Federal Prisons

I am an inmate at SCI-Huntingdon in Huntingdon, PA. I am writing you hoping you can somehow help or assist me. I was a victim of rape in this jail in August 2019. I reported this to PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) coordinator here at SCI Huntingdon, Lt. Grassmyer and Ms Pyle. I placed myself in solitary confinement to get away from my attacker who was my cellmate.

While in solitary confinement (RHU) I received threats of retaliation for filing the PREA report. My attacker is a well established gang member here at SCI Huntingdon with a lot of connections. I reported this to “security” and Lt. Grassmyer, I expressed how I was in fear for my safety due to the treats I received. In response I was given an ultimatum by Lt. Grassmyer, “go back to population, or get a misdconduct for refusing to go back to population.” Reluctantly, I went back to population, I didn’t want a misconduct when I see the parole board in Nov of this year. I wasn’t in population for 24 hours before receiving multiple threats of retaliation for filing report to PREA (Lt. Grassmyer).

Friends of mine were approaching me warning me of a hit (bounty) on my head to stab me or cut me up real good. I went straight to the block guard and told him about the hits on my head, since then, Sept 5 2019, I’ve been in solitary confinement. I am in steady fear for my life and I’m afraid that this jail, Lt. Grassmyer in particular is going to get me seriously hurt or even killed.

Under the PREA act, it is my right to be protected from retaliation. If they try to make me go back to general population I know for a fact that I will be stabbed or cut up or even killed. This prison is corrupt and I don’t trust anyone here and I need all the help I can get from the outside. So please, if there is anything, anything you can do to help me or assist me. I have almost 10 years incarcerated and I am not eligible for parole while in the RHU (solitary confinement), because it is a level 5 security, so even though I am eligible to go home, I can’t as long as they keep me here in RHU. I’m in a Catch 22 and this is not right. Please help me.

I am bringing you an update from inside this Texas Gulag or should I just say Konzentration Kamp, to be exact.

I received my last package from you: the writing tips, more about MIM, how to start a Study Group and the material for the study group I just enrolled in. As I look over all the material, I already started scoping out cadres I will offer the Study Group to. But I want to first build a curriculum before I actually start this group. I have pulled two soldiers to the side, teaching them with what I got. And as we advance in our study group, I will offer my comrades to be a part of the positive peaceful movement I want to establish within this battlefield with the sole purpose of eradicating the criminal mentality and promoting a revolutionary state of mind which will help bring both Unity and Change within our prison conditions. The Militia, a group of conscious, mature-minded men. So stay tuned on updates of the building of this brotherhood of leaders.

In other news, the suicide rate in TDCJ was up 40% in 2018. Yearly suicide attempts have nearly tripled since 2009 going from 700 to 2,000. This is due to the lack of rehabilitation if you ask me: Texas has more prisoners than any other state yet they offer no counseling. I see a lot of suicide attempts; a lot because of the Slave Job (Texas Prisoners still don’t get paid for work). No good time, work time, nothing. But they are making a killing through TCI. Here on the Michaels Unit, we teamed up with Administration to start a Suicide Prevention Squad which allows us to offer the people an ear to talk to and even a voice to give feedback.

K-2 is like crack now. If they give us K-2 and flood the inmate general population that will give us more to fight about while distracting us from what’s important. Like issues stemming from over-crowding, or how we are still battling inhumane conditions due to the torching heat. When we ask for respite in designated areas, it’s still too crowded. They already got down on some of those brothers under the Heat Lawsuit that was won. TDCJ was supposed to Air Condition certain units, they did, but are already having issues with the cooling system. It’s still hot as hell with no solution to this issue. Then to top it off, a lot of brothers under the Lawsuit were shipped to other units. I thought they were protected under the Lawsuit.

I hope this letter finds you all in the best of health & spirits. As for myself, I’m not doing too good! I am in a great deal of pain in my back and testicles due to nerve pain. I was seen on 7-31-19, I believe, and a non-formulary [drug] was requested but denied. I was told by the provider that if I didn’t receive the pain medication in a few days to send an I-60 (Request to Officials) to be seen again. I did so on the fourth of August; I still have not been seen. I’ve also filed grievances and sick calls. It is the prison’s policy as well as UTMB (contracted medical care), for inmates to be seen within 10 days of being evaluated by a sick call nurse. I’ve seen the sick call nurse 3 times already. I turned in my carpel tunnel splint because it was sabotaged when I forgot it on rec. yard. Medical still hasn’t provided a replacement even though they have them in their supply stock.

