MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
2017 DECEMBER – My beloved comrades at ULK, please take whatever
steps necessary to convey this information to your readers, particularly
those on the Texas plantations. It is my hope this will move a few to
join in this all-out attack against mass incarceration, which those
brothers on the Eastham Plantation are being persecuted for.
First, we have launched an attack on the totality of the living
conditions on this plantation: double-celling, sleep deprivation,
extreme heat, contaminated water, no toilets in the day rooms and rec
yard, overcrowded showers. At present we have 5 lawsuits filed and
hoping to have 5 more by the first of the year. They are listed at the
end of this missive for those who might want to obtain copies and/or
file for intervention. I would urge each plantation to file because each
plantation has different violations, which in their totality are cruel
and unusual.
Next, we have launched an at attack on the
symbiotic-parasitic-relationship between Texas Department of Criminal
Justice (TDCJ) and the American Correctional Association (ACA). Last
year we sent numerous letters to the ACA headquarters in Virginia with
various complaints including the delayed posting of scheduled audits.
Apparently someone was moved to do the right thing. Then notices for the
January 2018 audit were posted here in October. As a result, we of the
Community Improvement Committee (CIC) here on the unit have sent
petitions with hundreds of names with numerous complaints of ACA
violations and requests for a Q&A in the gym or chapel. This is
being done with individual letters as well. Plus, we have sent the
actual notice to various reform organizations requesting them to visit
the unit during the audit and act as overseers pointing out particular
areas of violations such as the giant cockroach infestation beneath the
kitchen.
Next we have and intend to continue to urge the public to stay on top of
their legislators to change the law, making it mandatory that prisoners
be compensated for their labor.
Finally, we have filed an application for Writ of Habeas Corpus
requesting to be released immediately due to the fact that the time
sheet shows one has completed 100% of his sentence – that even without
the good time, the flat time and the work time equals the sentence
imposed by the court. In addition we are drafting something similar for
those sentenced under the one-third law. We are submitting to the court
that these prisoners have a short-way discharge date. The application
for Writ of Habeas Corpus was first filed in the state court in Travis
County and denied without a written order in the Texas court of criminal
Appeals (#WR-87,529-01 Tr.Ct. No. D-1-DC-02-301765A). We are now in the
U.S. District Court in the Eastern District Tyler Division (McGee v
Director, #6:17cv643). This info is supplied so that those with the
means may download the info and/or keep track of the case. The following
are the case numbers for the totality of living conditions complaint,
which is also in the U.S. District in Tyler:
Walker v. Davis, et al., #6:17cv166 Henderson v. Davis,
#6:17cv320 Douglas v. Davis, #6:17cv347 Burley v. Davis,
#6:17cv490
The Devil whispers: “You can’t withstand the storm” The Warrior
replied: “I am the storm.” - The Mateuszm
MIM(Prisons) responds: These comrades are pushing the struggles
to improve conditions inside Texas prisons along its natural course.
Countless prisoners have sent grievances, grievance petitions, letters
to the Ombudsman, letters to elected officials, and letters to various
TDCJ administrators on these same issues. We have seen some victories,
but mostly we’ve had barriers put in our way.
The next step laid out for us is to file lawsuits, which is another kind
of barrier. Lawsuits take years and sometimes decades to complete, and
innumerable hours of work. When we do win, we then have to go through
additional lawsuits to ensure enforcement. And on and on it goes…
If we expect the lawsuits to bring final remedy, we must be living in a
fantasy. A quintessential example of how the U.$. government behaves
regarding lawsuits can be seen in how it totally disrespects treaties
with First Nations. When the U.$. government, or its agencies, doesn’t
like something, they don’t really give a shit what the law says. This
has been true since the beginning of this government. We don’t see any
evidence that this will ever change.
Yet, lawsuits aren’t all bad. They can sometimes create a little more
breathing room within which revolutionaries can operate. Lawsuits can
also be used to publicize our struggles, and to show just how callous
the state is, if we lose.
Yet, most importantly, lawsuits keep comrades busy. Before any lawsuit,
there needs to be a solid analysis of winability, and the likelihood of
other options. While we are relatively weak as a movement, lawsuits are
a fine option, and building a movement around these lawsuits will give
them strength. But if your legal strategy doesn’t also include building
up collective power to eventually protect people without petitioning the
state to do it, then your legal strategy is as useless as a feather in a
tornado.
The comrades fighting these battles inside Texas have done a great job
of spreading the word to outside organizations to garner support and
attention for their lawsuits. We support their efforts to make Texas
prisons more bearable for the imprisoned lumpen population, and we
support their efforts to link these lawsuits to the greater
anti-imperialist movement. And when they decide that lawsuits aren’t
enough to bring a real change in conditions, we’ll support that too.
