
come back. The wardens are letting them retaliate on us and not doing
anything about it! The Connally Unit is steadily short staff only on
their Fridays and payday. Right now we’re short staffed and when we
asked a question about what’s going on, they put us on 23-hour lockdown
– for asking a question. They are playing with peoples’ lives and
freedoms here on Connally Unit. We can’t grieve officers because they
always come back saying “this isn’t grievable.” We’re in a no-win
situation here!
MIM(Prisons) responds: If they won’t let you grieve,
then it’s time to come together with all who can be united there and get
creative. We’ve been fighting the grievance battle for years. It is only
a tactic. It will never solve comrades’ problems overall because the
rules are only applied when they want them to be.
I been wanting to write this letter for about a year now. Society
needs to be aware of what’s really going on behind the walls of prison.
On March of 2020 I wrote an article that was printed on the pages of
your newsletter. It was called ‘TDCJ:
Your staff are bringing in the drugs, and it must stop’(see ULK
73). Since the print of the article, I’ve become a target of
harassment and retaliation. Administration and C/O’s here at Coffield
Unit are a part of a Good Ol’ boy system that use these types of
methods, to make the prisoner pay when the truth is being exposed.
A shakedown team was put together by Warden Garcia. When the team
comes across a prisoner, who refuses to be extorted for information
(something that can place the prisoner’s life in danger), they will
harass/retaliate, even falsify government records, in order to place the
prisoner in the worst part of the prison as a form of punishment for not
cooperating. It happened to me, and I will go into detail later in the
letter.
There wouldn’t be drugs or cellphones in prison, if corrupt C/O’s
didn’t bring them. Can prisoners just walk out of prison, score drugs,
take a detour by Wal-Mart, pick up a couple of cellphones, then return
to prison? How is it that this type of contraband finds itself inside
prisons? Governor Greg Abbott needs to answer these questions. Since the
last article, nothing has changed. A constant flow of K2 (a drug laced
with roach spray), Meth, Cocaine, Heroin, pills and cellphones, flow
through the prison. In 29 years of my confinement, I’ve seen my share of
things but nothing like whats going on today, in the prison system.
Eighty percent (80%) of young people in prison are terribly addicted
to drugs, that C/O’s bring in. The only difference between correctional
officers and prisoners is the uniform. They themselves are criminals.
This type of thing needs to be brought up next time some politician out
there screams “We need more prisons”. ‘Go to Texas prison with a bad
drug habit, leave worse when you get out’. That should be the
politicians slogan.
TDCJ proudly states “We are an agency of rehabilitation and positive
change”, the best lie being sold to the public. The only thing TDCJ
higher-ups care about, is that government funding. At the moment
Coffield has a sky high suicide rate due to all the drugs. This place is
completely out of compliance and under-staffed. Prisoners are left in
dayrooms (that have no toilets) for hours and have to use the restroom
on shifts because there’s no one to let them in the cell to use the
restroom.
Hours pass with no security checks, a clear breach of security. A few
days ago there was an audit on the unit, C/Os from other units were
called in, so they could pass the inspection. As soon as the inspectors
left, the C/Os from other units left behind them. There’s no outside
recreation, the water is getting prisoners sick, but plenty of K2 to
keep the prisoners “Dumbed down”, so there won’t be complaints.
Society needs to realize that prisoners will return to neighborhoods
out there. How can prisoners, whom are sent to prison to rehabilitate
themselves, accomplish that goal, when the good law-abiding correctional
officers, bring poison, to make them worse? These same prisoners will be
released, will reoffend, commit worse crimes, due to a drug problem that
got worse in prison. How many crooked C/Os have been indicted, for the
victims of suicide and drug overdoses, that have died in Coffield, due
to the drugs these C/Os bring in? This system and its C/Os are the
problem, something people in high places, refuse to admit to the
public.
For years our families got blamed for the drug flow coming into
prison. When COVID-19 arrived, visitations got shut down and the truth
was exposed, as to who really brought the dope in. Over a year,
no visitations yet the dope was delivered on time. The truth is K2 is
sprayed on just about anything, or brought in liquid forms. Meth,
heroin, cocaine and pills can easily be hidden on C/Os that bring it for
a nice hefty price. A $20 cellphone now goes for $2000 OR $2500
each.
So let’s put this together: the proposed solution is a pig team that
goes after prisoners who PURCHASE contraband from C/Os. This helps the
Warden shift the blame and cover who the real crooks are, and
everything’s blamed on the prisoners. This way the truth is not exposed
and questions never need to be answered.
For my writing about this type of corruption, I am now under fire by
the warden and administration. Enclosed are copies of complaints filed
with the Ombudsman’s office due to harassment/retaliation against me.
