MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.
On 21 May 2013 I filed a Section 1983 Civil Suit against Illinois
Department of Corrections employees S. Rhone-Plaskett (Counselor), A.
Winemiller (Correctional Officer), Jackie Miller (Administrative Review
Board Representative), and Grievance Officer (John Doe) for the
unconstitutional banning of the November/December 2012 No. 29 issue of
Under Lock & Key (ULK).
This lawsuit is the second one that I have filed concerning the bogus
banning of ULK and I expect to file many more in the future.
This lawsuit is based on the grounds that the Defendants cannot
substantiate the banning of ULK and that the banning of
ULK violates my Constitutional Rights to:
Receive and own reading material;
Have freedom of speech; and
Have freedom of political expression.
Any material or support you can offer that would aid me in my battle
against censorship in Illinois would be greatly appreciated.
Specifically, I would count it a blessing if you would comb through your
archives and send me anything you have regarding censorship of
ULK in Illinois, especially the November/December 2012 No. 29
issue of ULK.
Filing lawsuits does work! Because of the pressure I have been applying
by filing Section 1983s, I was allowed to have the March/April 2013
No. 31 issue of ULK, the first issue of ULK that I
have received since November 2011. So keep your heads high and your
hearts strong as we continue to fight the phenomenon of censorship. It
is just another contradiction facilitated by the proletariat/bourgeois
contradiction.
MIM(Prisons) responds: Some comrades in Illinois have been
permitted to receive ULK without censorship, after much work on
their end to defend their rights. In other facilities, it is still
banned. Specifically, at Sheridan, Menard, Stateville, and Lawrence
Correctional Centers, ULK is being censorsed for any reason
from “banned in facility” (Stateville) to “promotes unauthorized
organization activity” (Menard). Still, we are being banned without
notice to publisher or prisoner (Lawrence) and mailroom employees at
Sheridan inconsistently enforce a policy that labels are not permitted
on mail pieces; we have yet to see this policy in writing in any
official format.
Several prisoners in Illinois have stepped up to help out with the
censorship battle in their state. We recently began engaging with these
volunteers on an organized basis to help push this battle to a head. We
need prisoners who are facing censorship to fight out their persynal
censorship battles, like the author of this article has done.
MIM(Prisons) and the Prisoners’ Legal Clinic volunteers can assist, but
we can’t fight the battle for you.
The author of this article is correct that occasionally we will make
gains, and expand space, for revolutionary organizing. We can use the
legal system to make small reforms that make our job easier; for
example, defending the right to receive revolutionary newsletters. But
we don’t expect to be free of all censorship, as it is a manifestation
of the battle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; it is a
manifestation of the battle between the Amerikan oppressor nation, and
the oppressed internal semi-colonies. We use the administrative
procedures and courts when we can, but ultimately we know we can’t rid
ourselves of censorship, or any other social ill, unless we resolve the
root problem: oppression of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie, and
oppression of the internal semi-colonies by the Amerikan nation. We can
only make this sweeping change by throwing out the entire capitalist
imperialist system itself.
by a South Carolina prisoner January 2014 permalink
It’s cold outside, yesterday we had ice on the ground, and lots of rain,
and for a month now I have been without shoes. We are given clogs, which
you know are not made for inclement weather. They have holes in the
bottoms. I wear compression hose due to edema in my legs. The cement
sidewalk eats a hole in them and medical won’t replace them for a month,
the clogs I’m told have to be worn one year before they can be
exchanged. The service life is one year, which does not take into
account the weight of a person or his walking habits.
The medical department at Evans Correctional Institution is
dysfunctional. South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) hired a
racist physician’s assistant as a necessary component to reduce prison
medical expenditures. Finally after letters to the medical board,
Senators, filing grievances, talking to other prisoners who experienced
problems with this same physician’s assistant, prompting them to engage
this fight against intolerance, he finally moved on. SCDC only hires
those with less than perfect records, the last doctor was barred from
practice in 3 states (Dr. Paul Drago #9700531). Now the nurses are
taking up where they left off, we’ve had three deaths that I know of and
it’s not getting any better.
The food is mostly a mystery meat that is supposed to be turkey, which
used to come in a box that read “not for human consumption.” Now we have
the same meat, in a different box. More often than not the food is cold
(not serving temperature), prisoners are given the wrong size portions,
some more, others less. Food supervisors just come for the pay check,
and we get 6 minutes to eat. Some prisoners say they are going to bed
hungry. The others that can afford it go to the canteen where most of
the food is high in price and salt.