The U.$. legal system’s role is to keep the United $tates government as
a dominant world power, no matter what. The extreme heat in Texas
prisons isn’t just an oversight by administrators. And it’s not even
just about racism of guards. It is directly connected to the United
$tate’s role in the oppression and repression of oppressed nations
across the world. If the legal system fails, don’t give up. Try
something else to bring it down. Lawsuits are not the only option.
by a Mississippi prisoner May 2018 permalink
Click to download PDF of Federal petition
When state-level petitions fail, we now have this petition to appeal to
the Department of Justice. This federal level appeal may help put
pressure on the state corrections departments ignore our appeals
Mail the petition to your loved ones and comrades inside who are
experiencing issues with the grievance procedure. Send them extra copies
to share! For more info on this campaign,
click
here.
Prisoners should send a copy of the signed petition to each of the
addresses below. Supporters should send letters on behalf of prisoners.
Section Chief – Special Litigation Section, Civil Rights Division,
U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20530
ACLU National Prison Project, 915 15th St NW, 7th floor, Washington
DC, 20005-2112 (for those ready to bring class action
lawsuits)
Office of the U.S. Attorney General, 1425 New York Ave. NW,
Washington DC 20530-0001
Director/Commissioner/Secretary of Corrections (for your
state)
Agency or Facility Grievance System Director or Coordinator (for your
state)
And send MIM(Prisons) copies of any responses you receive!
MIM(Prisons), USW PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140
I have served nearly 25 years prison/jail time in the United States. In
fact, all but a small portion of my adult life has been spent behind
bars. My California tour includes Chino, Soledad, Solano, Calipatria and
Donovan. In Nevada: Southern Desert, Lovelock, Ely and, yes, Hight
Desert State Prison (HDSP). As you can probably imagine, violence and
drugs are common fare in most of these institutions. And while a few of
these places were just plain filthy, others simply stagnate with the
decay of deliberate indifference. I’ve done “hole-time” in all of them
and certainly thought I’d seen it all.
Boy was I wrong.
Let me spell it out for you: B.M.U. (Behavioral Management Unit).
Described by COs, Medical Staff and other institutional employees as the
“Zombie Unit,” the “Weirdo Pod,” the “Freak Show,” the “Psych Ward,” and
“Behavioral Mismanagement” and affectionately referred to by the
prisoners as the “Beat-a-Motherfucker-Up” Unit at HDSP.
Absolutely and without a doubt, the worst of the worst. In the short
time, 90 days, that I’ve been here within this restrictive unit I’ve
witnessed unchecked violence, coercion, extortion, drug abuse,
overdoses, 3 attempted suicides and “senior” officers feeding prisoners
food which had fallen on the filthy unit floor before being placed on
the serving trays and given to prisoners.
The most disturbing incident, by far, occurred on 24 December 2017, this
past Christmas Eve, when an emotionally wrought prisoner, was locked in
the shower for approximately 4 hours after stating to staff that he was
having suicidal thoughts. During this time the prisoner was slamming his
own head against the metal grating. I witnessed the COs laughing and
encouraging the prisoner to bang his head harder and advising him to use
the tiled wall at the back of the shower stating, “Bang it against the
tiles, they’re harder.” By the time medical staff did arrive the
prisoner was a bloody mess.
According to the HDSP BMU Manual: “The Behavior Modification Unit (BMU)
will house inmates who have been housed in segregation for 90 days or
longer, to assist in the reintegration into a lower custody level.”
How I ended up here isn’t much of a mystery. About 4 weeks after
arriving at HDSP, while I was still in the “Fish Tank” I made the
mistake of telling the case worker that I was appealing my jury
conviction and needed request forms for the law library. At which point
I was advised that I was being “sent to BMU.” From that moment on, all
access to the legal materials I require for my case have been denied
despite numerous verbal and written grievances. In fact I spent the
first 9 weeks in BMU confined in my cell without so much as a book to
read. My only contact with the administration was the initial interview
with the token mental health worker who advised me that “this
rehabilitation program is the warden’s baby.”
Well, I’m here to tell you that as a person who struggles with PTSD, the
constant and continuous confinement to a cell without any mental
stimulation whatsoever can be devastating to an person’s mental health
and psyche. While confined in this unit I have experienced an increase
in PTSD symptoms, ten times the frequency that is usual for me.
Furthermore, I found it extremely unsettling that after completing the
program, as a “graduation present,” I was escorted into a small room
filled with BMU staff members where I was threatened, berated, belittled
and finally told to just “Get the Fuck Out.”
I’m not sure what to expect next. The lack of access and communication
with the outside, the restricted closed custody level 4 housing, the
refusal on the administration’s part to answer or address any grievance
combined with limited family contact by phone has reduced me to an
uncertain, fearful, panicky, hopeless, helpless mess. And, by the way, I
have absolutely zero disciplinary history. Not a single “write up” for
anything.
Fortunately another prisoner gave me your Under Lock & Key
pamphlet. Hopefully you can get the word out on this de-habilitation
program and the warden’s dirty little secret.
MIM(Prisons) responds: These dangerous and abusive conditions at
HDSP expose the Amerikan prison system for its complete lack of
rehabilitation. If the criminal injustice system really believed that
prisons are an effective tool to prevent crime, it would not put people
in conditions that make their survival on the streets nearly impossible.
It would be offering programs to help people learn and change their
behavior, and prepare them for life outside. This is just one of the
reasons we see the Amerikan criminal injustice system as primarily a
tool of social control.