The Ombudsman’s office claims to be an independent entity, that
investigates family complaints against TDCJ officials - (NOT TRUE). In
reality, they work hand-in-hand with TDCJ officials.
“Due to a lack of evidence, your allegations could not be
substantiated.” (Lack of evidence? There are cameras all over the unit,
that record video) If Ms. Melodee Blalock would have performed a proper
investigation of the date and time the incidents occurred, she could
have retrieved video that would have placed C/O Brewer at my
cubicle/cell destroying my property. She just wouldn’t go against the
Good Ol’ boy system.
Violations of misconduct by staff, when confirmed (Notice the words
“When confirmed”) are addressed in accordance with established
administrative procedures. Such decisions are considered confidential
(Notice the word ‘Confidential’) and not released to the general public.
TDCJ and Ombudsman both work as the outside cops. When a C/O has
violated policy or harassed a prisoner, a wall of silence instantly goes
up and things are quietly swept under the rug.
The reply my sister received means: Even if C/O Brewer is guilty, it
will be covered up by the good ol’ boy system that’s designed to never
admit wrong. I was housed at the dorm area from 2017 till 2021 with no
altercations of this sort. After I wrote the first article, full
retaliation was enforced. When it got really bad, my sister filed the
complaint. 46 days after filing, the same C/O Brewer, who the complaint
was filed against, showed up at my cubicle with his supervisor SGT Hom,
to place me in handcuffs.
I was escorted to a segregation cage, which had no restroom or
running water. I was stripped searched and left in those conditions,
under extreme heat without relief (water, fan, restroom break), on a hot
July day. I was there from 9 am till 4:30 pm. I was denied water and was
forced to urinate in bottles that an SSI had to sneak to me.
Just one example of the injustice prisoners have to endure at the
hands of the oppressors. Which politician, with a nice desk, watches
over the oppressors, who enjoy violating prisoners rights and get off on
abusing their power? I will continue to expose a corrupt system that’s
in real need of prison reform. And to accomplish that goal, the prison
reform needs to start with its own C/Os.
I see parole March of 2022, after 2 three year set-offs. If something
happens to me, comrades the answer as to why, is in your hands. Thanks
to each of you. May God walk with each of you.
I want to thank you for sending me the newsletter. I’ve been getting
fellow prisoners together to help change the ongoing troubles we’re
having here on the John B. Connally Unit. I’ve had my mom email the
Ombudsman due to the fact that the Warden stated everyone filing a
grievance on his officers actions or the units conditions will find
themselves in building lockup, facing disciplinary.
So we can’t write a Step 1 or 2 cause they are getting stopped by the
officials. Right now we’re on lockdown due to a racial riot that
happened due to the guards making our environment ‘hostile.’ A lot of
the guards don’t be wearing they mask; and they haven’t been vaccinated,
yet they lock us down when one or two people take down our mask.
We try to get an ‘informal resolution’ but they refuse to talk with
us. Sgt. J Sandoval stated “fuck you, we don’t care.” Exact words. When
they put us on 23 hour lockdowns they make it into a 26 or 28 hour
lockdown cause they don’t want to let us up. Some of the guards are
19-20-21 year olds who’ve been an officer for 2-3 months, and they get
rank and misuse their power. I’ve also written the Ombudsman and my mom
emailed him.
The riot was Brown vs. Black cause the Blacks don’t wanna wear they
mask and were tired of going down behind one or two people. Last night
everyone had enough, grievances don’t get addressed. They write bogus
cases for going to respite for heat restriction. TDCJ policy says we’re
allowed respite 24 hours 7 days a week even during count yet when we go
to respite, Sgt. Reed and Sgt. Sandoval write out of places cases when
policy says we’re allowed respite. Also, August 1st TDCJ is trying to
take all our pics of females away and calling pics of women in lingerie
or exotic poses ‘contraband.’
I am being transferred to another prison for inciting the whole
entire population with a statement that said i am an ‘Illuminati
Killer.’
I’m out of their established isolation unit and now being housed in a
quarantine housing unit. The housing unit is a 300 cell living unit,
double cell. There are probably 30 individuals scattered throughout the
entire facility/unit. All individuals housed here are from several
different institutional facility yards. None are General
Population(G.P.) that i know of.
SATF (Substance Abuse Treatment Facility) is bleeding the state for
medical benefits, like claiming this building as a medical facility,
under the guise of COVID quarantine. But the administration is using the
building as an isolation unit. All of the guys housed here are said to
be in transit, transitioning from some place to another, but on the cool
they all are trouble makers of the California Department of Corrections
and “rehabilitation” (CDCR). We get zero yard, zero dayroom, zero
facility activities like law library, education, canteen, vocation, etc.
