MIM Notes No. 200      December 15, 1999

UNDER LOCK AND KEY

In a prison cell

We live in a nation that promotes incarceration in order to purge 
its conscience of its incompetence to provide adequate social 
services to its inhabitants. America is guilty of destroying the 
cognitive abilities, skills and talents of those incarcerated 
because of her inability to find an alternative to incarceration. 
For those who remain silent participants in the enslavement of 
others, for convenience sake, they are just as guilty as those 
spear-heading this social tragedy.

What is prison? Is it merely a place for the lawless? Or is it 
just a product of the ultimate backlash of minority suppression? 
Suppression of the weak, the helpless, the disfranchised or those 
simply needing a helping hand. Prison has become the victory cry 
of the masses and of those entrusted with the responsibility of 
leading the masses into a productive millennium.

It seems everywhere we look we see people being sent to prison as 
a form of corrective surgery for the ills that plague society. 
Prison has become the panacea for society's woes. There are over a 
million men and women confined in America [the current number is 
more than 1.8 million -- ed.]. This number exceeds the populations 
of many third world countries. Strangely enough a large percentage 
of this number are children. Children forced to go through a rite 
of passage - in a prison cell. In addition, a phenomenal amount of 
women are being imprisoned. [Though the increase of wimmin in 
prison has been on the rise, it is still predominantly Black males 
incarcerated in Amerika's prisons. -- ed] Consequently an 
astonishing number of sexual assaults are being committed by the 
prison guards - in a prison cell. [MIM gets reports of men being 
sexually assaulted by guards in prison as well. --ed]

Also, there's an inordinate amount of drug users in prison. People 
terminated from their jobs forced to find relief from the 
tranquilizing affect of a euphoric high. Now they too are in a 
prison cell.

Prison has become a nursery for the young, a retirement home for 
the old, a drug center for the addicted, a psychiatric ward for 
the mentally ill, a concentration camp for illegal aliens, a group 
home for adolescents, a brothel for the guards, a trophy for the 
politicians, a beacon of hope for the unemployed and a massive 
industrial complex for the entrepreneur. For those trapped - 
within its walls - prison is a catatonic form of schizophrenia 
which reduces its inhabitants to a zombie like state.

Prison is the only solution to every problem society is afraid to 
confront. Its solution is found - in a prison cell. In truth, 
prison is the new plantation. A new form of social genocide. A new 
form of ethnic cleansing. Its a new form of slavery that's all 
inclusive in its scope. A quick glimpse of the prison cell is 
really a look at the residence of today's neo-slave,

The prison cell is as small as a bathroom. There's usually one man 
or woman permitted to a cell. There's a row of cells that makes up 
a tier. There's usually four tiers stacked upon each other for 
maximum occupancy (like a slave ship). The cell is constructed of 
steel. There's steel walls, steel toilets, steel sinks and steel 
bars with a sliding steel gate. You live in this steel cage and 
experience a host of emotions that has nothing to do with 
rehabilitation. In truth, you feel raped, violated, victimized and 
confused. These moments of emotional disorder adds up to months 
and the months into years until you suffocate and slowly decay - 
in a prison cell. The cell is too small for physical exercise. How 
can you exercise in a coffin? How can you exercise your mind while 
listening to the sounds of agony and despair from others like 
yourself? Time becomes your enemy and your friend. You await the 
recreational period, the sliding of the coffin lid, signifying a 
pseudo escape from the trauma of being caged. Only to return, 
three hours later, to once again endure hell - in a prison cell. 
The bed in the cell is constructed of five pieces of cotton 
enclosed in a coarse cover. This piece of board is placed on a 
steel frame deemed fit, by politicians, for posture pectic 
comfort. In the cell you sleep, you listen to music and sometimes 
you eat. You read, you write, you cry and occasionally you 
laugh....

Something happens to the person in the cell. He loses himself. He 
slowly becomes Frankenstein looking for an opportunity to destroy 
his creator. Survival becomes paramount. Survival of the fittest 
is taken to the extreme - in a prison cell.

--by a New York prisoner.

This prisoner is also working on his own publication "Climbing the 
Walls". For more info on this publication write PO Box 60677, 
Philadelphia, PA 19133

Control unit treats men like meat

In mid-July a prisoner had an epilepsy seizure on the second tier. 
It took 20 minutes for the nurse to get to the control unit. The 
nurse could do nothing but stand at the door and attempt to calm 
the prisoner.

According to the standard policy of the Fourth Reich the security 
methods are that the keepers have to be dressed out in full riot 
gear, shields, helmets, bullet proof jackets, riots sticks, mace, 
etc. It took 15-20 more minutes for the keepers to suit up.

A stretcher was brought into the pod, the prisoner's cage was 
opened and he was told to remain STILL. A man having a seizure is 
old to remain still -- that's deep. The prisoner was handcuffed 
and shackled in leg irons, placed on the stretcher, hauled out of 
the pod as though he was a piece of meat.

This was a demonstration of what the hooligans think of the 
dispossessed classes. Prisoners screamed and cursed, they were 
visibly upset.