I’ve come to recognize here at California New Folsom State Prison, that
the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our
society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality
cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the
privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our
character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the
incarcerated and the condemned.
Prisoners housed at New Folsom EOP/GP mainline are being denied the
right to earn good time/work time credits, and therefore can’t get
paroled or released. We are being denied the opportunities and support
which are given to every other prisoner and at every other prison within
California.
The 4th and 14th Amendment declares that “equal protection of the law”
cannot and must not treat prisoners differently then others without
reasonable and probable cause. People who are eligible for an earlier
parole hearing under Senate Bill 260 and Senate Bill 261 pc 3051
(Youthful Parole) shall and must earn credits toward reducing time on
their new parole date, not their original parole date or false reported
date.
Snitches are benefiting. Lifers are getting time knocked off such as 9
to 10 years due to reasons of Prop 57. It doesn’t even matter to them
because they still will be labeled as lifers by the CDCR/DOC. Also those
with money and/or are white have been benefiting.
Without dehumanizing or snitching or becoming SNY, we want to secure the
Prop 57 rights granted us under law. We continue to struggle not to be
set up and framed with charges. Many of us have caught fake cases
because we’ve stayed silent and solid.
Please send us advice and materials so we may continue to organize.
CA USW Council Comrade Responds: The only thing I can say is that
CDCr made promises that they’re not living up to, once they let us all
out of SHU. I can attest to the truth of the above statement. You will
get privileges if you go SNY, as I met a few people while in Ad-Seg that
were going SNY so the board can release them. They’re not releasing
anyone who has the gang label or STG label on them.
What I can say is that anyone wanting material concerning Prop 57 can
write to: Initiate Justice, PO Box 4962, Oakland, CA 94605. This is the
litigation team that’s fighting for the changes in the regulations so
that people can get parole.
Another CA USW Council Comrade Responds:
First, I don’t think we should waste our time organizing around these
reforms because we are not a reformist org, we are a revolutionary org.
Secondly, according to Prop 57 guidelines, everyone who hasn’t served a
SHU term is eligible for good time/work time credits, however they are
not retroactive but only go towards the remainder of one’s sentence. So
if you’ve been incarcerated for 20 years and you still have 5 years left
on your sentence you will only be able to be awarded good time credits
towards your remaining 5 years. As soon as Prop 57 was enacted, case
records began re-calculating everyones sentence who qualified. The
entire process took about four or five months here.
Also, according to Prop 57 people who fall under any of the Youth
Offender laws SB9, 260, 261 & 262 cannot receive earlier parole
board dates than that which they already qualified for under the various
State Bills. The only thing that changed is your MERD (Maximum Eligible
Release Date). For example, under Prop 57 my MERD went from 2030 to 2028
but under SB261 my parole board date dropped from 2030 to 2021 at the
soonest but no later than 2023.
For more information on Prop 57 people can write to the San Quentin Law
Office which sends free legal materials to prisoners or they can contact
Initiate Justice, Lifer Support Alliance and many other reformist orgs.
By the way the final regulations on Prop 57 already came out and NOTHING
CHANGED! But what else could we expect from CDC? Fuck reforming the
system, smash it!
This is my end-of-year report on our MIM Grievance Campaign. We did one
on the “unlocks” here, and we’re currently working on the issue of
showers. Due to the California drought they claim that we are still in a
drought and therefore can only shower on Tuesday and Thursday. Even then
there is no hot water so we are showering in ICE cold water. This is in
spite of the fact that we are in a medical facility and most of us are
older prisoners.
The temp has dropped to 34 degrees in the morning and we have been in
these conditions now for over a month. Enclosed please find the
grievances.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Comrades at Richard J. Donovan Correctional
Facility have been pursuing these issue through 602 appeals forms and
subsequent appeals. After receiving a response of “partially granted”
there was no actual change in conditions and they began utilizing the
grievance petition for California. They have done a good job documenting
the process, citing case law of Armstrong vs. Brown and the 8th
and 14th Amendment.
Comrades in California and other states can write in to get a copy of a
grievance petition to use as an organizing tool to bring people together
around conditions that are not being addressed at your prison.
I got a message to all the tweakers, tecatos, potheads and boozers. Wake
Up! Can’t you see you’re doing exactly what the oppressors wants you to
do? So why are you giving them the satisfaction? With all the cameras
rolling 24-7, you think they don’t know what you’re doing? Newsflash:
You ain’t that slick, buddy.
“All I had to do is drink a lot of water to flush out my system.” I
overheard one drug addict say when he came back from medical, for a drug
test. “My piss came back clean even though I just used in the morning.”
It’s a miracle! We must run and tell the others! Now it’s safe to puff
puff, cough cough, & slam slam! As long as you hydrate and drink
drink (a lotta water), you could pass pass (the ‘drug test’), no
problem. Your passing grade might be a D- but at least you didn’t fail,
right? Wrong!
Let’s face it, water or no water, your urine is dirty. I know it, you
know it, and the porkchop-patrol most definitely knows it. They just
don’t care. Besides, lucky for you, there’s never enough room in the
“hole.” Five segregation singleman cells for a facility that houses 650
prisoners equals “no vacancy”.
