Under Lock & Key

Wake up! Segregation Costs More than Education

After addressing the STG Unit (PCCII) Plymouth Concentration Camp 
II in an educational speech I was quickly sent to another seg 
block with a DDU ticket (DDU is the Control Unit) for speaking 
truth and educating the young! I always pass around all MIM Notes 
and while admittedly waking up the mentally dead can be harsh we 
must not stop simply because of the threat of retaliation, for our 
people have been retaliated against for ages.

Here's some of the subjects I discussed on a green light (green 
lights are the unit stopping what they're doing to listen to a 
single person addressing the block). Since most are Puerto Ricans 
in the concentration camp Plymouth II, I spoke on our island being 
a colony for 500 years and how we are a people with no country, 
how the Puerto Rican government is a puppet and the people 
brainwashed to believe [in] statehood, which is only giving away 
our little piece of land. I spoke on Vieques and how the little 
island has been devastated with uranium bombs and the people of 
Vieques suffer a higher cancer level than the main island by 43%. 
I mentioned that this is only a silent form of genocide.

...I told them to look at our people and how we all are stuck in 
ghettos around the country to be easily controlled and oppressed. 
Then I told them to focus their attention on our status in prison. 
I said it is the same story behind prison walls. They've got us 
all cornered on these STG blocks to be controlled and oppressed 
with psychological attacks on 23/24 hour lockdown on a 
concentration camp block with no windows when only once a week you 
see the sun.

I tell them that when they get a chance to call home collect their 
family gets charged 40% more than outside collect calls. The extra 
money is divided between the NYNEX company and the Department of 
Corruption while their calls are recorded and monitored.

I address those who don't read [...] for being glued to a T.V. 
set. I ask if they have seen all these pig shows, Cops, highway 
patrol, Americas bounty hunter, Americas most wanted, US marshals. 
Judge Brown and Judge Judy and all these other cop shows including 
Americas dumbest criminals. I explain how the government is 
setting the public to accept police occupation and how [in] the 
jury box of a trial of us, the poor third world people will judge 
us after a lifetime [of] watching these pig shows. Odds are you'll 
get smoked.

I then address the block on a curious issue! I tell them to look 
at the name of the STG blocks "Plymouths". Plymouth, a 
Massachusetts town, is known on the pages of history as the town 
who oppressed the minorities of those times (Indians) and killed 
them displaying their heads on poles in front of the town. Now 
they name [these] STG Blocks in honor of oppression of a violent 
era.

I spoke on today's people too busy trying to look good with 
expensive clothes and cars while having a naked brain. I spoke on 
our peoples being lost on the jungle of concrete using drugs and 
poison and destroying women along the way. Cut up on a system 
designed to keep us in chains and what they were doing to help 
change this situation.

Now I'm waiting to be sent to DDU control unit. I laugh cause I'm 
just going from one control unit to another. What gets me mad is 
the fabricated [...] accusations, [like accusing] me of being a 
known influential leader of the security threat group Latin Kings 
and how I ordered a work stoppage to go the distance. It said it 
should be noted that inmate X's actions created a threat to other 
inmates in the unit that do not want to participate in this kind 
of activity. It should also be noted that inmate X's presence in 
Plymouth II (this is the funny part) prohibits others from getting 
involved in any positive activity.

What the hell is positive activity in a block you're brought to 
without due process to be locked down 23/24 hours where you don't 
see day light, get no programs, no work, no good time, no 
classification like other prisoners. Guards are searching cells, 
trashing your belongings and subjecting you to physical abuse and 
racist administrators. There's nothing positive to do yet the only 
positive activity they could get involved with that particular day 
was to listen to me speak. And I'll make sure I get this point 
across when I go to the DDU hearing. I'll laugh at those fools. 
They think they intimidate everyone with "the hole".

Unfortunately Amerika's prisons are full of individuals who fear 
lockdown or loss of canteen. I'm sure all the prisoners in prison 
know this. The soldiers are outnumbered by soft afraid people who 
keep building plates for their slave masters. The United Snakes 
prisoners are a shame but for those of us who are not afraid. When 
I said us I mean Latino, Black, white, etc. Don't give up.

Teach and build strength.

-- A Massachusetts prisoner, November 1999.

Lack of education and basic necessities in New Jersey prison

I am writing this letter to you from Northern State Prison (NSP), 
STG, Ad-Seg in New Jersey.

First I want to elaborate about the education department. I have 
been here since June 99 and here it is October 99. From day one, 
I've been attempting to further my education by getting my GED 
diploma while I have the time and focused mind to do so. By law in 
New Jersey up to the age of 21, I am legally supposed to be 
enlisted in school to accomplish my GED. I just turned 21 years 
old and I am having a very hard time getting a chance to get my 
GED.

