Federal Prisons

Greetings. Sorry for the mix up but my unit is so chaotic that I can’t honestly remember when I wrote last! No I did not get a copy of the appeal grievance letter but I was informed you would file for one! Most importantly yes I do want a copy of the grievance manual! … it has been crazy here (Polunsky) from celebrities (K.M.K.) to multiple deaths - lethal injection - inmate on inmate - officer negligence. To the unit putting out a short of staff S.O.S. We have other officers from all around pulling shifts and the reg. staff keep quitting due to the unjust action, overworkload, and underpayment. In short the manual is in dire need and would be greatly appreciated by not only myself but others that make an attempt at combating the injustice and harsh conditions here.

Another major issue that needs to be looked into is the G-3 status (lifers or 50 yrs + over) inmates with stacked time or I.W.O.P. that have completed the required 10 year G-3 status, are being placed back on G-3 status and are told they will never receive a G-2. The G-3 status restricts inmates to certain and/or no jobs and keep them from attending vocation or college class educations. A law was passed concerning a group of G-3 sex offenders because one raped, beat, and killed a guard on another unit but that law applies to sex offenders that are G-3 only. This unit has taken many G-2 and placed them back on G-3 but those offenders have over 10 years done, and no recent disciplinary offense. That is just one of the many issues we are fighting. Again thank you and you all are appreciated.

I have recently come across your publication and would like to request the Texas Pack. I was told that the Texas Pack would greatly assist me in writing an effective grievance.

We have some issues that need to be addressed. We are dealing with unsanitary conditions, lack of maintenance, and as of 1 March 2020 we will no longer be able to receive greeting cards from our friends and families, further restricting our correspondence with the outside.

I would like to thank you in advance for your time and consideration with this request.

2019 April 9 — I hope this finds you hale, healthy and whole as well as blessed in all you do. The struggle here at High Desert State Prison in Indiana Springs, NV is vast and ongoing.

Our small group of comrades, Hatchets for Maoism (HFM) has gone to work getting the prisoners here to sign and mail out copies of the grievance petition you sent to me. The HFM comrades are also attempting to gain prisoner support for a mass grievance filing on the conditions of confinement: lack of out-of-cell time, poor food, lack of programming, lack of insensitive programs, excessive lockdowns, staff misconduct, etc. etc.

Correctional officers often use their pet rats to justify their misconduct, so I am pushing for all comrades to abstain from any rule infractions, actively seek out peaceful ways to end divisions between prisoners, and unite the people to effect real changes.

With that said, I'd like to "out" some of the real lowdown and dirty pigs, by name and rank, that try to use their given powers to vex, harass, retaliate and oppress all of us here trying to fight for our rights.

Warden Brian E. Williams, Sr. — was overheard on 4/3/19 saying "just put that inmate in the worst cell you can find for him, so he will choose to run with his race or die for trying to be a Mexican blood." This is the warden of the prison talking to a case worker about what way is best to break down a prisoner for asking to be housed away from racist gang members!

Sergeant Dale Roberson — files false and misleading reports as a means to cover up misconduct of his unit officers, justify ill-gotten sanctions against prisoners, and reduce their level. He also uses the cut and paste function to respond to grievances, issues threats and refuses to report misconduct of his officers when it's brought to his attention.

Sergeant Alexis Lazano — passes false rumors against any prisoner who he deems to be a "scum bag," often telling other prisoners that "____ told on you about ____" to incite chaos.

C/O Jeremy Hatfield — has a history of retaliatory cell searches, excessive use of force, and violations of prisoners' constitutional rights.

C/O Bryant Vaughn — has a history of prisoner abuse.

C/O Killian Lee — challenges prisoners to fight, uses excessive force and attacks prisoners that attempt to report him for his misconduct.

C/O Justin Gordon — talks shit with prisoners he comes into contact with, files vexing and harassing notice of charges against prisoners for non-existing rule violations that are so far past lies that I lack the words to explain. He once wrote me up for another cell's doings (it was later dropped, but, come on!).

S C/O Joshua Wikoff — harasses any prisoner that attempts to redress any grievance through the proper process, by telling other prisoners that "____ is a rat," or by saying the same in a loud voice at meal times. He also fails to report staff misconduct and throws away outgoing mail (including legal mail) and prevents the proper investigation of any prisoner's claim of abuses.