MIM(Prisons) adds: We looked up Dr. Drago and found that he was a
plastic surgeon before working at the prison, not exactly the specialty
needed there. But after having his license revoked in multiple states,
this was likely the only job he could get. This is how little we value
the health of prisoners: subjecting them to the “care” of doctors who
are deemed unfit to practice medicine outside of prison.
Health and
health
care are generally available in direct proportion to people’s wealth
and status under imperialism. Those at the bottom are lucky to have
access to any medical care, and live in conditions that lead to greatly
reduced life expectancy. The life expectancy in many African countries
is less than 60, and those doing well are in their 60s, while
imperialist countries of the world enjoy a life expectancy in the 80s.
This discrepancy is killing people, lives that could be saved with a
more equitable distribution of resources and education. Prisoners in the
United $tates share the interests of the oppressed in the Third World in
the fight for access to health care and safe and sanitary living
conditions.
by a North Carolina prisoner January 2014 permalink
I would like to update
my
article in ULK 33. Our lawsuit against guard assaults on prisoners
has gained attention and helped us win some protections. The pigs in
Raleigh were ordered to install eleven new cameras and extra equipment
to double storage capacity, set up a new policy to investigate assaults,
and the court hired an expert to go into the prison to inspect it to see
if blind spots are covered and other areas have been corrected. They
have also replaced the entire unit staff.
We are now in discovery since the judge refused to throw out the
prisoner beatings lawsuit. This case is getting some press, and the
Herald Sun reported: “The judge made a not so veiled reference
to the practice of punishing inmates by locking them up in dim solitary
units.” The judge said “your case is about sunlight where you claim
there were systematic violations” to the lawyers for the prisoners.
“What we need to do with this lawsuit is not bury it in a deep, dark
hole and proceed with discovery.”(1)
So one damn thing for sure we got a judge on our side. The same way they
have taken from us (a little at a time) we all can do the same to them.
It’s just a matter of team work.
MIM(Prisons) adds: This is a good example of a winnable court
battle that will result in some improvements in safety for prisoners.
But it will not stop the inhumane abuse that continues throughout
prisons in North Carolina. This is an ongoing contradiction of our fight
against the criminal injustice system at this stage: we take on
reformist battles to try to improve the conditions under which our
comrades suffer, but we know that these reforms offer no more than minor
adjustments to a system that is based on the oppression and suffering of
those locked within.
It is ironic that the prisoners in North Carolina have to go to court to
fight for their own safety within prison, while the state’s
justification for every repressive act is “safety” (including North
Carolina’s excuse for censoring Under Lock & Key for over
three years straight). This exposes the reality of the criminal
injustice system: a brutal tool of social control that endangers the
safety of all who are captured in its broad nets. We need to take
advantage of reform battles like this one, both to gain some breathing
room for our comrades and to educate others and build unity. We can’t
end the abuse until we eliminate the criminal injustice system, but
these reformist battles are important steps along the way in our
ultimate fight against imperialism as a whole.
No. I do not believe in your government never have never
will No. I do not support your wars for your greed i will not
kill No. I will not sit back and shut up nor play deaf, dumb and
blind No. I will not hear what you say you can’t corrupt my
mind No. I will not teach my children your hate nor will i teach
them your lies I can see your true colors through your red, white,
and blue disguise No. I will not go to your church nor will i read
your bible No. I will not worship your god fake prophets, a book
or an idol
As of 27 December 2013 we have received reader surveys back from 7.6% of
our subscribers over the last 11 months. We began running the survey in
Under Lock & Key requesting some basic persynal information
and feedback on the content of ULK. Our goal was to assess who
is reading ULK and what we can do to improve the content. The
survey respondents overall represent a distribution of prisoners in line
with the general prison population, with a few exceptions consistent
with the focus of our work. In particular, we have significant
over-representation from Texas, California and Pennsylvania among our
readers. This means prisoners in those states are getting more input
into the content of ULK. While we are no longer collecting
survey responses, we welcome readers to send us your feedback on what
you like and what you think could be improved as we are constantly
looking to improve ULK.
Demographics Summary
Assuming that respondants to our reader survey represent the general
readership of ULK, we evaluated the information on their
demographics to see how this compares to the prison population overall
in the United $tates. Below we discuss some differences between
ULK readers and the general prison population.
Our average surveyed age is 40, but in 2011 only 40% of the prison
population was over 40. This is not a surprising fact: people who are
older and more educated behind the bars are turning to revolutionary
politics. We could conclude that a longer time in prison leads people to
become more politically advanced.