They terminated all of our privileges except for writing a letter. And
if one doesn’t have postage stamps, it sucks to be you.
The current CDCR 602 [grievance form] is being remodeled thanks to
the San Quentin Prison Law Office’s latest negotiation to the
Armstrong lawsuit against CDCR to wire the institutions for
cameras and microphones to protect the disabled prisoners being abused
by pigs and covered up by crooked administrators trying to protect their
skeletons from being leaked to the public.
So chances of getting a 602 going anywhere right now is more slim
than the yester years.
Rumor has it that a pig killed emself not long ago, due to state
layoffs. So the bull shit is in the air. Free staff are refusing to come
to work in support of the California Correctional Peace Officers
Association (CCPOA) work strike against prison closures. The attitude is
that prisoners ain’t got shit coming right now at SATF. And if they try
pushing the issue, then label them a gang leader and transfer them into
an active gladiator environment.
The cadre here are educated to concentrate on being released. Don’t
bite into the pigs provocation. They are doing everything they can to
prevent us from seeing that free society because they understand the
power that we have with zero attachments and very little loyalty to what
they are loyal to. Leaders are locating Agent Smith in their comfort
zones, gyms, churches, restaurants, etc and revisiting some very awkward
conversations that originated on the prison yard.
Tupac Shakur responds to an interviewer That’s why i
put the ‘k’ to it. Know what? Niggas was telling me about this
illuminati shit while i’m in jail, right, like “the dollar, you know.”
That’s another way to keep yourself in chains yo. That’s another way to
keep you unconfident. And i put the ‘k’ there cuz i’m killing that
illuminati shit, trust me!”
DISL Automatic:
People yellin’ “Wake up!”
But they’re still dreamin
They say “killuminati”
But they don’t know the meaning
They took Pac’s saying way out of context
’Cuz what he meant is that illuminati shit is nonsense
he wasn’t saying we should kill anybody,
he was saying we should kill that talk of illuminati
’Cuz all it is is a bunch of hocus pocus
to make us feel powerless and shift all of our focus
from the corporations and the corrupt government
to the secret societies and sacred covenants
That’s what they want so they don’t have to take you serious
They brush you off as a conspiracy theorist.
In early June, a book arrived here at this facility that was intended
as a birthday gift from my family. The day the book arrived I asked the
property officers if I had received any books and they responded “No,”
despite the fact that my sister confirmed that the book had arrived.
When I informed the staff that I had gotten my family to track the
package the staff acted even more standoffish, dismissive and
suspicious. I suspected this type of behavior from the staff was due to
the very controversial information contained in the book, but still,
knowing my rights and also the purpose of the First Amendment I would
not tolerate it without taking necessary legal action.
Almost ten days after the book had arrived the only thing I was given
was a ‘Notification of Publication Disapproval Form’ that was signed by
the Warden. But I was told the book wasn’t here, correct?
The Warden, property office and mailroom clerk all stated falsely
that the book contained “material that promoted violence, terrorism or
criminal activity that violated state & federal guidelines.” I know
this is not even remotely the case, being that I actually read the book
in 2014 prior to my incarceration. Knowing this I was highly offended
& saw the property officer’s actions and reasons for violating my
First Amendment rights as not only an attempt to impede on my freedom of
speech but also as an insult to my intelligence. The definition of
‘promote’ is ‘to advocate’ so I forced the staff to prove, legally, that
this book, entitled The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black
Leaders ‘promoted’ or ‘advocated’ ‘violent acts’ or ‘terrorism.’
Close examination of this book will prove anything but that.
The book actually promotes the opposite – principles almost identical
with those of the United Struggle from Within and MIM(Prisons). It
promotes Peace, Unity & Solidarity between tribes, gangs and lumpen
organizations. And it also depicts the violent, cold-blooded &
terrorist acts committed by the FBI, the CIA & local police forces
in Amerikkka. We call this domestic, or, homegrown terrorism, used to
reinforce the fascist policies of the capitalist social order.
My first action to get my book was to file informal complaints &
grievances for violation of my First Amendment rights as well as
Operating Procedures code 803.2 on the rights of prisoners receiving
publications. Operating Procedure 803.2 clearly states that if the
Warden or property officer found something ‘questionable’ about any
publication or literature sent to an inmate then the inmate is to be
notified and consulted before the officer in charge of passing out
property takes further action. Then the inmate is given three
options:
Have the book sent home.
Have the book sent to the Publication Review Committee.
Have the book destroyed.
The primary issue is that I wasn’t allowed the liberty to explain to
the staff what the book was really about & that I never gave them
the consent to hold or send the book to the Publication Review Committee
(or ‘PRC’), as they claimed they had done. So, in fact, code 803.2 was
violated by the property officer and the warden who signed the
Publication Disapproval form which lacked my signature of consent.