We see the wake up calls, however, we need to desperately wake up. 
The prison movement has to regain the organizational functioning 
of unity among ourselves.

On September 3, 100 and something New Mexican prisoners were 
transported to Wallens Ridge State Prison. You know, the slaves 
cannot be separated from one to the other, however, the state will 
utilize every tactic possible to have the edge. If we're 
transferred 2,000-3,000 miles from our roots what of it? The 
slave-owners are doing no more than what they did during chattel 
slavery.

How you grasp the realities of the world makes the difference. 
When you don't see the realities, the ruling circle will have us 
at each other's throats, still killing one another for reasons 
which have no merits, other than our being manipulated to destroy 
the outcasts, whether it's for drugs, turf disputes, because of 
the color of one's skin, gang-banging etc. The deck of playing 
cards have been stacked against the poor, word.

Solidarity forever!

-- A Virginia prisoner, 12 October 1999.

Fort Madison lockdown is bogus

Greetings to all those who struggle. First I would like to state 
that on September 3rd, the prison of fort Madison went on lockdown 
because a pig got stabbed. Now its October 31 and we are still on 
lock down. Their excuse is that the prison isn't done shaking 
down. That's a lie. The first three days of lockdown this prison 
had a major shakedown and after this, the pigs kept continually 
doing it. After the major shake down, I have been shook down two 
times and had to pee in a cup for them. This system is doing 
anything in their powers to keep us on lockdown status. 

-- a prisoner in Iowa, October 1999.

For christmas #1

All I want for christmas
Is my freeedoooom.

-- an Iowa prisoner

WANT

I'm tired of these Love poems,
I want revolutionary poems,
poems that kill,
poems that show the world the real deal.
Your love poems ain't nothin but lust poems anyway,
all you speak of is attraction between male and female,
sex and makin each others day.
I want poems that shoot bullets and cry revenge,
News poems informing us about the worlds end.
Not your poems of different color roses,
I want the truth, and I want to be told how blacks was sprayed 
down with hoses,
I want poems telling us how we gonna make peace,
and why muslims are killing muslims in the middle east.
I want gang member poems, crips and bloods,
lettin us know how and why they became thugs.
And if you write a poem of love,
I want you to cut out the bullshit,
and get to the good stuff.

- A California Prisoner


Michigan prisoner fights censorship & organizes

I have received the United Struggle from Within study pack. The 
prisoncrats attempted to restrict the RAIL Notes issue that was 
enclosed. You should have received notice. Their excuse was that 
it advocates insurrection and is a threat to the order of the 
plantation. I had an administrative hearing and "won" the right to 
have it. Enclosed is an original copy of the victorious hearing. I 
have not received an issue of MIM Notes this year at all, or last 
year. 

I have begun a study group here at the Michigan Reformatory and 
the comrades attention is held captivated. So please send me more 
literature. Don't send materials to the concentration kamp library 
because its all being stored away in a closet to prevent access by 
progressive minded comrades. The new Michigan Department of 
Corruptions Prison Mail policy #05.03.118  states that "Mail is 
protected by the First Amendment of the United States 
Constitution." ...

To all Michigan Comrades who feel they are standing alone, keep 
your head up and continue to struggle and stay progressive minded. 
I am with you, we're standing together.

-- A Michigan prisoner, 30 September 1999.

Amerika moves to criminalize politics

At this time, I am sitting in lock-down in the Secure Housing Unit 
for the next year for battery on one of the roman-soldiers. I 
verbally confronted one of the roman soldiers when I observed him 
trying to abuse other prisoners. I guess he was used to abusing 
prisoners and not having anyone question him. Anyway, we went into 
an area where no prisoners were, at his insistence. The cell house 
was locked down and his wing-officers were called to where we 
were. Then, he started basing, trying to intimidate me, thinking 
if I was alone with all these police around that I'd break and bow 
down. In the last attempt to get me to bow down, he walked up in 
my face and pushed me against the wall. I [defended myself] and 
was subsequently bum-rushed by his buddies.

Before I ended up in the SHU, the coward-ass police were steady 
putting down new shit. For example, the pigs have made a rule 
prohibiting prisoners from practicing any form of martial arts. 
... The pigs are paranoid and intimidated by the sight of 
prisoners staying in shape. ... So these pigs try to starve us and 
keep us from staying in shape, failing to realize whatever they do 
to us physically, if a prisoner is on his square and conscious, 
this will only make him stronger mentally. ...

I received MIM Theory #11 and the copy of "Race & Class in the 
Southwest" [from MIM's Free Books for Prisoners Program -- ed.] I 
am studying it along with a comrade who lives next to me. He is a 
Latin King and was encouraged by the June 15, 1999 article in MIM 
Notes about the Revolutionary History of the ALKQN. ...

Lately censorship has not been a problem at this camp. Everything 
you have been sending has been getting in. ... But organizing and 
holding study groups have been a problem. The pigs are classifying 
anything that is seen as un-american or un-christian as "gang 
activity." For example, before I was thrown into the SHU, I was a 
member of the Native American Circle. We would meet twice a week 
for cultural and spiritual reasons. There was a lot of unity and 
progressiveness in the group. When a lot of Latinos started 
coming, the pigs freaked out and claimed there was "gang activity" 
going on. They started fucking with us by having the internal 
affairs unit investigate us. ...