I’m sending you this letter because I wanted to see if you can contact Health Services in Huntsville, Texas (936-437-3618) and report this for me. There should be at least one medical practice manager on this unit, but there isn’t and as a result I’m being denied medical care. I’m also in need of the book Protect your Health & Safety or something like that; an inmate told me about it a while back, but since I’m indigent and halfway through my sentence I was hoping I wouldn’t need it. I was mistaken.

They allowed my jailhouse lawyer’s manual and Texas supplement issue to be stolen last year when I was raped and they lied to me saying it was in my property and I signed the property papers only to find out it was not in there. Can you please help me with the protect your health and safety book ro refer me to someone who may be able to help me?

First off I want to express gratitude and respect to the comrades that contributed to ULK 68. It has sparked some interesting conversations on the tier. And this dialogue is strengthening the unity; the only unity I’ve seen at this unit in the year and a half I’ve been here.

Here at Tucker Max Unit they have been keeping us restricted housing prisoners locked in our cells 24/7. We get one hour of yard every two weeks here at Gilligan’s Island due to “lack of security.” They recently re-opened their re-entry program and when they did so, they took officers off yard crew to go work the re-entry. They have made no effort in the past 3 months to replace these officers so re-entry is essentially running at the expense of our constitutional rights. Yard call is a constitutional right, re-entry is not. From my understanding they receive so much money per each prisoner enrolled in their programs, i.e. re-entry, substance abuse treatment, therapeutic comm., and in my opinion the biggest sham of all: the step-down program that restricted housing prisoners are being forced to enroll in. The parole board is notorious for stipulating the first three programs as a condition for prisoners to be considered for release. They reap double benefits thru this system. They get extra money for your enrollment in this program and they can release you with some semblance of rehabilitation.

We, the prisoners, know these programs are a joke. And when they don’t provide the rehabilitation sufficient upon release to hold it down and keep on top of our responsibilities then we become we the repeat offender. And the Dept. of Corruptions is right here with their paternalistic arms wide open, all the while telling us it’s our fault.

But to get another shot at freedom we’ll be forced back into the same programs. Spoiler alert: it’s not gonna work no matter how many times you take their programs, and that’s by design. They don’t want the programs to work. Why would they want us to stay out of prison? A requirement of these programs here in Arkansas is that you drop kites on other prisoners for shit as small as not tucking their shirts in, and if you don’t you’re considered as not “participating”. What the fuck does that have to do with a person getting their shit together and preparing for the responsibilities that weigh us down when we get out?

To boycott these programs would be ideal, knowing the money they rake in off of them. But far be it from me to tell the next man to not do what he’s gotta do to go home. But we can’t depend on these programs to be the substance of our rehabilitation.

So now that I’ve made the argument against their programs there are two questions to be addressed. How do we implement our own programs, and which programs should take priority? Well, as far as the programs that should take priority, we’ve got to implement those that build unity into community where everyone has a role, minus our egos. We must work together to come up with a format that has a higher potential of success when it comes to tackling the issues that perpetuate our carceral existence, and by “our carceral existence” I’m speaking of the shackles on our mind that even upon release from these dungeons into the free world, remain fast in place.

The Five Stages of Consciousness model in the Five Percent tradition will break these chains when utilized to the fullest, but so many of us only attain the base stage of consciousness or the second stage of subconscious and go no further. So many of us attain all this knowledge on our quest for truth, only to use it to know more than the next man. But how many of us are using our knowledge to help win lawsuits, win appeals, and other battles that build upon our independence from this paternalistic system? I constantly see pride and ego hinder all 5 of the United Front for Peace in Prisons points of unity, and keep a lot of prisoners from reaching out to others to build these independent institutions. It’s imperative that we tear these individualistic walls down and build upwards on community consciousness. We need examples of what these independent programs look like and how to build them.