This is a perfect example of fascist style censorship and violation
of First Amendment rights within the Virginia Department of Corrections
(D.O.C.). As Operating Procedures Code 803.2 states, “Offenders at
D.O.C. institutions should be allowed to subscribe to, order, and
receive publications direct from any vendor – so long as the publication
does not pose a threat to the security, discipline and good order of the
facility and it is not determined detrimental to offender
rehabilitation.” As I mentioned earlier, Potash’s book would reveal to
the reader that it actually promotes peace, unity & solidarity
between tribes, gangs and lumpen organizations (very similar to the
Maoist-promoted United Front for Peace in Prisons policies).
I also talked to an institutional lawyer who was very helpful &
who also agreed with me 100% concerning the book. He looked up the title
of the book while I was on the phone with him and he quickly observed,
in his own words, that this was a very “historical” and “political”
work. Policy 803.2 clearly states “educational and historic publications
are not detrimental to offender rehabilitation” and that when it comes
to disapproval of literature, “this criterion shall not be used to
exclude publications that describe such [violent] acts in the context of
a story or moral teaching unless the description of such acts is the
primary purpose of the publication. No publication generally
recognized as having literary value should be excluded under this
criterion.”
Point of fact, the so called ‘violent acts’ or ‘terrorist acts’ that
the property officer tried to use to keep me from getting this book are
actually committed by none other than Law Enforcement and also
covertly ‘promoted’ by the intelligence community who controls the
mainstream media and who work in collusion with the local police who, as
we observe on the daily news, continue to beat, shoot and murder
innocent men, women and children, which can only be described as very
‘violent’ and ‘terrorist’ acts.
After constant confrontation & inquiry the staff finally gave me
my book on 3 September 2020, but still tried to use psychological
manipulation to make it seem as if I were the one who had done something
wrong. They said I had ‘raised hell’ and caused a lot of trouble about
the book when all they had to do was give the book to me to avoid all
this.
On
John Potash’s The FBI War on Tupac Shakur & Black
Leaders
The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders was written by
an activist and investigative journalist John Potash. He describes and
documents historic events in comparison with more current events and
describes, using documents & eye-witness accounts, how the U.S.
intelligence & FBI target, assassinate, harass and imprison all
individuals & organizations (Black, white, Latino, Asian, Native
American) that ‘promoted’ & practiced ideas that were contrary to
mainstream capitalist & fascist indoctrination that challenged the
social order and the establishment’s chokehold on 90% of the world’s
resources.
J. Edgar Hoover (former director of the FBI) once stated that the FBI
must “stop the rise of a black messiah or anyone who could radicalize
the civil rights movement”, “by any means necessary.” Meaning
harassment, imprisonment and trumped up charges, destruction of public
image or assassination. There are countless leaders; Black, white,
Latino & Native American who met this messianic description and all
of them fell under the cruel fate of COINTELPRO – including Mutulu
Shakur, Afeni Shakur, Tupac Amarau Shakur and many of his relatives.
Potash describes Mutulu, Tupac & Afeni’s efforts to create peace
between the Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Black P.
Stone Rangers, Latin Kings & Young Lords and also to convert them
into political organizations that would serve the communities that they
exist in. This program is a direct influence of Huey P. Newton &
Bobby Seale’s strategy that was used to create the Brown Berets, Chinese
Red Guard and the Young Lords.
Potash also details the predatory and very cold blooded nature of the
‘Far Right’ neo-conservative, fascist & capitalist powers in the
U.$. and how the intelligence community utilizes informants and
undercover agents to harass, spy on, falsely accuse, set up, imprison
& assassinate leftist revolutionaries or any musician, actor or
politician as well as business person associated with revolutionary
organizations or movements, that promote peace & unity
rather than violence.
After reading & examining closely, for the second time after
seven years, I feel an obligation to quote and cite John Potash’s work
as well as all the revolutionaries he worked with before and after this
book’s publication.
In Chapter 21 (pp. 101-104) Potash describes what is called ‘Penal
Coercion’, which is a way to break down certain prisoners
psychologically, physically & spiritually.
“They found that the U.S. Department of Corrections had a ‘Special
Services Division’ to carry out operations on prisoners. Researchers
working from divergent groups, such as the Bureau of Prisons and Amnesty
International, described several particular prison tactics as akin to
both torture and brainwashing and referred to them as
‘penal coercion’.”
“A 1983 Amnesty International report on torture presented
CIA-designed techniques outlined in Biderman’s Chart of Coercion – 8
general penal coercion methods prison officials used to psychologically
tear down individuals in order to manipulate them. These methods are
isolation, monopolization of perception, induced debility, threats,
occasional indulgences, demonstrating omnipotence, degradation, and
enforcing trivial demands.”