Then there is the medical department who takes forever to give us 
medical attention. Whenever they decide to assist us, they want to 
charge us $5 and $1 for any medication that might be needed to 
help us. I personally have seen situations where a person may have 
an asthma attack or other serious conditions that are life 
threatening and it takes the medical personnel a half hour or more 
to assist that individual. And if someone dies, it's not the 
medical personnel's faults.

Next the housing in here is not of standard living conditions. The 
food is given cold, the milk is given spoiled a majority of the 
time. We are supposed to be given state issued clothing like a 
coat, hat, thermals, etc. but none is given to us. The ventilation 
is so cold that we need to cover it with something. When we do, we 
receive a disciplinary charge or loss of recreation privileges. 
Then when we write up the cruel conditions and bring it to a 
higher authority, it's called a group demonstration. And that is 
where the so-called "security threat group" [charge] comes into 
effect.

Finally in the DOC Administration's eyes, unity amongst 
"stereotypical" criminals, thugs, hoodlums, bastards, etc, is 
considered a threat...Wherever there is a numerous amount of 
people it is called a community. And where there is a community, 
comes unity. In their eyes when there is no unity, everything is 
fine, but when there is unity amongst ourselves, that is a problem 
to them. So we get gathered up like sheep and confined to our 
cells 24 hours a day. With them laughing thinking they can break 
us. A wise man once said,

"By cutting a trunk of a tree people think the tree would die. But 
only the ignorant and naive would think so. But only the wise and 
humble would know In order to kill a tree the roots must Be dug 
from the ground."

We are the roots and as long as we stay strong and humble, we will 
live.

-- a New Jersey Prisoner, 12 October 1999.

Pigs punish politically active prisoners in Florida

May peace and blessings be upon all of you. I would like to 
receive MIM Notes, if possible. I am low on funds at the time, and 
barely making it through the year, at times I can come up with 
stamps. So if there's a fee, I would be able to pay you with 
stamps.

I was introduced to MIM Notes by one of my Hispanic brothers. I'm 
Cuban-Puerto Rican, born in the states. I'm a Muslim and I feel 
that as a political prisoner, I would like to get more politically 
inclined. As it is now, me and the brothers here are trying to 
reach a lot of our fellow comrades at this institution and start a 
study group so my comrades and I can learn more about this 
imperialist country. At the time we're in need of literature.

Only one problem is that we have to keep the groups as small as 
possible because every time we start to study as a group of five 
or more, the COs threaten to write us up for inciting a riot. At 
this time I'm in Seg CMU for a lying officer saying that I 
threatened him. When the officers here feel that a person can be a 
threat, they lock him down on some bullshit charge for no reason. 
Look I can keep writing about this place, but honestly I can't 
change anything unless I can get help from my fellow comrades. The 
problem is there is not enough literature to go around. So if you 
can be of some help, the brothers and me would highly appreciate 
it. Until the next time, peace out. More power to the revolution. 
May peace and blessings be upon us all.

 -- A Florida Prisoner, 13 October 1999.

MIM Responds: MIM Notes is available free to all prisoners. We do 
gladly accept stamps and any other donations prisoners can provide 
to help cover mailing costs. MIM also runs a Free Books for 
Prisoners Program where we send numerous books on political 
philosophy, social movements and revolution to prisoners for free.

Pigs in New York censor MIM analysis of prisons

I would like to thank you for having MIM Distributors mail me that 
book "Amerikkkan Prisons on Trial". Unfortunately, the media 
review committee here at Southport has denied me the book on the 
grounds that "it incites disobedience towards law enforcement 
officers and prison personnel".

Comrades, I condemn and repudiate the decision reached by the 
Review Committee. It is just another tactic to keep me ignorant 
and pacified. That way I can be exploited and still be 
indoctrinated by this capitalist system by this million dollar 
industry called prison. The government claims to be the true 
democracy, but the little bit that I know is not democratic. This 
kind of government is for the rich more then the poor people.

...I am in the process of appealing the decision by the Review 
Committee. According to their rules and regulations (Directive 
#45727) it is doubtful that I will win, but I will do the best I 
can to obtain the book from these racist pigs. If there is anyway 
you can help me with this situation please do.

...I am interested in learning more about Mao Tse-Tung...Any 
literature you can mail me would be greatly appreciated. When you 
send me literature, let me know by letter too. I say that because 
this prison likes to play with the prisoners' mail, plus as I 
informed you I am in SHU. Anything you can do to help me learn 
about the struggle, I appreciate. That way, I will be able to make 
other prisoners aware of all the injustices and oppressing by this 
imperialist capitalist and racist system.

 -- A New York Prisoner, 30 September 1999.