The book Prisoners of Liberation by Allyn and Adele Rickett that MIM(Prisons) refers to in its response to “Fighting the System from Within” in ULK 68 sounds like a good place to find this example. The writer makes a good point in eir letter that if our people would come to work in these prisons that they could expose the deficiencies and ill treatment.

MIM(Prisons) responds: This writer picks up on the theme from ULK 69 where we discuss building independent institutions. As this comrade points out, we can’t count on the criminal injustice system to provide us with effective programs for rehabilitation or release. And so we need to build these programs ourselves. One such independent program is this newsletter, in which we are free to expose the news and conditions that the bourgeois press refused to cover. An independent newsletter is critical to our education and organizing work.

Another example of independent institutions is MIM(Prisons)’s Re-Lease on Life program to help releasees stay politically active and avoid the trap of recidivism. This program isn’t yet big enough and is greatly lacking in resources, so right now we’re not very effective. But we have to start somewhere. And we work to connect with comrades like this writer to build this program on the inside and on the streets.

In the short term, anyone looking to build small independent institutions behind bars can start a study group. This is a good way to start educating others while also learning yourself. And you can build from there with anyone willing to sit down and study. We can support this work with study questions and literature, just let us know you’re interested!

I’m glad I haven’t sealed this scroll yet because I have something to bring to the table that I keep hearing and it is driving me nuts! We as “revolutionaries” are supposed to know and understand that one of the basic stratagems of the oppressor is the divide-and-conquer tactic. They highlight our differences and want us to think that we are all different. While differences do exist among people, those of us locked behind walls and convicted of felonies have only superficial differences. We are all under the foot of the downpressors, the destroy powers, the divine evils!

The “divide” can be so subtle and simple in its application that we sometimes fail to recognize it. If we listen to our speech and take note of how often we use the words “they” and “them” when referring to other prisoners we might be shocked.

Here in South Carolina, the administration will withhold a necessity and then make/ force/ coerce us to fight over it. For example, on Restrictive Housing Unit (RHU) there are supposed to be 2 roll-around phones, yet “y’all” can’t get the phone upstairs because “y’all” broke it last time. Or on the yard, each wing is supposed to have a basketball, but of course we get only one and now the confusion begins.

A lot of times this so-called “other” may be one of your religious or organizational or ideological brothers. Even more, if we are looking to recruit, aren’t “they, them, and y’all” potential comrades? We are beating ourselves. They divide us in a million different ways and we defeat ourselves because we know all conflict back here is a potential disaster.

Remember, before you became aware, enlightened, educated, reformed, etc. or whatever designation you choose to put yourself in, you too were once unaware, ignorant, deaf, dumb, blind, and a savage in pursuit of happiness. You were the “other.” If there are any brothers in South Carolina reading this I ask that you live up to the principles you proclaim.

Respect!

MIM(Prisons) responds: This comrade calls for exactly the unity we need to build the prison movement. And so we ask the logical next question: how can we build this unity in practice? Calling on others to see the importance of unity is one way. Are there campaigns we can wage that will bring people together? Study classes to hold? Cultural events to host? We look for ideas from others behind bars. What has worked for you to build unity?

I hope these words surmount the many communicational barriers that have been put in place to suppress my voice. I’m currently being held at North Carolina’s supermax facility. I came across issue 66 of ULK and I read where the prisoners of Pender razor-wire plantation are being exploited and seeking guidance and assistance in redressing this issue.(1)

North Carolina is home to 32 Correctional Enterprise plantations that exploit prisoners for their labor in the name of rehabilitation. As the komrade mentioned, these plantations are profitable enterprises that range from producing janitorial products to a metal plant in Polkton, North Carolina that makes industrial sinks for schools and contraband lockers for the police. Each of these 32 plantations produces goods to be sold to tax-supported entities such as municipal and county governments. So yes it’s a fact that prisoners are being exploited and you seek guidance on how you and others can organize to redress this issue.