I am able to do legal research on the issue of censorship (and 
other topics if needed). At this time, I am working on filing a 
case against the pigs in the federal courts concerning their 
practice of subjecting prisoners to disciplinary proceedings for 
violating rules that are so vague that no person of reasonable 
intelligence can tell what conduct is prohibited. This gives the 
pigs free-reign to do all they want.

Also, case law exists that all revolutionary prisoners in Indiana, 
Illinois and Wisconsin should be aware of. It is called Rios v. 
Lane, 812 F 2d 1032 (7th Circuit 1987), cert. Dismissed, 107 S. 
Ct. 3222 (1987). This case involved a prisoner who was retaliated 
against by prisoncrats for giving another prisoner information 
about revolutionary radio stations. He was observed by a pig 
giving another prisoner a 3" x 5" card that contained information 
concerning Spanish radio stations transmitted by the FMLN. This 
card also contained revolutionary slogans in Spanish, such as 
"Hasta la Victoria Siempre!"

The prisoner receiving the card was a confirmed member of the 
FALN. The pigs then subjected the person giving him the 
information to prison disciplinary proceedings. He was then 
accused of violating the prison rules regarding "gang activity."

The prison disciplinary board found the prisoner guilty of gang 
activity because the other prisoner was part of the FALN and the 
pigs believed there was some connection between the FALN and the 
FMLN.

The prisoner filed a civil suit (pursuant to Title 42 of the 
United States Cod, Section 1983) against the pigs in the u.s. 
district court for the Northern District of Illinois. He claimed 
that 1) the pigs violated his right to free speech under the 1st 
amendment and 2) the pigs violated his procedural due process 
rights protected by the 14th amendment. The district court 
dismissed the entire case. He then appealed to the 7th Circuit 
Court of Appeals. The court of appeals reversed and remanded the 
lower court's dismissal. It held that the prisoncrats did NOT 
violate the prisoner's right to free speech because the other 
prisoner was a member of the FALN.

Even though the information was political in nature, the Court of 
Appeals said that prisoncrats had a legitimate interest in 
containing and eliminating prison gangs. But the court of Appeals 
held that the prisoner's due process rights were violated because 
prisoncrats enforced a rule that was too vague and did not give 
the prisoner adequate notice as to what constituted "gang 
activity."

While the prisoner won in part and was ultimately cleared of the 
charges, this case is very dangerous because it gives prisoncrats 
the ok to attack prisoners who speak on things of revolutionary 
nature. While the court of Appeals did not expressly state it, the 
implication was made that prisoncrats can classify revolutionary 
organizations as "gangs" and may punish such activity.

I believe this issue goes hand in hand with censorship because it 
attacks prisoners' ability to unite, organize and develop 
conscious revolutionary minds. While this is a good case for 
prisoner to use to attack prison disciplinary proceedings where 
there was lack of adequate notice of offenses, this case does more 
harm than good. While it is from 1987, it is still law. 

I believe it would be good for you to bring this up in a future 
issue of MIM Legal Notes. Further, while I agree that censorship 
issues should be the main priority of the Prisoners' Legal Clinic, 
I also believe that the rough research needs to be done and 
challenges need to be made on the prisoncrat practice of 
classifying revolutionary and progressive organizations as a 
"gang." This is a dangerous tactic of the prisoncrats. 

Previously, though revolutionary organizations have always been 
attacked by the u.s., the pigs reluctantly had to recognize the 
right to political free speech. Prisoncrats were hard pressed to 
find a way to shut down revolutionary organizations without 
crossing the line of rights to free speech. With all of the anti-
gang hype in this twisted country, prisoncrats have been labeling 
anything that they deem as 'un-american' or 'un-christian' as a 
gang, knowing that  if they can get the courts and the people to 
believe that the revolutionary organizations were just 'criminal 
gangbangers' they could get away with anything to shutdown the 
organization.

--An Indiana prisoner, 18 October 1999.

MT guard calls MIM and RAIL "inflammatory"

I am impelled to write to you regarding some censorship issues. As 
I'm sure you know from your Computer data base I am a Prisoner at 
Montana State Prison. I have been on our mailing list now for 
several months. I enjoy getting your news letter. I find it 
informative and useful.

However I have been having some serious trouble getting your 
materials. It seems the Security Major, Major Woods here at the 
prison isn't letting me have my Materials. He calls them 
inflammatory and disrupting. For these reasons my RAIL and MIM 
materials aren't being given to me. I have included my 
Undeliverable Notice from the prison Mail Room, in this letter for 
you records. I have also sent previous Undeliverable Notices to 
you in the past. I would like to continue with your fine 
organization, however if something isn't done with my mail 
situation, I fear I will have to quit as I can no longer read and 
participate in Organizational and group correspondence. I look 
forward to hearing form you in the near future on this issue.

Respectfully, 

-- a  Montana prisoner, 24 October, 1999.