It’s like you have to schedule an appointment, make it onto a guest
list, then wait for about a month, in order to make it into the hole.
But if the COs really did their job this whole place would be empty.
Literally, there would only be about 20 people left in each dorm. That’s
how bad this epidemic is. But fear not my drug-addicted friend, the pigs
have bigger fish to fry. Or at least that’s what they want us to think.
Extremely violent prisoners get top priority over minor drug offenders.
But if you’ve been locked up as long as I have, then you’d know that
extreme acts of violence are mostly over a minor drug debt. Common sense
tells me, “get rid of the drugs and the violence shall cease.” I have a
hunch that the “system” could stop the drug flow at any time. But,
looking at it through their eyes, why ruin a good thing?
Figuratively speaking, drugs are the oil that keep the oppression
machine running. Sobriety is the monkey-wrench that’ll break this bitch
down. So put the word out, we need more wrenches. Staying clean is the
worst thing we could do to these puercos.
Think about it for a second. Imagine if we obliterate the drug trade in
prison. Most of these facilities would go out of business. Half the
staff would start filling out applications at Mickey D’z, and Walmart,
at the end of their shifts. But instead, most of us wanna keep on
getting shit-faced; letting the enemy win with its foot on our necks.
Wake up!
The enemy loves getting us high. Because it leads to a lot of drama, and
drama is the safety blanket that keeps the oppressors warm at night. It
gives them job security and a fat bank account. Meanwhile, all the users
and dealers turn against each other while the pigs kick back and laugh.
Don’t worry, though. They’re gonna let you keep using and selling on one
condition; as long as y’all keep fighting and snitching, stabbing and
pinching.
Don’t get my words twisted. I’m not implying that you could keep on
using, and abusing, and not get caught. Because every now and then, like
once in a blue moon, they make an example out of somebody. But from what
I’ve seen, their victim is usually the most humble junkie on the block.
Yeah, this dude gets high but he’s cool. He pays his debts, and doesn’t
bother nobody. But for some reason, the puercos got it in for him. He
already got a few “dirties,” and has an appointment at the “hole.”
“But what about that trouble-making tweaker?” There’s 1 in every block.
“How come he doesn’t ever get called for a random drug test, and go
away?” I ask myself.
Lord knows this trouble-making tweaker is not low key. He’s a dead beat
and proud of it. His drug debts are stacking up, and on top of that,
he’s starting fights in the open; all in front of the cameras. And
still, the hooras act like they don’t see him. They treat him like a
model inmate.
It’s like the pigs are watching in the wings, waiting for the inevitable
to happen. Instead of nipping the problem in the bud, they wait for the
problem to get smashed out, stabbed, or removed from the yard. Only then
they jump into action.
But don’t think they’re gonna swoop in like some superheroes. No. They
take their sweet time, sometimes just stand there looking; waiting for
the “victim” to get nicely bruised up. Only then, they bust out the
cuffs and add charges.
“Come on, you guys are not even doing nothing!” I once heard a pig say
to a boo bop squad while they beat a tweaker. “You gotta hit ’em harder
if you want me to stop it!” Then he laughed, I laughed, and half the
yard laughed. But it wasn’t funny. And his sick sense of humor cost him
his job, cause I didn’t see him after that.
But that’s what he gets for letting things get out of hand. And all that
- the beating and the firing - could’ve been avoided if his co-workers
would’ve done their job properly in the first place. But why ruin a good
thing?
Wake up amigos! It’s time to stop entertaining these hooras. It’s time
to put down the needles, and the pookies, and get our minds back.
Just a short letter to let you know that I received your Texas Pack,
which I found to have lots of needed information in it. The issue of the
July/August Under Lock & Key was DENIED because of something
on page 11 of the publication. I appealed the denial and lost, but I
mailed it home for future reading.
I am a victim of harassment and retaliation, which stems from my
constant filing of complaints and grievances, condemning the
unprofessional actions of unit officials and officers. I’ve had to
endure some pretty rough times because of my never-ending flow of
complaints. Unit officials have conspired to file false disciplinary
infractions against me in hopes of silencing me or discrediting me.
During my last stint of incarceration (1997-2003) unit officials told me
that if I didn’t stop filing complaints, that they were going to make my
time hard. They filed an infraction of “assault on an officer,” which
had me thrown in solitary and stripped of my trustee status and good
time. When I continued to file grievances against the unjust actions
they had taken against me, I was once again charged with “assault on an
officer” (my foot accidentally bumped an officer’s foot). They were
trying to prove that I couldn’t beat them. Well, I eventually got one
officer fired for harassment and retaliation, and a Lieutenant was
allowed to resign and return in six months. When he returned, he was
sent to another unit, (where I had also been sent to) and had to work as
a regular CO for six months before he could apply for his rank back.
Upon seeing me, he called me a “bitch,” which I immediately wrote up.
This time, there happened to be a Major that did not put up with officer
harassment and retaliation, and he immediately got both of us in his
office and made the officer apologize to me and promise to leave me
alone. I was falsely charged with several disciplinary infractions after
I filed a grievance against an officer for calling me a “black son of a
bitch,” back in January of this year. When I refused to drop my
complaint, I received a major disciplinary for being “out of place” (not
attending a law library session, which is voluntary).