One of the most tragic & ironic cases of this is that of Afeni
Shakur’s son – Tupac Amaru Shakur. Tupac was targeted the same way his
mother was – five assassination attempts, constant harassment from
so-called law enforcement and incarceration under false charges. He was
practically sentenced to ‘Death Row’ for his revolutionary work, forcing
him, after FBI ‘penal coercion’ into a corner after which he finally
gave in and went against his better judgement and signed with Suge
Knight on Death Row Records, a label whose symbol & trademark was a
man sitting in an electric chair. This label promoted drugs, sex,
violence and ignorance and no higher social causes whatsoever – going
against all Tupac & his family of activists stood for. Potash
writes, “Tupac’s jail conditions also helped influence Tupac to finally
sign with Death Row Records.”
Potash continues:
“Tupac finally stopped rejecting Time Warner’s request to sign with
its subsidiary, Death Row. Tupac had spent 10 months in jail. The
appeals court refused Tupac’s 1.3 million bail offer for those many
months that he waited for his appeal trial, but within days of Tupac’s
September 1995 signing with Death Row Records, the Court of Appeals
accepted virtually that same bail offer and released Tupac.”
“…Years of accumulated evidence supports that the FBI orchestrated
the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, and that they used similar tactics
to murder other leftist black leaders. Thousands of pages of U.S.
intelligence documents reveal how the FBI and other intelligence
agencies have waged a war on black leaders. The U.S. Intelligence
targeting of Tupac and his Shakur family provides a window into
intelligence targeting of leftist black leaders from 1965-2005. U.S.
Intelligence (Defense, CIA, FBI and police intelligence) historically
opposed leftists – those working to make changes in society to gain more
equitable sharing of wealth and resources. The CIA’s leadership, the
directors of intelligence agencies until 2001, were comprised of the
wealthiest American families. Their founders also saved thousands of
Nazis [after the end of WW2] and put them to work on intelligence
projects.”
Summing Up
So be watchful of all correctional officers, deputies, staff and
prisoners because the capitalists of the ‘criminal culture’ that is
fueled by drugs, sex and violence has captivated the minds of the 85%
(majority of oppressed masses). And they have no real loyalty to any
higher social causes and they will sacrifice anyone, and anybody, to
keep whatever they gained from capitalist society and for whatever
material or position they are trying to acquire. No matter how low they
are on the pyramid, as Paulo Freire writes, “the oppressed class
subconsciously emulates, imitates and identifies with their
oppressors.”
All conscious, political & revolutionary prisoners, within and
without, in prison & at home; the intelligence community has
perfected the art of utilizing the informant and the undercover agent
for decades and has been proven to be their most valuable asset, used to
assassinate (as in the case of the late Nipsey Hustle PBUH) and bring
down countless revolutionaries. Be wary of all people (inmates and
staff) who become super defensive and ultra-sensitive when you are
critical about the current social order and the establishment. Most
likely they are either active agents, informants or have friends &
family members who work for Law Enforcement, the CIA, FBI, or U.$.
Military – three institutions that are interlocked in the same criminal
network.
All of our great leaders and revolutionaries; Black, white, Latino,
Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern or Native American, have all pointed to
the same facts and for this, like Tupac Amaru Shakur, Malcolm X, Che
Guevara, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Clarence 13X, Marcus Garvey,
George Jackson and Geronimo Pratt, they were harassed, imprisoned
unjustly, or assassinated for it. Peace be upon them, for they are the
true prophets and messengers of this age, and it is only men & women
like them who will lead us into the new age of Revolutionary
Transcendence.
I would like to update you all on what’s been transpiring the last
month here in tekkk$a$. The last time i wrote i believe i mentioned my
organizing of a hunger strike. We were initially set for the national
date of Black August 21st through Bloody September 9th. However, due to
the advent of the social uprisings in the wake of George Floyd’s
lynching, We collectively decided to begin on the imperialist’s
independence day. Due to receiving word thru inmate moles and rats, the
Senior Warden Jimmy Smith, called one of our committee members out along
with another participant. This committee member laid our just demands
down. The most immediate of which was access to communication with loved
ones via telephones being put on each dayroom. (This is for
isolated-solitary-restrictive housing) and an alternative to visitation
(video visits) and TV for audio/video stimulation, rehabilitation,
education, cultural socialization classes or functions, and a clear path
for release from isolated solitary RHU confinement. In addition, there
were a few smaller, in-house demands. These were the main ones
though.
Of course the warden attempted to negotiate without us actually
striking. This was 1 July 2020. The committee member wasn’t hearing it.