First and foremost, you must purge the fear you admitted to having, komrade. As the beloved komrade George Jackson stated, “Don’t fear the specter of repression, for we are already repressed.” The fear of reprisals is what keeps us in bondage. Yes we’re held captive by concrete and razor-wire barriers, but it isn’t the physical chains that keep us oppressed and exploited. It is the mental chains of ignorance and fear that impede us from liberating ourselves from under the rule of the enemy. Fear is our greatest hindrance. We have been conditioned to believe that the enemy’s retaliation will be so brutal that any thoughts of standing up are neutralized by this fear. Nelson Mandela said it best: “In prison, no improvement happens without a reason.”

However, you are correct that you must have assistance. You cannot fight this Hydra alone. North Carolina isn’t known for its progressive political activity within these razor-wire plantations, nor are there any notable revolutionaries or political prisoners. Being the deputy minister of defense for the White Panther organization, which is an arm of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party - Prison Chapter, under the umbrella of the United Panther Movement, we have been on the front lines and working diligently to transform these slave pens of oppression into schools of liberation.

There are outside supporters here that are very loyal to the prisoners of North Carolina. They provide us with a local newsletter, FloodGates, to serve as a platform for us to network with others and express ourselves. They also organize outside protests and mass call-ins. As of now, we are focused on redressing the new JPay restrictions. You can receive the FloodGates newsletter by writing:

FloodGates Publishing
PO Box 15401
Durham, NC 27704

MIM(Prisons) responds: In ULK 66 we asked for input from other folks in response to the writer from North Carolina who asked what they can do to fight back against the extortion of money, both through their labor and petty fees. This writer offers some good thoughts about building a network both behind bars and on the streets. We work for Under Lock & Key to also serve as a resource to help with this organizing.

As we’ve discussed in our recent updated “Survey of U.S Prisoners on Prison Labor” in ULK 62, prisoners are mostly working for the state.(2) The examples given by this writer confirm that this is the case in North Carolina as well. This labor is subsidizing the state budget, but it falls far short of covering the cost of imprisonment. So we don’t describe prison labor with the term “exploitation” which, in Marxism, means transforming labor power into goods to be sold for a profit. The goods being produced are for state institutions, and just offset the costs to run these institutions. There’s no profit involved.

Instead, we say the prisons are extorting this labor. Basically the prisons are stealing it from prisoners, not giving them a choice about work, and paying only a pittance. Still, there’s no profit.

Prisons are about social control and national oppression, not profits. The prison movement needs to focus on the anti-colonial battle, and the struggle against prison labor can be a part of this. We support the struggles many of our comrades are fighting against prison labor, because we are against extortion and imprisonment of the lumpen class and oppressed-nation peoples. This is one of many ways to weaken the criminal injustice system.

I modified the state prison inmate grievance procedures outline and the retaliation and conspiracy to violate inmates 1st amendment rights outline. I sent my modified version of both to U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights division, 940 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20530, and I sent the Retaliation and Conspiracy to our local ACLU office, PO Box 120160, Nashville, TN 37212. I’ve enclosed the response letters from both agencies on my documents. I regretfully didn’t keep a copy of either before I mailed them off.

Furthermore, I filed a Title 6 grievance on my behalf due to the fact that every single time I try to file any grievance here it’s deemed unlegible, cannot file grievance on issue, not on proper forms, etc. Due to the fact that I’ve been labeled as a political prisoner, a prison litigator – And I quote CCA policy in ALC my grievances – I know my shit. My rights! The admin hates this and they deliberately disregard my grievances. Well, our new warden came to me the other day and I was finally successful, using the 2 outlines you provided to me!

Lastly, I previously sent the exact censorship info that the mailroom provided me when they rejected, whatever it was you attempted to send me. I’m sure you got info with the materials you attempted to provide. I’ve never has any type of mail or books, magazines, etc. rejected here at this prison MIM, so I’m shocked and curious. What was it exactly? Please let me know. [It was two magazines: MIM Theory #5 and Fundamental Political Line of MIM(Prisons) - ed]

I’ve also informed other inmates here in segregation of MIM and I’ve seen a few issues of ULK circulating. Amazing! We are awake here, we are alive and informed comrade! And I’m enjoying the learning and educating myself dearly! Please send more info, more literature, books, magazines.