Lieutenant Julie Matousek — Tells outright lies, covers up Civil Rights violations, enforces criminal treatment of PSU prisoners by her subordinates and colludes and conspires to shut the mouths of all who dare stand up for their own rights or the rights of their fellow man.

I don't have enough ink or paper to list them all, but this is a start. Struggle on Comrades

I was born with a voice, but couldn't form words to speak
' When I learned to speak, it was mainly ignorance of things portrayed to me in the media
I've always been interested in politiks, but had limited knowledge.

If you woulda told me prisoner were operated at a loss, I woulda told you you were crazy, no one would do that.

I learned how to read, but read nothing with real knowledge
I learned science, but only about volcanoes
I learned history, from edited text books

Now I wake up every day, behind a lock
My days are filled with evolution

I'm learning how to read books with knowledge
I'm learning science about social reality
I'm learning history that's not been edited

I was born with a voice, now I'm learning how to speak
Now I'm Under Lock & Key

I was released from confinement on 7 January and sent to the main unit, only to have a false DR arranged for me on January 15. I have now missed 4 visits planned with family to sit in a locked room. On January 15 I was on my bed at 7:42 AM count when the sergeant accused me of using the F word in dialogue she fabricated to have an excuse to haul me off to confinement. On January 22 I was given 30 days with credit for only 3 of 8 days. I had been locked in a room for this lie. I just spent 5 weeks locked in a room for the last false DR and only out 8 days.

I got copies of your petition and sent them out to federal/state courts, local legislators, member of congress, Ocala Star Banner and Miami Herald newspapers. I put out an order to show cause for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to the federal court to ask the Florida Department of COrrections(FDOC) to stop locking me in a room at the same 3 prisons to torture me, breaking the law to falsify state documents to justify the retaliation. I was assigned an attorney by the federal appellate court last month for my FDOC case with my case classed for oral arguments which is only granted in 20% of cases. I hope to hear from her soon.

I cannot seem to get any help from the judicial/executive/legislative branches of government. My mother has contacted the House of Representatives member to try to get help. I have written the governor, FDOC secretary, and DOJ IG recently. Another inmate gave me a stack of articles on FDOC problems, criminal justice reform and Lowell specifically to copy as supporting documents for my outgoing packages. I should have 10 more copies to get out soon to different addresses.

This is now 31 trips to confinement since 2010, 150 disciplinary reports, years of lost gain time and almost half my time locked in a room. I have retired all I write to your website www.prisoncensorship.info so they can review the postings of Florida prisoners.

The nasty sergeant stored my medication, deodorant and most of what I was allowed to have to deprive me of basic necessities. I was not fed dinner on January 23 deliberately and they “lost” my laundry bag.

…A Lt here at LCI was arrested last year for child sexual abuse. I was able to read all the articles about this. He was promoted year after year even after serious allegations were made against him for sexual misconduct and other crimes. The FDOC secretary is trying to claim they need more money and staff. Last month I was given 5 false DRs while locked in a room doing nothing wrong. The personal vendetta has gone on for years. When I was here before in 2018 the staff threw my food on the floor and charged me with battery pretending I threw the tray I never touched. They ambushed me with chemical weapons warfare while I was locked in a room and helpless. This practice seems to have been stopped. I have not seen this done since 2018.

Is there anyone I can get to help me forward out emails to the legislators and U.S. Congress. I was able to get the request form to appear before the Florida Senate that I have tried to get since 2018 from a library. Most of the management here have been persecuting me since 2012, only to get promoted. We are getting a lot of publicity. Lowell made national news in 2019 for a silent protest held after a prisoner was paralyzed after an altercation with 4 male employees. She is 51 and now a quadriplegic. The Lt who was arrested for child sexual abuse was one of the ones involved. Please let me know how I can help MIM and send me another blank petition for Florida so I can update the information on this form.

Revolutionary Greetings!

Salutations comrades. I hope that this missive finds you well.