A couple of months later, I received another major case for “failure to
obey an order” (another trumped up charge) and after being found guilty
of it, I was stripped of my general population status and re-assigned to
G-4 (medium custody). The whole purpose of charging me with the major
infractions were to 1) get me transferred from the unit and 2) discredit
me so that my complaint against the officer for use of slurs/hostile
epithets could be viewed as a lie against that officer. I was shipped
off of the unit and all attempts to have something done to the officer
who called me a black son of a bitch were ditched.
After arriving here on this unit to be locked away for 6 months on
medium custody, one of the ladies who was part of my Unit Classification
Committee (UCC), disagreed that I should be classified as medium
custody, because the charges were weak. Now I am hoping that the two
major infractions that I received earlier this year have no bearing on
whether I make parole. There are NOT a lot of guys who are willing to
stand up for their rights like me. I recently wrote a letter to Senator
John Whitmire, informing him of the issues we are plagued with over here
at this century-old unit. Just last week, we had not one, not two, but
several pipes burst, leaving us without clean water to drink. Half of
the building had NO WATER to flush their toilets, and there were
restrictions on showering.
I’m continuing in my fight to bring attention to all of the ruthless
officers that continue to oppress us behind these walls. Please let me
know what I can do to help your cause. I am indigent, but I’m able to
write and get things out.
I’m sure you all know that as of September 2017, solitary confinement in
TDCJ was abolished. The inmates at the Pack Unit in Navasoto, Texas
found help with the heat during the summer by way of the 5th Circuit
Court of Appeals when they affirmed class certification. Judge Keith
Ellison ordered TDCJ to put air conditioning in the Pack Unit, which was
found to be a “hot box” to the inmates housed there. Instead of putting
air conditioning in housing areas, TDCJ shipped the inmates to cooler
quarters in other facilities. The reaffirmed class certification paves
the way for inmates’ lawyers to try and win a permanent injunction.
Also, inmates throughout TDCJ have won the right to wear 4-inch beards,
and Muslim offenders are supposed to be able to wear their kufis all
over the unit, yet state officials are trying to stonewall us (yes, I am
Muslim) from doing it. Now, I’ve heard that on some of the more hardened
units, officials would rather allow the wearing of kufis rather than
risk any type of rebellion. The unit I’m on is NOT one of them, yet I’m
working to get some type of wording on WHY we aren’t being allowed to
wear them here. The case citing is Ali vs Stephens, 822 F.3d 776 (5th
Cir. 2016) U.S. App LEXIS 7964. Until next time, stay strong.
MIM(Prisons) responds: There are a number of seasoned comrades in
Texas fighting and winning, in spite of harassment and retaliation from
TDCJ staff and admin. We encourage others to look to this comrade’s work
for an example of eir bravery, dedication, and successes!
The Texas Pack that MIM(Prisons) distributes is a good jumping off point
for people who need basic information on filing grievances and fighting
against some of the most common things prison staff do to take advantage
of us. Most of the information in the Texas Pack ought to be in the law
library by any reasonable standard, and even TDCJ’s own policies and
procedures. Since the TDCJ isn’t following its own rules, and not
informing prisoners of what those rules are and the process to have them
enforced, we have compiled this information. Send a $2.50 donation to
our SF address, or a contribution to ULK, to get the Texas Pack.
Another aspect of this author’s experience that we want to draw
attention to is how eir work impacts the quality of life of other
prisoners on eir unit. Getting a guard kicked off the unit, suspended,
or being told to tone down eir harassment, serves not only this author
but also the prisoners around em. Same goes for the impact of lawsuits
(for better or worse). So if you’re reading this and a guard isn’t
harassing you, know that it’s probably because of all the people who
have fought on your behalf ahead of you. Maybe now it’s time to start
contributing to help others!
On 15 September 2017 my neighbor died smoking K2 and after the pigs saw
I was the last person to speak with him they locked me up under
investigation. The first interrogation was conducted by the Arkansas
state pig and it seemed as if all was well. The next week another death,
same cause. Then my neighbor’s mom appeared on the news saying she was
gonna get to the bottom of his death (apparently they told her he had a
heart attack), and bring a lawsuit before the court.
So when the internal affairs came and conduct their interrogation the
pressure had been put on ADC (Arkansas Department of Corrections) and
the woman resorts to some dirty ass tactics as soon as I walk in. She
starts by telling me she’s been doing her thorough investigation and
listening to my phone calls, and that she knows about my girlfriend that
I tell that I love her and then call my wife and turn around and tell
her the same. I ask her if it was some type of threat she was implying
because what she was talking about had nothing to do with my neighbor’s
death. She then starts her backpedaling and starts questioning me about
$ I had moved in the “free.” That’s where I decided to end our
conversation.
Right before the time period for investigation ran out I received a
disciplinary for possession of contraband even though I was never in
possession of anything and it was at this point I realized ADC had their
scapegoat in the form of myself. That week topped off with another
death, same cause. That’s 4 deaths from K2 in this prison within 90 days
(there was one about a month before my neighbor).