By Rassafidz of NCICO United Front & 5% N.G.E. Community Corcoron Copied by Narobi Antori

It has been a hot few months for the prisoners of Corcoran Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitations. After struggling against administrative corruptions, to no avail, in local courts, over toxic prison conditions that involve prison populations. Being forced to eat in dining hall spaces that are infested with fungus/mold, in both serving and dining areas. Prisoners still suffer in the environment that over looks the presence of maggot containing prisoners food; However, a group of New Afrikans, who organize under the flag of Natural Islam, Nation of Gods & Earths, were able to come together to celebrate the birthdate of a principle party of the New Afrikan liberation movement.

On August 17, 2019 approximately ten members of the N.G.E. community, with guests, united in assembly to celebrate the life of Honorable Marcus M. Garvey Sr. Though there be so much hate & false hope being spread within the imprisoned New Afrikan community, & some of the most powerful platforms developed to liberate New Afrikans are being used by members of the amerikan society, who blood suck & exploite the un-tapped mind resources of New Afrikans, all power to those who struggle.

The men of CSATF, N.G.E., Carthage Community shared in a lecture dialogue covering the birth of Marcus Garvey, his organizing of the 11 million Afrikans of the black diaspora into the Universal Negro Improvement Association & Carribeans League, commonly referred to as the U.N.I.A. There was live musiq played by one of the Rasta G-O-Ds & discussions held on the subject of New Afrikan unity both inside and outside the prisons in the U.S.

As we all suffer from a sort of social un-justice that disconnects the New Afrikan man, woman, and child from any degree of social equality, the movement of prison liberalist reform has begun to drown out the voices of prisoner leadership who held a more un-popular position as it relates to Justice for more than 2 million plus prisoners in the custody of the amerikkkan prison system, not to mention all of those of facilities & mental health hospitals. The G-O-Ds of Corcoran decided that there was a need to develop a self-determined event that drew attention to the New Afrikans getting back to the basics of Nation building by the concept of:

One Love. One Nature. One Way.

There was open discussion on the need of more New Afrikan mentorship programs led by the strong Brothers & Sisters who have determined that the only change that should come to New Afrikans imprisoned is the change WE ourselves cultivate, with or without the help, approval or permission of the police & when WE say police, we mean the police in all it’s forms, including the high rolling church peoples who want nothing to do with US who have been marked with the triple brand of Satan.

There was a simple meal of chips and burritos offered to all who attended, the group went un-harassed by facility officers, who have become accustomed to nicknaming the 57 N.G.E. community as the “Earth Wind & Fire Group”.

One particular God made knowledge known on the need of New Afrikans & all asiatics to be wise in the high sodium levels hidden inside our food as a means to kill off our, “Third eye” capabilities, while another God from Detroit & organizing a member of the NOI opened a rap session performing a conscious rap song that he wrote in his early years in the 90’s.

With all the talk of Juneteenth & Black August within the California prison system, these New Afrikans did a great job of honoring the living life objectives of Black Liberation. Concentrating on Peace, Unity, Growth, Internatonalism & Independence, they used resources at their disposal for the right reason, & many beautiful plans came from the build of righteousness & destruction of evilness.

Though the Nation of God & Earth (N.G.E.) community, properly referred to as the, “N.G.E., Carthage of el’Moraco New Afrika”, has established much for itself with it’s weekly General Cipher of Saturdays from 9:30AM-11:45AM, & the N.G.E. civilization class held on Thursday 2:30PM-4:00PM where these New Afrikan Asiatic Study the Nature of Moabite Ancestry & Islam as the culture of mathematics with the guidance of “The Final Testament Quran,” Published by Rashad Khalifa & the Masjid Tuscon International Community of Submitters. Gods adopted plans to launch an Egyptian yoga group developing the principles of the Maat, introduced by Dr. Muata Ashby, while also supporting a facility gardening project that the youthful G-O-Ds figure that there be no better way to celebrate the lives of our murdered Freedom Fighters than to plant love, so G-O-Ds took part in de-weeding a particular patch of the yard for their own civilization.

In closing, we invite the N.G.E, N.O.I & Moorish communities of California & the west coast to reach out to our leadership as WE organize for the Kwanzaa celebration in December with all praises be to the Originals, Being the change we wish to see.