Relative to the U.$. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) on “race” of
prisoners, our survey respondents include a slight over-representation
of New Afrikans and a significant underrepresentation of Latinos (16%
compared to a 23% “Hispanic” population in 2011 overall). We are not
surprised to have an undercount of Spanish-speaking folks responding to
an english language survey, especially as Spanish-only
migrants
have been the fastest growing segment of the U.$. prison population
in recent years. In addition, there was a significant percentage (8.3%)
of people who identify as indigenous in our survey (including those who
identified as half indigenous and half white). The BJS does not collect
statistics on First Nations, so we must assume they are included in the
remaining 5% that they do not class as Black, white or Hispanic. This
indicates 8.3% is a relatively high percentage compared to the general
prison population. As an organization fighting for the national
liberation of oppressed nations, both internationally and within U.$.
borders, we are not surprised that our readership in prison is even more
skewed away from whites than the general prison population which is
already only 34% white.
The latest study we found (2006) reports that 52% of prisoners are
re-incarcerated. 61% of our respondents were incarcerated at least once
before. This may be because those with a prison record get longer
sentences and so are more likely to come into contact with ULK.
They are also more likely to be older and active in prison, if our
theory about age of prisoners is correct.
A very high percent (48%) of survey respondents are locked up in some
form of solitary confinement (RHU, SHU, Control Units, Administrative
Segregation, etc.). This is consistent with our experience that
politically aware and active prisoners are targeted for isolation as
punishment for their activism, and to try to isolate them from other
prisoners to reduce their influence. Our research on control units
indicates that
less than 5% of
prisoners are in long-term isolation in the United $tates.
Reader Suggestions
In response to our question about what people like best about
ULK, the most popular response (22%) was “all of it!” We
appreciate the enthusiasm of our readers. More specific responses that
were popular included a lot of support for the unity demonstrated by
ULK articles (11%) and the stories about other prisoner’s work
and organizing (20%). There was also a lot of appreciation for
state-specific and legal reporting (6%). Five percent of survey
respondents liked best the core mission of ULK (which people
described as Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, internationalism, reporting the
truth, or just “the mission”). In addition, we saw responses in support
of book reviews, culture, Spanish, country-wide and world news
reporting, and general education.
In response to the question about what our readers would like to see
more of in ULK, aside from the third of the respondents who
thought it was just perfect as is or just requested more of
ULK, one of the popular responses (9.5%) was a request for more
theory, including information on the history of revolutionary movements
and revolutionary heroes, quotes from communists, Maoist theory in
general, and more in depth analysis from MIM(Prisons). Related to the
request for theory, because strategy is developed from theory, and
tactics come from strategic direction, we also had a lot of people
asking for strategic direction in general (5.5%), and many asking for
more campaigns and tactical campaign work they can do in their prisons
(5%). This is a good reminder for our USW leaders as well as our
ULK writers and editors that we should tie general prison news
to campaign work when possible, and we should be looking for
opportunities to initiate new campaigns that will be both educational
and lead to potential tactical victories for the revolutionary movement.
A lot of people (9%) want to see more state-specific information (every
prisoner wants more information on their own state). We can only
increase the content about your state if you take action and
write about what’s going on there. We rely on our readers for all of the
state-specific reporting in ULK. And to really make good news,
people need to be organizing so that we have campaigns, successes and
failures to report on. So this is a response we hope comes from comrades
who are sitting down now to write about their organizing efforts for the
next issue.
There were also a lot of requests for resource lists (14.5%) or
connections to other resources, and requests for legal information
(12%). This is not part of our core mission for Under Lock &
Key. We do run the Prisoners’ Legal Clinic to help fight key legal
battles, such as the censorship of political material. But
MIM(Prisons)’s core mission is to build the anti-imperialist prison
movement, and so we prioritize communist political organizing. We do not
have the labor or funding to provide general resource lists and legal
assistance in addition to our core work. We know there are not many
groups out there doing this, but resource lists and legal assistance
will ultimately only provide band-aids to a fundamentally broken system
of imperialism. And anti-imperialist organizing is even more scarce in
prisons than legal and resource work.
Additional suggestions from readers for specific areas of expansion
included: art, control units, current events, international news,
poetry, security, Spanish, U.$. government reporting, and issues faced
by the elderly, wimmin and LGBTQ prisoners. There were a wide range of
topics suggested and the ULK staff will be discussing all of
them as we strive to improve Under Lock & Key.
