Since 2002 I've refused to be double celled (housed with a cell partner). When I arrived to Pelican Bay I told prison officials at classification committee that I would not double cell. This was May 2005, circumventing all disciplinary procedures, committee placed me illegally in what they call C over C (c/c).
In June 2005 I was issued all my personal property with the exception of my TV set, their reason: I was not allowed appliances while on c/c. In July all my property was confiscated and I was housed in the orientation unit as a punitive measure for refusing to double cell. Orientation unit is for the sole purpose of isolating new arrivals until they are screened and classified. For that reason, orientation unit prisoners are not allowed personal property, access to exercise yard, canteen, law library, visits, work, vocation, religious program, general library books, packages, telephone, hair clippers, or laundry exchange. In short, you get nothing. The only out of cell time is three times a week, for a 10 minute shower.
Ad-seg (administrative segregation) and SHU (security housing unit) prisoners get much more than prisoners housed in orientation. If a prisoner is not a new arrival awaiting screening and to be seen by classification committee, he should not be housed in orientation unit. Prison officials house prisoners in orientation for punitive, retaliatory reasons, which are illegal. It allows them to subject a prisoner to cruel and unusual punishment, while circumventing all the procedural safeguards and due process a prisoner is entitled to when housed in a more restrictive unit such as ad-seg or SHU.
Prison officials claimed that my placement in the orientation unit was temporary until bed space became available in General Population, where they had removed me from to begin with. In August 2005 I was housed in GP for 8 days when I was returned to orientation unit again. Then I was moved back to GP a few weeks later.
In September a Sergeant threatened me with confiscation of my property if I didn't withdraw an administrative appeal I had filed. I filed a retaliation/harassment appeal on him. And the next day he retaliated by ordering me to be moved to another facility and housed with a prisoner of a different race. I refused so I was sent to SHU to sleep overnight in a holding cell. Then I was taken to the same facility where they again tried to house me with another prisoner of a different race. Again I refused so they falsified a lockup order and had me placed in ad-seg. Later I was found guilty of two rule violation reports for refusing to double cell.
From 2002 - 2004 I was on single man cell status due to my history of out of cell and in cell violence. Prison officials know that to house me with another prisoner will result in violence, yet they continuously try to. In California, prisoners in maximum security prisons do not cell with prisoners of a different race. That only happens in extreme cases and both prisoners have to agree. The reason is racially motivated gangs and prison officials who set up situations to create racial riots that result in more race hatred and separation, which benefits the prison officials (the oppressors).
If only prisoners would wake up and begin refusing to be caged with another man, refusing to create/give the oppressor the space to cage another man while they get profits for keeping that extra body I prison. The system is my enemy, it will always try to kill me, just like it has been slaughtering my race since 1492. I will never help my enemy.
- a California prisoner, November 2005