I was found guilty in kangaroo court, given 30 days punitive and 60 days
restriction on phone, visits, commissary. A few days later, the Arkansas
state pig comes back. The only reason I could see was to fish for some
more circumstantial evidence and bring some type of formal charges to
cover ADC’s ass. I’ve been in the hole for about 40 days now and as far
as that situation, that’s where things stand.
MIM(Prisons) adds: We just completed a survey
of drugs in U.S. prisons, in which we found K2 to be the new
dominant drug across much of the country. See our article on the
K2
epidemic in Texas, where a similar rash of deaths have occurred.
I am reporting an act of solidarity. First we must remember what the
word solidarity means. Solidarity is defined as: A feeling of unity
between people who have the same interests, goals, etc. (Merriam
Webster’s Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).
I am currently in the Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU). It’s
similar to the SHU. The COs think since we’re diagnosed with bi-polar,
antisocial, major depression and whatever that they can just oppress us.
Well, they learned on 4 September 2017 that we’re not just a bunch of
crazies.
It’s hard to get 10 comrades to stand together as a whole so when a
member from the LGBTQ community got jumped on and 30 comrades refused to
leave the classrooms I was shocked! I asked a few of them “why did you
stand up for one of mine?” Some of them said they were tired of the COs
putting their hands on us, and some of them said the COs went too far. I
thanked these comrades for standing with me and my LGBTQ family.
So, I’m sharing this because in the July/August ULK (No. 57) a
Nevada prisoner weighed in on
“Fighting
Gender Abuse.” As comrades we need to stand together in this way
more. You shouldn’t care who or what the person is, who cares? If s/he
is in the same struggle as you then you need to help him/her. In the
long run by you helping them you’ll be helping yourself.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This is a great example of people coming
together behind bars. And the writer highlights the important point that
we need unity across different groups and individuals. This imperialist
system has created some major divisions between groups of people: based
on class, nation and gender. And these divisions are found in prisons as
well.
In prison, class tends to be less relevant as prisoners are forced
together as lumpen, at least while behind bars. But the national
oppression that is so fundamental to imperialism’s power and wealth
creates national divisions. Within the United $tates (and around the
world) oppressed nations are encouraged to fight one another and even to
form sets within a nation to fight, so that they won’t come together
against the oppressor nation.
Gender oppression is a bit different behind bars than on the streets,
with prisons segregated by designated biological sex. One of the most
common manifestations of gender oppression we see is against
non-heterosexual prisoners (or those perceived as so). Uniting against
this abuse starts with people, like those described above, recognizing
that this abuse is wrong, no matter who is targetted. We can take it to
the next level by proactively combatting gender oppression among
prisoners as well as by the guards. We need to defend our comrades
against abuse, and educate our allies about why gender oppression is
wrong.
Nowhere is the necessity for the societal advancement to communism more
apparent than in the realm of disability considerations. No segment of
society, imprisoned or otherwise, is in greater need of the guiding
communist ethos proclaimed by Marx: “From each according to their
ability, to each according to their need.” This humynist principle
applies to no demographic more than the disabled.
When communist society is realized, the intrinsic worth of each and
every persyn and their potential to contribute to society will be
realized as well. In return, communist society will reward the disabled
population by adequately providing their essentials and rendering all
aspects of society open and accessible for their full utilization. In a
phrase, communism will respect the disabled persyn’s humyn right to a
humane existence. We communists strive for the elimination of power
structures that allow the oppression of people by people. The disabled
population, as well as all peoples that have hystorically been
subjugated by the oppressive bourgeois system of capitalism/imperialism,
can then work toward the implementation of a truly democratic society.
Considering MIM(Prisons) recognizes only three strands of oppression in
the world today (nation, class and gender), able-bodiedness is a cause
and consequence of class, and in countries with more leisure-time it is
intimately tied up in the gender strand of oppression. This essay
intends to analyze disability as it relates to class, gender, and the
prison environment.
Disability and Class
In the United $tates the greatest source of persynal wealth is
inheritance. It can be said the ability to create and maintain
able-bodiedness may be inherited also. For the most part, class station
is determined by birth. By virtue of to whom and where a persyn is born,
their access, or lack thereof, to material resources is ascribed. The
bourgeoisie and labor aristocracy have access to nutrition and
healthcare the First World lumpen and international proletariat and
peasantry do not. The likelihood of a positive health background renders
the labor aristocracy and other bourgeois classes attractive prospects
to potential employers, lenders, etc. This allows them to continue to
enjoy nutrition and healthcare not common to the lumpen, proletariat,
and peasantry.
It would be extremely uncommon to find a First World lumpen, an
international proletarian, or a peasant with a membership to a health
and fitness club. This privilege is reserved for the bourgeois classes,
including the petty-bourgeoisie and its subclass the labor aristocracy.
This, of course, further enhances the prospect of maintaining good
health, and compounded with employer-supplied healthcare, does act as
prophylaxis against the onset of debilitating and degenerative physical
ailments.
