Fight the system, not each other

I'm currently being held prisoner by the police state of California, at New Folsom. I started this current term of incarceration with 3 years for being a "felon" in possession of ammo. I quickly turned that into 8 years and 8 months for defending myself from 2 separate attacks by my oppressors. As we all know there are 2 sets of rules; one for "us," and a second for "them." When they put their hands on us, it's them "just doing their job." On the other hand, when we defend ourselves, it's assault.

Recently at this institution a prisoner took a "correctional office" hostage. He held her hostage for 12 hours. The situation ended after the government gave in to his demands: he wanted a transfer.

I applaud his tactics. While we are now on lock down as a result of his actions, he did not harm any fellow prisoners. Others would argue that he should have started a fight with someone on the yard. But instead of targeting another person in the same boat as him, he targeted the government. All too often we take out our frustrations on each other, rather than on the causes of our frustrations.

- a California prisoner, May 2006

MIM responds: We agree that prisoners should not target each other to fight their oppressive conditions. But we also encourage prisoners to be careful in how they engage with the oppressors. It is difficult to fight winnable battles behind bars. This is a good example of how the system is set up to make choices impossible: a prisoner wanting a transfer (possibly for his safety or to be near family) can only get one by starting a fight or by taking a guard hostage. And both options could lead to a longer prison sentence as well as potential physical harm to this prisoner and others.