A few prisoners responded to some of the survey questions requesting
that ULK be “less racial”, and “stop generalizing whites as
oppressors” while one respondent liked “your hate against white people.”
These responses represent a fundamental misunderstanding of the
MIM(Prisons) political line around nation. We do not hate white people;
we hate the imperialist system which kills, tortures and oppresses the
majority of the world’s people for the wealth and enjoyment of the
minority. We are scientists and we see clearly that in the United $tates
the white nation is part of the minority of imperialist allies leading
global oppression. But we also can see that the majority of the people
in Russia before the revolution in 1917 who were oppressed were “white.”
It is not skin color that determines people’s status as oppressor or
oppressed. However, because of national oppression in the world today,
we do see whole nations of people oppressed as a group by other nations.
The white nation in the United $tates is an oppressor group, and there
are many oppressed nations in the Third World. From an economic
perspective, the other nations within U.$. borders are also part of the
oppressors (New Afrikans, Chican@s, etc.), but these groups also face
national oppression and so have some interest in anti-imperialism. It’s
a complex system, that requires careful analysis and cannot be boiled
down to race or hate against white people. We hope these readers will
engage with us further for study to understand our position.
In this issue of Under Lock & Key we are featuring an extra
four pages of content, which we hope our readers find to be educational
and helpful in their organizing work. These four pages were funded by
donators and the ULK Sustainers group, a group of United Struggle from
Within members and supporters in prison who send in donations to expand
ULK. To help fulfill the requests for more that was loud and
clear in the survey results, join the ULK Sustainers group today.
At this time; in this place; I genuinely know why the caged bird
sings other than being falsely imprisoned, he’s being
called N.I.G.G.E.R. of all things… As I give perfect praise to
“the most high,” I can only wonder how many more bullets have to fly?
How many more of my precious Black and Latino prisoners must
die? Before those of us who still dare to be free can remove the
blood filled tearz from our eyez. We’ve all been shackled by the
same chainz, victimized by the same pain, so… in whose name doez
death blossom? I can vividly recall being racially profiled as a
juvenile, because as a child I refused to pledge my allegiance to a
flag that forced so many of my B.L.A.C.K. Panthers into exile…
This beautiful black revolutionary love of mine is God’s design,
bottom line… I speak from the perspective of a S.O.U.L.J.A with
an objective. Cause being Black in this “white man’s worls,” justice
is often selective. On behalf of the collective, I stand on the
front lines. My message to the b.l.a.c.k. man is to fight the power,
nourish the seeds and restore our flowers… This form of
revolutionary love will never be televized, nor will it be
glamorized, because the very essence of this love affair depicts
us finally being unified!! Let’z reflect back to the bird in the
cage, back to the dehumanization that we endured while naked on
the auction blocks and stage… Or picture the 25-50 million Africans
that died during the passage that never made it to the grave
because it is only through these degrees of pain, horror and terror,
can one truly understand the life of a slave… On the strength of
those whose lives were gave, that divine sacrifice in turn allowed
countless other B.L.A.C.K. lives to be saved!!
Aun usando el PPP para ajustar salarios mínimos, todos los países en
esta gráfica excepto México tienen salarios mínimos que están por lo
menos un orden de magnitud más alto que esos en los países más pobres.
Recientemente la pequeña ciudad de SeaTac, Washington, pasó un voto de
medida para aumentar el salario mínimo a $15 por hora. A lo ancho de
Estados Unidos la Union de Trabajadores SEIU ha encabezado un esfuerzo
para exigir $15 por hora para todos los trabajadores en restaurantes de
comida rápida. En la huelga del 28 de Noviembre, 2013, organizadores
dijeron que hubo demostraciones en más de 100 ciudades.(1)
En 2014 el salario mínimo aumentará en muchos estados. El liderato en el
camino lo lleva Washington ($9.32) y Oregon ($9.10), con Nueva York
dando el brinco más alto a $8.00 por hora. La ciudad de Nueva York fue
el centro de los recientes protestantes que trabajan en comida rápida.
Mientras tanto, los Demócratas en el Congreso tienen planes para un
proyecto de ley este año que aumentará el salario mínimo federal de
$7.25 a $10.10 por hora.(2)
Otro lugar donde luchas por un salario mínimo hicieron mucho ruido en
2013 fue la industria de prendas en Bangladesh. Como lo mencionamos en
el último numero de Under Lock & Key, esos trabajadores
tenían una victoria reciente en el salario mínimo que elevado de $38 a
$68 por mes. En Camboya (Cambodia) a trabajadores de prendas se les ha
prometido un aumento en el salario mínimo de $80 a $95 por mes.