It would be unreasonable to ignore the possibility that a member of the
bourgeoisie might be genetically infirm, or a labor aristocrat
debilitated by an accident. But, due to their class position, these
classes are better prepared and equipped to minimize the adversities
resulting from such an unfortunate occurrence.
Able-bodiedness may also affect upward class mobility. An able-bodied
First World lumpen that can find employment might enter the ranks of the
labor aristocracy. A blue collar labor aristocrat may be promoted to a
managerial position, and so forth. Of course other factors, such as
national background, do play a role in one’s mobility (or stagnation for
that matter), but disability also plays a significant role.
Disability and Gender
Gender only comes to the fore after life’s essentials are secured,
thereby standing out in relief on its own aside from class/nation. In
the First World leisure-time plays a major role in gender analysis.
MIM(Prisons) defines “gender” as:
“One of three strands of oppression, the other two being class and
nation. Gender can be thought of as socially-defined attributes related
to one’s sex organs and physiology. Patriarchy has led to the splitting
of society into an oppressed (wimmin) and oppressor gender
(men).
“Historically reproductive status was very important to gender, but
today the dynamics of leisure-time and humyn biological development are
the material basis of gender. For example, children are the oppressed
gender regardless of genitalia, as they face the bulk of sexual
oppression independent of class and national oppression.
“People of biologically superior health-status are better workers, and
that’s a class thing, but if they have leisure-time, they are also
better sexually privileged. We might think of models or prostitutes, but
professional athletes of any kind also walk this fine line. … Older and
disabled people as well as the very sick are at a disadvantage, not just
at work but in leisure-time. …” - MIM(Prisons) Glossary
This system of gender oppression is commonly referred to as
“patriarchy,” which MIM(Prisons) defines as:
“the manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance over
wimmin and children in the family and the extension of male dominance
over wimmin in society in general; it implies that men hold power in all
the important institutions of society and that wimmin are deprived of
access to such power.”(1)
Professor bell hooks’s description of patriarchy in eir work The
Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love has also contributed to
this author’s understanding of gender oppression:
“Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are
inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak,
especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over
the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of
psychological terrorism and violence.”(2)
Professor hooks’s definition of patriarchy not only recognizes terrorism
as a patriarchal mechanism, but that patriarchal forces do not intend
only to oppress, dominate, and subjugate females or even just females
and children, but patriarchy’s pathology is to hold down anything it
regards as weaker than itself. Patriarchy is a bully.
Children are one of the most stigmatized and oppressed groups of people
in the world. Patriarchal society considers children physically disabled
due to their undeveloped bodies and therefore susceptible to patriarchal
oppression – regardless of the biology of the child. This firmly places
children in the gender oppressed stratum. Due to disabled people’s
diminished bodies (and/or cognizance), disabled people can be
categorized similar to children subjected to patriarchy, ergo,
disability falls into the gender oppression stratum as well as class.
Patriarchy and Prisons
U.$. prisons are, from top to bottom, patriarchal structures. Prisons
are institutions where the police, the judiciary, and militarization
have crystalized as paternalistic enforcer of bureaucracies of
patriarchy; prisons, the system of political, social, cultural and
economic restraint and control, are fundamentally patriarchal
institutions implemented to enforce the status quo – including
patriarchal domination. Disabled prisoners in Texas have long been
labeled “broke dicks,” illustrative of their “less-than-a-man” status in
the prison pecking order.
There are laws mandating disabled prisoners not be precluded from
recreational activities, or any other prison activity for that matter.
Yet enforcement of these laws are prohibitively difficult for disabled
prisoners, especially prisoners with vision or hearing disabilities, or
cognitive impairments. The disabled have few advocates in bourgeois
society; they have virtually none in prison.
The likelihood that prison officials discriminate against and abuse
disabled prisoners is readily apparent. What is most disheartening is
able-bodied prisoners are often the perpetrators of mistreatment against
disabled prisoners, frequently at the behest of prison administrators so
as to procure favorable treatment. In fact, the most telling aspect of
the conditions of confinement imposed on disabled prisoners is the abuse
of the disabled prisoners at the hands of able-bodied prisoners. The
able-bodied prisoners are quick to manhandle and overrun disabled
prisoners in obtaining essential prison services which are commonly
inadequate and limited. When queued up for meals, showers, commissary,
etc. the able-bodied prisoners will shove and elbow aside disabled
prisoners; will threaten to assult disabled prisoners; and have in fact
assaulted disabled prisoners should they complain or protest being
accosted in such a fashion. All this invariably with the knowledge
and/or before the very eyes of prison administrators and personnel.
It is far too common for the victims of sexual harassment and assault in
prisons to be gay, transgendered, and/or disabled. Whether the
perpetrator be prison officials or fellow prisoners, this practice is
condoned by the culture of patriarchy and the hyper-masculine prison
environment.