I feel pride in the way that the revolutionary lifestyle gets me hyped up and ready to make a change! I’m so stoked to see fellow captives doing all the awesome things and I’m ready to amp it up a notch. Here’s a little update of the revolutionary activity I’ve been agitating here:

So the facility that I’m at is poorly run and the pretty well house captives wherever they can. The unit that I’m in is the same one that they have the “Security Management Unit” which is eir version of the “SHU”. So the unit that I’m in was intended for “High Security” people who were serving time in the “Hole”. But the problem is that all 48 captives that are in my unit are either “protective custody” or “pending transfer”. So all of the cells have no type of internal power or cable jacks inside our cells. There is only a single lightswitch on the outside of the cell that the pig working our unit has the ability to turn on. By policy we are to be provided the same privileges as “General Population”. So I brought this to the warden’s attention when ey came for “inspection” of our unit. Also I’m rallying the captives here to file mass grievances to get these fuckers to do their job. So that’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods.

I’m really trying to get my frame of mind in full out radical mode and be a comrade who can turn other captives to our cause of stomping out imperialism and building a united front. I’ve got a ways to go but with guidance from my fellow Maoists I will succeed! I want to follow the examples of the comrades who have come before me. I’m fine with the fact that I’ve fully chose to commit “class suicide” and fight the backwards and bigoted ways of other whites. I’m cool with being labeled a “race traitor” etc. etc. as long as it will further the cause I will stand with it.

I know these will assuredly aid me in my education and help me to be a productive party member. I hope to hear from you soon!

In solidarity

Greetings!

Recently I read one of you printouts and was very interested in getting one. I am enclosing some stamps that I hope will cover the mailing cost.

I am not sure if you can provide me with a bit of information but I am going to ask anyway…

Here on the William P. Clements Unit we NEVER have access to gym rec. ALL the gymnasiums have been taken over by staff for other uses. Building 3’s gym is for prisoner property… Building 4’s gym is for the craft shop that is NEVER open (staff shortage)… and building 8’s gym is for religious gatherings.

I don’t know if the TDCJ had a recreation policy change eliminating gym use for prisoner recreation, or if this is just something done on this unit. I am hoping you can let me know something.

Right now I am on G4/medium custody. We are only given 2 hours of day-room per day. No job assignments, other than field squad, which doesn’t exist. No educational programs. No religious services. Going to the law library is a tortuous experience because the staff member in there will do everything she can to keep a man from studying policies about TDCJ.

I don’t know if you can get the TDCJ Administrative Directive about general population recreation and let me know about the gym’s and about out-of-cell time for medium custody; but I’d be grateful if you can let me know something about this.

If this unit is in violation then I’ll be able to file the grievances, then get the courts to assist in correcting the violations.

Hope to hear back soon. Enclosing seven new stamps.

Thank You!

Take Care! Stay Healthy!

PS: I only have six stamps right now; will do more later. Thanks!

I’m not sure if any of you have heard of my recent censorship battles, but let me catch you up on this ongoing and illegal censorship being perpetuated by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, or what we inside refer to as the Minnesota Department of Corruption.

While I was housed in Minnesota’s only Maximum Custody Prison, Oak Park Heights, I had been subjected to a bit of censorship. First it was censorship of my outgoing legal mail to national organizations for legal assistance in my Federal Suit. I had sent mail out in sealed envelopes, clearly marked “Legal Mail” to The Exoneration Project, The Innocence Project, The Equal Justice Project, The Legal Aid Society, The Lewisburg Prison Project, The Constitutional Rights Center for Prisoners and every envelope was opened outside of my presence by mailroom staff member “S. Henry” and sent back to me with a notice of non-delivery in which it said I had “sealed it in violation NOT Legal/Special as addressed.”

This is actually a violation of the mailroom’s own policy. DOC Policy 302.020 Procedure L.3 states that “An incoming or outgoing item purporting to be special/legal mail that fails to meet the policy requirements for designation as special/legal mail, or is otherwise questionable, is opened in the presence of offender by a supervisor.”

Yet, more than 10 “outgoing item[s] purporting to be special/legal mail” were opened outside of my presence and refused to be sent in a sealed envelope.

It gets worse though. After being forced to send these letters in unsealed envelopes, when these organizations replied, even when stamped with “LEGAL CORRESPONDENCE OPEN ONLY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ADDRESSEE” i.e., me, the mailroom still opened all of this mail outside of my presence.