On 2 July 2020 all phones (in general population) were suddenly out of
order. Of course this was a tactic by the fascist pig power structure to
keep this in house as much as possible. We committee members were ahead
of them; 2 weeks prior, we had provided 250 stamped envelopes, written
memos, and passed them out at 30 a piece on five out of six total pods.
These went out to an array of media outlets.
On 4 July 2020 we began with 141 hunger strike participants out of
about 600 prisoners on the building. This was a multi-national,
multi-organizational collective campaign. The committee is composed of 2
Chican@s, 1 New Afrikan and 1 Anglo-amerikan.
On 5 July 2020 Gang Investigators (G.I.) searched every strikers’
cell. It was merely an intimidation tactic, because all they did was
inventory the commissary for those who had any. 2 people ended their
strikes for the time being due to not wanting the G.I. in their cells.
So we were down to 139. By policy (Management of Offender Hunger Strike
G.53.3) after 72 hours (9 meals) without eating, a hunger strike becomes
“official.” This means medical will begin getting vital signs, urine
samples, and weight at this time.
On 7 July 2020 we all were supposed to be pulled out per policy.
However, on each pod, more than half of the strikers weren’t pulled out.
I wrote a grievance, and flooded the tier out that night. I was told
medical had to catch up on some people the next day. This was a lie. On
the next day, 8 July, i was still not on medical list, along with about
3 or 4 others on my pod. I can’t account for the other pods on that
date.
This refusal of medical was an administrative tactic utilized to:
discourage the participants, so that those of less determination
will quit our mission
To keep the reported numbers as small as possible. After 72 hours
the unit must report all the numbers to the prisonkkkrats in Huntsville
daily.
I scribed an urgent communique to others of the committee , and it
was then passed down to all the participants. The communique basically
outlined how we were to conduct our own independent 1095 for this
specific reason. It called on the people to stay encouraged, and also
our counter-tactics if/when such things continued.
On that same day, 8 July, I was in the dayroom for my out of cell
time. I hijacked the dayroom, forcing pigs to come down and speak to me
directly. A particular Sergeant whose pretty fair came down and i
informed him of the problem. A nurse, whose very favorable to prisoners
had previously informed me that Major Washington, an Uncle Tom, was in
charge of viewing security cameras to verify whether we were taking
trays. Therefore he was the one falsifying state documentation. I
informed the Sergeant of this directly. Also that there would be a mass
of LIDs (life in danger) filed on the Major and all rank who i’ve
informed who do nothing. The Sergeant took a list of each persyn who was
being neglected medical attention.
The next day, 9 July 2020, while in the dayroom again the nurse i
mentioned above informed me that i and the other comrades were still not
on the list. I was infuriated to say the least. All the day rooms were
hijacked. The Warden was on the building i was told, but eventually i
fell out. Upon this development, various ranking pigs, medical and other
pigs cautiously entered the dayroom while i lay motionless on the floor.
I hear SGT Barbara Atteberry threaten me while pulling her riot baton. I
hear a comrade who is known for severely hurting pigs threaten her in
return. The kkkaptives began going crazy. Burning things, flooding the
tier. The dayrooms is still hijacked and of course the shouting of
expletives is the soundtrack. After this reaction to her threatening me,
i guess Atteberry changed her mind. I was rolled out in a wheelchair,
when after finally getting my vitals taken, Atteberry told me i would be
going to suicide cell if i didn’t get off strike. I refused. Yet the
“pretty fair” Sergeant vetoed her decision and i was eventually put in
my cell. I told the pigs i wasn’t satisfied because there were others
who hadn’t been pulled out.
Later that day, certain committee members were pulled out,
“investigated” by regional Gang Investigators due to a pig and agent
provocateur-circulated rumor that a conspiracy to murder prison guards
in the “free world” and in the prison if we didn’t receive our demands
was in play.
On 10 July i was finally placed on the medical list. During this time
i’ve been denied books, letters, pictures, law library materials. Other
prisoners were being denied chronic medication such as blood pressure,
seizure meds, psych meds as long as they’re on strike.
Also around this time, we began being told that phones have been
approved. We’re skeptical of this information. I neglected to mention on
9 July at about 12 midnight nine pigs came to each door ordering those
with commissary to relinquish it or they would be taken off strike and
gassed. This was a Lt. Mason leading the charge, under orders from Head
Warden J. Smith. Most didn’t fall for the banana in the tail pipe and
gave up their commissary. We did lose 60 souljas however. This
reactionary tactic is of course outside of rules and regulations, not to
mention the sensory deprivation caused by the harassment of interrupting
sleep not 1, not 2, but 3 times to get one’s commissary finally at 5:00
AM.