In the Prison Justice League’s (PJL) report to the U.$. Department of
Justice titled “Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Use of Excessive Force
at Estelle Unit” the PJL outlined the routine and systematic abuse of
disabled prisoners by prison personnel at the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Regional Medical Facility for the Southern
Region, Estelle Unit.(3) Prisoners assigned to the Estelle Unit per
their disabilities are regularly and habitually denied medical treatment
for their disabilities, ergo oftentimes exacerbating the causes and
effects of the disabilities which brought them to Estelle initially; are
denied auxiliary aids so as to accommodate their disabilities as
required by law; are physically assaulted by prison administrators and
staff, or their inmate henchmen; and with egregious frequency are
murdered at the hands of state officials.
Since the PJL’s report and subsequent Department of Justice
investigation, there has been a bit of a detente in the abuse visited
upon disabled Estelle prisoners by prison personnel. But the pigz are
barely restrained. Threats of physical violence directed at disabled
prisoners are still a regular daily occurrence, and prison personnel
assaults on disabled prisoners are still far too common.
Another recent example of the persistent difficulties disabled prisoners
face, even with the courts on their side, can be seen in the American
Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) recent settlement negotiated with the
Montana Department of Corrections (MDC), after it neglected to fulfill
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements from a 1995
settlement, Langford v. Bullock. In 2005, the ADA requirements
were still not met, and despite the Circuit Court’s order requiring
Montana to comply with the 1995 settlement, it is not until 2017, and
much advocacy later, that negotiations are being finalized between the
ACLU and MDC. We can’t dismantle systems of gender oppression one
quarter-century-long lawsuit at a time. That’s why MIM(Prisons)
advocates for a complete overthrow of patriarchal capitalism-imperialism
as soon as possible.
Another patriarchal aspect to be observed in prisons is ageism. As
children are included in the gender-oppressed stratum, so should the
aged. As the able-bodied prisoners’ ability to work subsides due to age
in the First World, especially in the United $tates where the welfare
state is minuscule and the social safety net set very low, the
propensity for a once able-bodied persyn to be relegated to the ranks of
the lumpen is intensified. As the once able-bodied persyn becomes aged
and disabled, their physical, as well as mental, health becomes more and
more jeopardized, accelerating the degeneration of existing disabilities
as well as increasing the likelihood of creating the onset of new ones
(e.g. the First World lumpen are notorious for developing diabetes due
to poor diet and lifestyle issues).
Disability as a Means of Castration
Holding people in locked cages is an acute form of social control.
Solitary confinement creates long-lasting psychological damage. And
prison conditions in general are designed (by omission) to create
long-lasting physical damage to oppressed populations. Prisons are a
tool of social control, and exacerbating/creating disabilities is a way
prisons carry this through in a long-term and multi-generational
fashion.
Prisoners, who are a majority lumpen population, are likely to already
have unmet medical needs before entering prison, as described above in
the section on class. Then when in prison, these medical needs are
exacerbated because of the bad environment (toxic water, exposed
asbestos, run down facilities, etc.); brutality from guards and fellow
prisoners; poor medical care including untreated physical traumas,
improper timing for medications (see article on diabetes), and just
straight up neglect.
Mumia Abu-Jamal’s battle to receive treatment for hepatitis C, which ey
contracted from a tainted blood transfusion ey received after being shot
by police in 1981, is a case in point. Mumia belongs to an oppressed
nation, is conscious of this oppression, has fought against this
oppression, and thus is last on the priority list for who the state of
Pennsylvania will give resources to. And medical care under capitalism
is sold to the highest bidder, with new drugs which are 90% effective in
curing hepatitis C coming with a price tag of $1,000 per day. In a
communist society these life-saving drugs will be free to all who need
them.
Disability in the Anti-Imperialist Movement
The fact that people with disabilities will be treated better after we
take down capitalism is obvious. Our stance on discrimination against
people with disabilities in our society today is obvious. What is less
obvious is the question of how we can incorporate people with
disabilities into the anti-imperialist movement today, while we are so
small and relatively weak compared to the enemy that surrounds us. This
is an ongoing question for revolutionaries, who are always pushing
themselves to be stronger, better, and more productive. After all, there
is an urgency to our work.
Our militancy tends to be inherently ableist. With all the distractions
and requirements of living in this bourgeois society, we have precious
little time to devote to revolutionary work. We are always on the
lookout for things and people that are holding us back and wasting our
time, and we work diligently to weed these things and people from our
lives and movement. Often when people aren’t productive enough, due to
mental or physical consequences of capitalism and national oppression,
we can’t do anything to help them – especially through the mail. No
matter how sympathetic people are to our politics, and how much they
want to contribute, we just don’t have the resources to provide care
that would help these folks give more to overthrowing imperialism. Often
times all we can do is use these anecdotes to add fuel to our fire.
Disabilities amongst oppressed people are intentionally created by the
state, and a natural consequence of capitalism. If we don’t take any
time to work with and around our allies’ disabilities, then we are
excluding a population of people who, like the introduction says above,
are in the greatest need of a shift toward communism. We aim to have
independent institutions of the oppressed which can help people overcome
some of these barriers to political work. At this time, however, the
state is doing more to weaken our movement in this regard than we are
able to do to strengthen it.
[Of note, the primary author of this article has devoted eir life to
revolutionary organizing in spite of being imprisoned and with multiple
physical disabilities. Even though it is extremely difficult to
contribute, it is possible!]