And when I had to file internal grievances to exhaust all remedies due to the PLRA, of course the DOC said that staff did not act in violation of anything, and of course the mailroom staff opened this mail outside of my presence again violating their own policy and court decisions. And so I filed in the Tenth Judicial District Court, only for the judge, Gregory G. Galler, to dismiss it as frivolous or malicious.

And then I was given disciplinary segregation for allegedly “lying and/or misrepresentation.” Which is illegal retaliation, but what does the Department of Corruptions care? None. Next came the censorship of publications I had been receiving from Critical Resistance “The Abolitionist”, this publication “ULK” and other mail from MIM(Prisons) including over 10 different mailings, News & Letters – all of which are political publications geared towards enlightening people on real world issues and express anti-Prison ideology.

When fighting the censorship, according to our “policy” we have to send an appeal to the Correspondence Review Authority(CRA). Yet when I did, the mailroom staff, Nancy Leseman responded instead. I had included the disclaimer that MIM(Prisons) affixes to ULK only for Leseman to state “All publications are reviewed on an individual basis & can at any time be denied for violating policy. An article advocates to organized disturbances within prison walls, activities in violation of facility rules.”

So, not only does she violate her own policy by not forwarding the appeal to the CRA, she violates the law when censoring publications as well.

But it only gets better from here.

Being as N. Leseman didn’t follow policy I was forced to send the appeal to her supervisor, Lt. Jason R. Hills, in which he replied, “The publication has contents that are not allowed per DOC Policy. Appeal Denied. You may appeal to the CRA.” Again clearly he violates law for censorship, and policy.

So I was forced to send the appeal directly to the CRA, which was comprised of Cris Pawelk the Associate Warden of Operations, Sherlinda Wheeler the Associate Warden of Administration, and Byron Matthews the Captain.

In their reply they said, “We have read the material and determined the content should be denied for violating MN DOC Division Directive 301.030 Contraband. One of the articles advocates for organized disturbances within prison walls and activities in violation of facility rules. All issues are reviewed on an individual basis. Any issue can be denied if any part of the publication violates policy. Publications that [sic] doesn’t violate policy is allowed. Therefore the Correspondence Review Authority is in agreement with the Mail Room’s decision and your appeal is denied.”

The next step was to appeal to the Assistant Commissioner of Corrections Nate Knutson. His reply was, “This newspaper contains graphic depiction of violence that pose a threat to facility security in violation of DOC Division Directive 301.030 Contraband. Appeal denied.”

But that’s not the end, after that I filed suit in the Tenth Judicial District Court, only for the order to be dismissed as “frivolous or malicious” because it “has no arguable basis in fact or in law.”

Now the next step is Federal Court, and and will involve even more defendants and more evidence of censorship illegally conducted. As MIM(Prisons) can accede, more than 10 of their mailings to me have been met with censorship, causing loss of money, and all with absolutely no notice or reason given by the DOC.

Censorship is this country’s way of blinding the people to only seeing what is “favorable” to them. Freedom of speech is only true if you don’t speak out against the regime. Any advocacy critical of the standard is demonized and made to look as extremist and insane. And no wonder, when 90% of the population lives only to work, the power rests upon the sweating, bleeding, starving faces of those that toil in the dirt beneath their polished shoes. Take comfort in this: If you’re being censored, it’s because they fear the truth and its power. If you’re being retaliated against, it’s because they fear you and your truth and power. People only get mad at the truth, so go piss off those pigs!

MIM(Prisons) adds: We can confirm that we received no notification of censorship as required by law for at least 10 pieces of mail sent to this comrade in 2019 that ey reported not receiving. One of these items was our guide for dealing with censorship in prison.

We commend this comrade’s persistence and eir attitude. These battles are small ones. As our regular readers know, we win some and lose some. But either way we win when we use these battles to inspire others and expose those set on oppression.

Sleepwalking to the sound
Of captains and ships
Molten hot chains
Bond to the ignorant and lost
Each metallic clang! Each step
Down towards the cliff
Of oppression...
Where freedom has been willingly
Relinquished
To their masters
Happily at the will of their own
That taketh away

Revolution and freedom
Reigns in my bones
To break the chains
Off of my brothers and sisters
Shedding the light towards
The happily oppressed
For they have forgotten
The legends and stories
Of their ancestors;
Sweat and blood on their brows