We filed all manner of complaints, yet the admin dangled the
commissary in front of our faces saying “You’ll get it back when you get
off strike.” Most stayed on.
Fast forward to 23 July, we finally ended the strike in abeyance
after a diplomatic decision was reached within the Team One organization
and the committee met with J. Smith. We were given a communique on TDCJ
letterhead saying that TDCJ leadership was requesting phones in each RHU
dayroom statewide and video visits as an alternative for visits during
COVID. This is being requested to the TBCJ (Texas Board of Criminal
Justice), which meets every August to determine new board policy. Upon a
30-45 day abeyance we will re-assess our material conditions and if need
be implement stage 2 of our plan.
This is the short version of events. I want the comrades within the
walls to know that We truly have power in unity and determined action.
Comrades must also reach out to these support orgs and individuals.
Network. Get your voice and vision out there. In the words of Nas: “We
stronger now, my peoples the time is now!”
[24 July 2020 this comrade was rehoused where ey is further isolated
in a unit with active COVID cases and faced regular tampering of eir
mail since then.]
15 May 2020 - During the 2 weeks that came and went since my last
report, I’ve encountered quite a bit of backlash. Another prisoner and
myself are always reminding these so-called “essential employees” here
at San Quentin to wear a face covering. On 14 May 2020 during second
watch food service we observed two “essential employees” NOT wearing
masks. Upon pointing out the obvious, one (Alwhart) approached the
prisoner’s cell who spoke up. Alwhart then threatened the prisoner,
saying “Shut up and mind your own business if you know what’s good for
you, PC piece of shit.” Alwhart mumbled something else (unintelligible)
as he walked away to be confronted by another prisoner about the same
thing.
Later, when yard release program was called, Alwhart arrived at the
cell of the prisoner he threatened earlier and began the process. The
prisoners are required to hand the “essential employee” the items they
are bringing with to their assigned yards. The prisoner passed Alwhart a
clear plastic ziplock bag containing lunch fruit, bread slices,
antiseptic scrub (within its own clear ziplock labelled KOP) and a small
ziplock containing a small amount of dry beverage. The first thing
Alwhart did was open the clear ziplock, then he began stirring the
contents with his gloved hand. As he stirred, Alwhart said to the
prisoner he was clearly harassing: “I’m going to search the shit out of
your cell too when you go to the yard because you need to learn to shut
up.” The prisoner he just threatened for a second time said: “I figured
you might go that route so I left you a note with copies of Title 15
3084(g) and 3287(a)(2).” The prisoner continued, “Your threats of
violence don’t sway me a bit and you need to wear a mask or I’m writing
you up for violating 15CCR 3271 and Marin County’s mandate that
all”essential employees wear a mask at their place of employment at all
times.” Alwhart then threw the prisoner’s searched property back into
the cell and falsely reported to the assigned tier officer (Costa) that
the prisoner refused yard program. True to form, Costa packed Alwhart’s
play and feigned ignorance about the arbitrary yard denial.
Sgt. Guitierrez (who also does NOT wear a mask) tactically avoided
paying any attention to the unbecoming conduct of the essential
employees under his supervision. That’s to be expected. That Sgt. also
refuses to respond to a CDCR Form 22 attempting to resolve the issue of
the other disrespectful sows in his pen NOT wearing masks.
Some other prisoners in Reception and the death row tier are
beginning to understand how the insolence and pig-headedness of these
so-called “essential employees” is going to adversely affect the entire
prison population. We (death row) are already on an unbalanced yard
rotation schedule. There are no visits and no mental health yard
program. Once any death row prisoner is tested positive for COVID-19,
contact tracing would not require Dr. Bright to shine light on the
obvious.
MIM(Prisons) adds: San Quentin has been making lots of
news around the epidemic staff have brought there. This began when
prisoners were transferred from the California Institute for Men (CIM)
in an attempt to protect them from COVID-19. It turned out some were
already infected and brought it to San Quentin. And as this comrade
reported in April staff have continued to intentionally put prisoners at
risk, even after it was clear that the disease had arrived at the
prison, violating federal, state and local mandates.
As of 27 June 2020, San Quentin has the most COVID-19 cases within
CDCR (614) and CIM is second with 514.
Hello - Saludos y Respeto to all those in the struggle, the struggle
is real. I must weigh in on the events unfolding in Southern Califas.
Namely the two lynchings, the first in Palmdale CA, the second in
Victorville CA. What do they have in common? Answer: the Sheriff’s
Department! Both racist! Both departments have a long history of working
together and as a political prisoner held in CDCR these are the same two
departments that joined forces to try and silence my voice and bring
down the AV Brown Berets.