Insatisfechos, los trabajadores se han unido a recientes protestas en
contra del régimen actual para exigir $160 por mes.(3)
Con semanas de 48 horas de trabajo, los trabajadores de prendas están
ganando alrededor de $0.35 por hora en Bangladesh, y $0.42 en Camboya.
Aun que no lo crea, estos son los trabajadores privilegiados quienes
tienen protecciones especiales por trabajan para industrias exportadoras
importantes. El Bangladesí común tiene un salario mínimo de $19
mensuales, lo cual es menos de 10 centavos por hora.
El propuesto salario mínimo de $10 por hora en Estados Unidos pondría a
los amerikanos de paga mínima CIEN VECES más alto al ingreso de los
trabajadores de paga mínima en Bangladesh. Por esto es que en el día de
Mayo hicimos el llamado al movimiento de trabajadores blancos
chauvinistas por evadir el asunto de un salario mínimo global.
Ahora, el primer chillido de nuestros críticos chauvinistas será “el
costo de vivienda, se les olvido el costo de vivienda.” Nuestra
propuesta para un salario mínimo global altaría este salario a una
canasta de mercadería. Significa que trabajadores en Estados Unidos y
Bangladesh tendrían los recursos para estilos de vida comparables con su
paga. Tal vez el amerikano agarra trigo donde el Bangladesí agarra
arroz, por ejemplo. Pero el amerikano no agarra una SUV con gasolina
ilimitada mientras que el Bangladesí agarra el autobús al y del trabajo.
Para mantener este tipo de desigualdad el Bangladesí estaría subsidiando
un nivel más alto de vida para el amerikano.
Passa que el Banco Mundial se ha llevado una apuñalada a esta
calculación con su Poder de Compra Equivalente. Usando esta calculación,
el salario mínimo en Bangladesh, el cual aparenta ser de $0.09 por hora
es realmente un enorme $0.19 por hora.(4) Así que, debemos disculparnos
con nuestros críticos. El propuesto salario mínimo de $10 por hora solo
pondría al amerikano de paga mínima a 50 veces más que al de paga mínima
en Bangladesh si consideramos el costo de vivienda.
Recientemente el New Afrikan Black Panther Party (prison chapter)
(Partido Nuevo Afrikano Pantera Negra (División de la Prisión)), acusó
nuestro movimiento de descartar la posibilidad de una organización
revolucionaria en los Estados Unidos por que reconocimos los datos de
arriba. Solo porque luchas por salarios más altos, y otras demandas
económicas, son generalmente pro-imperialistas en este país no significa
que no podamos organizarnos aquí. Pero el organizarse revolucionarimente
no debe reunir a la burguesía menor por más dinero a expensas del
proletariado global. Además, aun en los tempranos días del proletariado
Ruso Lenin tuvo críticas de luchas que buscaban salarios más altos.
Mientras que expresamos dudas acerca de la estrategia electoral de
Chokwe Lumumba en Jackson, Mississippi (ve ULK 33 en ingles),
permanecemos optimista acerca del New Afrikan Liberation Movement
(Movimiento de Liberación Nuevo Afrikano) y sus esfuerzos para movilizar
a la multitud allí. El organizarse para economías cooperativas y
auto-suficiencia es un acercamiento más neutral para movilizar los
segmentos bajos de Nueva Afrika que el clamor del SEIU por más salarios
por servicio improductivo de trabajo. Mientras que nuestras
preocupaciones reposaban en sus habilidades para organizarse de una
manera que fuera realmente independiente de los sistemas existentes,
creando un poder doble, el SEIU mendigando por más botines de los
imperialistas ni siquiera ofrece tal posibilidad. Para realmente dirigir
los desigualdades en el mundo entonces, debemos últimamente llegar a
entrar en conflicto con el sistema capitalista que crea y requiere esas
desigualdades.