I, Prisoner X, a state prisoner in Wisconsin hereby declare out of my own free will my intent to initiate a sole-man Hunger Strike starting Sept. 23, 2019 aimed at petitioning Governor Tony Evers to:

1. Order an independent investigation against the state’s Dept. of Corrections for the allegations the starting 2014 the WI DOC began secretly operating a compartmentalized version of the 1960’s mind-control “Asklepieion Program” and using it to target very selective mentally-ill cutters housed in the state’s prisons maximum security solitary confinement units in a desperate attempt at suppressing changes to Wisconsin’s long-term solitary confinement practice. see https://ffupstuff.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/1asklepieion.pdf

2. Order the immediate release into the prison’s general population of all Wisconsin state prisoners who have been in solitary confinement for over five years.

3. Issue an “executive order” reforming Wisconsin state prisons’ solitary confinement practice reflecting the following suggestions:

1. Place a six month cap on the use of Administrative Confinement. “AC is an involuntary non-punitive status for the segregated confinement of a prisoner whose continued presence in general population pose a serious threat to life, property, self, staff, and other prisoners, or to the security and orderly operation of a facility.” A prisoner can be kept on AC status, in solitary confinement, indefinitely! See CH.DOC 308 and DOC/DAI 308.00.01.

2. Modify the policies to give prisoners time-served for any time spent on Temporary Lock-Up for disciplinary penalty purposes. “TLU is a status that permits officials to confine a prisoner in solitary confinement or general population as part an active investigation or; among other things, until a prisoner receives a Disciplinary Hearing.” TLU can last up to three twenty-one day terms, and any time confined on TLU status is not considered time-served for disciplinary penalty purposes. See CH.DOC 303.10 sue 1-7.

HUNGER STRIKE DECLARATION

I, Prisoner X, of sound mind, hereby state the following:

1. I am not suffering from insanity, nor will I be refusing to eat and drink to facilitate suicide as described in case Freeman v. Berge, 441 F.3d 543, at 546-47 (7th cir. 2006).

2. My reasons and aim for hunger striking this Sept. 23rd are for political and legal objectives to express the injustice of my continuous solitary confinement, the inhumane conditions of prolonged confinement and arbitrary policies relative to it.

3. I have been in solitary confinement since Oct. 2014 for assaulting a prison employee who directly participated in subjecting me through a criminal compartmentalized mind-control program (original called Asklepieion) the WI DOC secretly sanctioned starting June 2014 to suppress charges to the state’s long-term solitary confinement practice. See: https://ffupstuff.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/1asklepieion.pdf

4. Although I was criminally charged with Attempted First Degree Intentional Homicide, as the court hearings went on, and the DOC realized I was going to use evidence that substantiated by allegations of being subjected to a mind-control program by DOC officials as a legal defense against the criminal charges, the employee I assaulted–with the financial assistance of the DOC–hired an independent attorney to persuade the district attorney prosecuting the case to dismiss the criminal charges and sweep everything under the rug.

5. Even though the criminal charges against me were dismissed WI DOC officials decided to keep me indefinitely in solitary confinement where I continue to be for the past five years, as a human experiment gone terribly opposite to its original objective.

6. It’s these reasons and those from the flier Prisoner X’s Prison Hunger Strike Campaign that I have now taken a vow of hunger striking to expose to the public and government officials of my cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment.

7. This aim is not to facilitate death, but to demand human dignity and accountability.

How You Can Help

1. Email and phone zapping the governor’s office several times a day for the rest of the month of September, asking Governor Tony Evers to pay close attention to the “Prisoner X’s Prison Hunger Strike Campaign”, and to act on his own campaign promise of reforming the state’s solitary confinement practice. Call the governor’s office at (608) 266-1212; and email at governor@wisconsin.gov

2. Contact your local media asking them to cover this Hunger Strike and provide updates

I am reaching out to you today because I would like to request a Texas Grievance Guide and any other material pertaining to fighting the Texas prison system. At this time, I believe I’m being harassed because I have been moved 6 times in 2 months – the last time moving for 24 hours to one cell and then moving me back to the same exact cell that I had previously been in. Do you have any material that covers situations of this nature? I would very much appreciate any assistance you could provide. Thank you and keep up the fight