English-only in North Carolina

I'm sorry for it taking me so long to get back to you. But from 
today on I truly want to be united with you. I have been studying 
some other materials but there is no other material as positive 
and stronger of knowledge as MIM Notes. I have received all the 
papers you have been sending me. I want to thank you for all your 
hard work and most of all for helping us to develop our knowledge 
about reality in this darkside! I've been trying to study some 
material in my own language, but these pigs didn't allow me to 
have it! They sent my books back to the company without notifying 
me.

I think they didn't want me to have it for the simple fact that 
I'm Latino. Because they want me to write-read-speak fluently in 
English - without me getting my education!! English is a pretty 
hard language for me to learn without books!

300 and some years ago, white people forced Blacks to lose their 
language and customs. At this day the same white people want me to 
lose my language and customs. But I'm not going to let them do 
that, I'm Latino and I always will be! I have been doing my duty 
by passing the MIM Notes around, but some people in this darkside 
don't want to unite and believe in reality. Some have negative 
thoughts about themselves because these pigs have told them that 
they are no good! I told my inmate brothers that that is exactly 
what the pigs want us to think -- that we are no good.

 -- a North Carolina Prisoner, 20 October 1999.

Conditions at Wabash Valley SHU

Revolutionary Greetings, the elimination of any form of oppression 
dictates my pen.

This writing is a summary of prison conditions here.

*GED classes are allowed and college. However, they are 
arbitrarily allowed! This sinister, diabolical system of education 
here at WVCF works like so: A prisoner, who is in general 
population, must have one year clear to participate in any 
educational program (the same rule applies for the slave-wage 
irrelevant jobs).

To this fact the prisoncrats constructed the prison to be 
contained and concentrated with strictness. General population 
mirrors the maxi-maxi control unit environments with very few 
exceptions. Prisoners' activities are predetermined and calculated 
under these harsh, extraordinary circumstances. The psychological 
stress levels are always high. Double-bunking in shoe box cells 
only intensifies the effect, thus, exploding reactionary 
activities are calculable. For the most part the man-made 
environment here has been constructed to make it virtually 
impossible to get a year clear without any infraction.

However, if you happen to catch an "A" or "B" infraction/conduct 
report and are sent to the SHU and have over 2 years, then you are 
placed on "long-term" (note: no handbook or criteria or policy 
exists for long-term or short-term housing of prisoners in the 
SHU; it's a ghost policy that's arbitrarily enforced), if you keep 
30 days clear of any infractions(conduct reports), then you may 
submit a request to an assigned counselor to partake in the GED 
program. But, if you're on short-term with 2 years or less, then 
you're fucked on any type of educational program. Long-term is 
looking appealing to a lot of prisoners when compared with the 
brunt of sensory-deprivation suffered by short-term SHU prisoners.

*The SHU law library is nonexistent. What does exist is a law book 
list of limited law books that may be requested form your 
counselor, if you need help-tuff luck. If you need case cites, you 
must request it from the main law library "by citation."

In Solidarity,

 -- An Indiana Prisoner.

Keep the study material coming

I spoke with the clerk of the library about receiving some books 
from your free book program, but from the way she was talking if 
she did get them the prison would put so many rules and 
restrictions on them no one would bother to check one of those 
books out for fear of the things one would have to sign. They 
could be used as this STG [Security Threat Group] thing they have 
been doing lately.

I'm on a lock-up unit called the SHU [Secure Housing Unit]. Most 
of the brothers refuse to stop learning about the people who make 
the laws to put and keep so many of us in prisons all over the 
world. Back here on the unit I'm on we hold some study groups, 
anyone can join in our talks. I have a few books I pass around by 
Angela Davis, "If they come in the morning" is one of the books 
that everybody can agree on most of what she explains. I would 
really appreciate it if you could answer my book request.

Peace,

 -- an Indiana Prisoner.

MIM Responds: MIM's Serve the People Free Books for Prisoners 
program does receive and distribute non-Maoist books such as 
Black, Latino and First Nation histories, dictionaries and some 
sociology books. We sometimes send to prison libraries and to 
prisoners.

For your study group, we recommend that you read and pass around 
books that generate some disagreement, as debate can raise one's 
level of political consciousness. It is important for all 
activists to continue to make political progress.

Enclosed is MIM Theory no. 11: Amerikkkan Prisons on Trial. After 
you and your group study it, please send us any questions or 
comments you have.

For readers who are new to the term Security Threat Group (STG), 
it's prisoncrat terminology for a "gang". STG policies are 
becoming common in state prison systems throughout the united 
snakes. They allow pigs to criminalize basic social interaction 
such as meeting in groups of three or more. The STG label is used 
against political and religious organizations, as well as self-
defined "gangs," because the policies associate a sweeping set of 
behaviors with gang membership. In Michigan for example, prisoners 
who wear baggy pants, bandanas, tattoos; or who use nicknames or 
"coded speech" (defined subjectively by guards on the scene) are 
labeled STG members. (See MIM Notes 147, 170 and 174 for more 
about STG policies)