Un punto agitacional de los protestas de comida rápida ha sido que 52
por-ciento de las familias de los trabajadores de comida rápida de linea
delantera necesitan apoyarse en programas de asistencia publica(1). Una
de las razones de que esto es verdad es que la mayoría de los
trabajadores de comida rápida no llegan a trabajar 48 o aun que sea 40
horas a la semana. Si le ponemos niños y otros dependientes en la mezcla
y tenemos una pequeña, pero significante, clase baja en los Estados
Unidos que lucha con cosas como comida, renta y cuentas de utilidad. La
mayoría son padres solteros, mayormente madres solteras. Viviendas
colectivas y estructuras económicas podrían (y lo hacen) servir a esta
clase y pueden ofrecer un medio de movilización política. Los programas
sirve a la gente y casas negras (viviendas colectivas) de las Panteras
Negras son un modelo para este tipo de organización. Pero programas
patrocinados-por-el-estado y el incremento general en riquezas desde los
1960s hace el distinguir este tipo de trabajo y el de trabajar con el
imperialismo una tarea mas intimidante.
La campaña para un salario mínimo global tiene poca tracción entre los
trabajadores de paga baja en los Estados Unidos, porque ellos no se
benefician de esto. Esta es una campaña que tiene que ser liderado por
el Tercer Mundo y empujada por medio de cuerpos internacionales como la
Organización de Comercio Mundial (World Trade Organization). La apoyamos
por razones agitaciones, pero no esperamos un apoyo masivo en este país.
Nos permite pintar una linea entre esos que son verdaderos
internacionalistas y aquellos que no lo son.(5)
Cualquier campaña que trabaje para los intereses económicos de la gente
en los países imperialistas va a ser problemática porque el mejor trato
económico será el unirse con los imperialistas, por lo menos en el
futuro inmediato.
Death and destruction, killing and anarchy Your nightmares and
fears have become reality Open your eyes, you’re all going to
die Bodies will burn, women will cry Children will perish, cities
will crumble Striking you down, making you humble Death
everywhere, violence fills the air The warnings were clear, you just
didn’t care Now your lungs turn to black with the smoke they’ve
consumed Untimely demise, nothing to prove For your church and
your country you fought with great pride For your god and your
government You fought and you died.
No Place 2 Be! Across the world abuse unfolds, millions
incarcerated, cruelty untold 3rd world countries amerikaz cold The
United Nations’ head turns, a system exposed. Broken promises
with a lot of corrupt laws, no reform, a system flawed. With one
punishment comes isolation with no air or lights, we suffer
deprivation. At the hands of the system, we slowly
deteriorate. Millions hunger strike, souls daily break. We
complain, they block our appeal. We associate, they stop our will.
As a whole, we all agree- frustrated, the system failed us
all- failed you and me! No place 2 be! Against all walls!!
You sent a “newsletter” (ULK) and “publications (several)” to
me recently. I just got 2 “Illinois Department of Corrections - Material
Review - Lawrence Correctional Center” for each package for a
publication review. This is the first time I ever got any notice from
the mail room/publication review for anything. I’ve been raising the
issue of unofficial censorship/mail tampering because I never get
responses from organizations like MIM(Prisons), the Midwest Soaring
Foundation, A.I.C.-Chicago (Native American Cultural, Spiritual,
Community Centers) or Prisoners Rights Research Project.
It’s amusing that the Sep/Oct edition of ULK was delivered only after I
filed my first mail tampering grievance, that the May/June, July/August
weren’t delivered and that I’ve never received any notice of any other
withholding of my mail until after we corroborated that mail was being
tampered with and you sent the censorship packet (which was held a month
and unstapled/copied and I wasn’t notified).
I’ve seen that these people facilitate, promote and anticipate ignorance
and apathy. It seems an inactivate person is a pliant subject. They
sincerely don’t want their constitutional, Federal, State - law,
regulation, policy and procedure known. I’ve had problems with accessing
and copying IDOC/LLC policy and procedure. I actually won a FOIA issue
where the institute moved the IDOC Administrative Directives and IDOC
Chaplaincy Handbook from the law library to the general library and
issued a verbal/unofficial directive not to allow copies be made. I
filed a FOIA request and was denied because “the material requested is
available in your institution’s library.” So I grieved saying LLC’s no
copy directive is in direct violation and conflict with the Illinois
FOIA denying due process/equal protection of laws. Then copies were
allowed. They’d also taken these administrative directives out of the
general library, but after the grievance they put them back. No direct
victory but a clear pressure point.
It’s not what they can do to us, it’s what we let them do to us. The
petty tyrant works against the cause and against the people. I call them
petty because they don’t have power, only
bequests/allotments/investments and only to enforce/proliferate the
interests of those in power. The problem isn’t of equality in america
but heredity. Not of genes - blond and blue - but of revelation,
independence and manifest destiny. Sovereignty and conquest.