Both Departments have deputies that are card carrying members of the
racist Minute Men, the new KKK. And having shined the spotlight on this
fact earned me a life sentence for crimes I did NOT commit.
And in both cases there is no doubt in my mind there is Departmental
involvement. And nothing can surprise us coming from these two
historically racist departments.
In both cases these were meant to send a message to the BLM movement
against police brutality going across this nation right now, and to
discourage it! The evil and racist regime in Palmdale has a long history
of using these tactics to silence the voice of the PEOPLE. And if they
can’t kill you, they will bury you behind the wall. And this will not
stop until they are made to understand the world is watching and will
hold them responsible and accountable for their actions. But the racism
and prejudice is systemic NOT only in the Sheriff’s Dept. but
also in City Government in the Antelope Valley and Silver Valley (The
Sinister Valleys) to a mind-blowing degree.
My heart goes out to the families, friends, and loved ones of these
latest victims of these Evil Regimes. I spent years of my life trying to
expose the racist and criminal practices of these two partners-in-crime,
it has come at a great cost. My family, my freedom, not to mention all
my worldly possessions but I will NOT stop until justice has
been done, and the Evil has been exposed; because the needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the ONE. In the end the TRUTH ALWAYS comes out! We
must continue to move forward and not be discouraged!
LA LUCHA SIEGE!!! VIVA LA CAUSA!!!
(Justice for Ro Alvin Harsh)
MIM(Prisons) adds: Six lynchings, 5 of them New
Afrikans and one Latino, have been reported on the heels of the recent
uprisings against police terrorism.
Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old, New Afrikan man hung from a tree in
Palmdale, CA is under investigation
Malcolm Harsch a 38-year-old, New Afrikan man hung from a tree in
Victorville, CA has been declared a suicide by police and the
family
Dominique Alexander, a 27-year-old New Afrikan man hung in a
Manhattan park and was ruled a suicide by the police, who later said an
investigation continues
a 17-year-old New Afrikan boy was hung from a tree in Spring, TX
was ruled a suicide by police
a Latino man hung in Houston, TX was also ruled a suicide after
family stated he was suicidal
Otis ‘Titi’ Gulley, 31, a New Afrikan transgender woman hung in a
park in Portland, Oregon was ruled a suicide by police
Just recently, the national grievance petition that I drafted got
published in several newspapers. Then our cell block got raided multiple
times, and cellphones were confiscated. Well the C.O.’s put the searches
off on my organizing and blaming me for the raids. As a result, a XXXX
gang member stabbed me 5 times in the back with an ice pick. I am
recovering fine but it just goes to show how far these fascists will go
to shut me up.
Next, I would like to update you on these petitions. So on 8 May 2020
citizens in Raleigh, N.C. did a vehicle protest blaring horns, marching
with signs in front of Central Prison in Raleigh & prisoners on the
inside went on a 3 day hunger strike and refused to lock down at the
facility.
On 9 May 2020 many protests broke out at the Neuse Prison inside and
outside demanding N.C. prisoners’ human rights.
On 10 May 2020 women prisoners at NCCIW also protested on the inside
while dozens of cars blared their horns outside of the prison in
solidarity and marched in front of the prison until local police from
two agencies were dispersed to break the crowd up.
Prisoners are tired of being restricted from writing to other
prisoners of the opposite sex. Tired of paying $10.00 for prison rule
violations, restrictions on who can send us money, life sentences and
all the b.s. time we are being sentenced.
19 October 2016 – I received ULK 52 today and in one article I
see that it states that the literature Chican@ Power and the Struggle
for Aztlán is banned in Texas. Well, I have a copy of this book and
back in June when the STG officers seized all my property before locking
me up in Ad-Seg, the book was found among my property. I was questioned
extensively about me being in possession of the book, because of the
reason they were investigating me. They say that I am a ranking member
of a security threat group that coincidentally is the Texas Chicano
Brotherhood! They tried to say that the book was propaganda of said
group! I argued that it in no way had anything to do with any group as
they assume. I was still placed in Ad-Seg, but ended up being able to
keep my book. If it was banned I believe they would of confiscated it.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This comrade is correct that the book
Chican@ Power and the Struggle for Aztlán is not related to the
Chicano Brotherhood. However, the term Security Threat Group is used
frivolously to label and restrict any group organizing in its own
interests, if those interests are different from the state’s. Oppressed
nation people (e.g. Chican@s) organizing for their own interests is
inherently in opposition to the interests of the United $tates, because
the United $tates has stolen the land of the Chican@ people, and
oppressed Chican@s for as long as the two groups have been interacting.
The term Security Threat Group is not about gangs or violence, it’s
about politics, capitalism, imperialsm, and national oppression.