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.
Mail the petition to your loved ones 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.
Warden (specific to your facility)
Oklahoma State Jail Inspector, Don Garrison 1000 N.E. 10th
St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73117-1299
ODOC Office of Internal Affairs Oklahoma City Office 3400 Martin
Luther King Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111-4298
Office of Inspector General HOTLINE P.O. Box 9778 Arlington,
Virginia 22219
United States Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division Special
Litigation Section 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, PHB Washington,
D.C. 20530
Oklahoma Citizens United for Rehabilitation of
Errants (OK-CURE) P.O. Box 9741 Tulsa, OK 74157-0741
And send MIM(Prisons) copies of any responses you receive!
MIM(Prisons), USW PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140
Mail the petition to your loved ones and comrades inside who are
experiencing issues with the grievance procedure or censorship of music
and literature. 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.
Tom Clements, Director of Adult Institutions P.O. Box
236 Jefferson City, MO 65101
Chris Pickering, Inspector General (MO DOC) P.O. Box 236
Jefferson City, MO 65101
U.S. Department of Justice PhB 950 Pennsylvania Ave,
N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530
Marianne Atwell, Director of Offender Rehabilitative Services
(Missouri) P.O. Box 236 Jerrerson City, MO 65101
And send MIM(Prisons) copies of any responses you receive!
MIM(Prisons), USW PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140
As our readers already know, MIM(Prisons) runs political study
groups with our comrades behind bars. And as some of you know, and have
experienced, the state generally finds our non-violent, non-law
breaking, communist study in poor taste. In October 2009, a study group
assignment for the pamphlet “What is MIM?,” which included other
participants’ responses to the previous assignment, was mailed to a
participant held in Arizona. This study group assignment was censored
because allegedly it “may be obscene or a threat to security” generally,
and “promotes racism and/or religious oppression” specifically. Yes,
this is coming from the state that is fighting the federal government in
court to be allowed to use the color of one’s skin as probable cause for
investigating immigration law violations.
Our comrade imprisoned in Arizona appealed this decision, and
MIM(Prisons) wrote to the prison administration to request an
explanation as to how this study group assignment could “promote racism
and/or religious oppression” without even mentioning races,
nationalities, or religions:
“It is truly fascinating that your mailroom staff could find the
promotion of racism and/or religious oppression in this document.
Nowhere in the letter are the following words even mentioned: religious,
religion, christian, muslim, baptist, KKK, white, mexican, latino, asian
or arab. The word”black” is written once in the context of a reference
to the Black Panther Party’s education programs. How can you even talk
about religion or race enough to speak against it if you don’t use any
of the above mentioned words?” - MIM Distributors, Legal Assistant
No attempt has ever been made by Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC)
administration to address this point. ADC General Counsel Karyn Klausner
offered her opinion: “I have reviewed the materials sent by MIM
Distributors and find the decision to exclude the publication due to
content ‘promoting racism and/or religious oppression,’ was
appropriate.” She gave no explanation of how she came to the conclusion
that it was an “appropriate” violation of Constitutionally protected
rights. In a later letter Ms. Klausner clarified that with this
statement she didn’t mean she was “upholding” the censorship in her
official capacity as General Counsel of the Office of the Director of
ADC, just that she agreed with it on a persynal level.
Instead of explaining how the study group mailing in any way promotes
racism and/or religious oppression, ADC administrators then began to
rely on their policy of violating MIM Distributors’ First Amendment
right to free speech and association to censor this study group
assignment:
“There is nothing in case law that gives rise to a publisher’s right to
appeal a decision to exclude its material on an administrative appeal
level. . . You are not entitled to a forum within the prison system.” -
ADC Director, Charles Ryan
Director Ryan clearly had not investigated the matter on the prisoner’s
end either. He claimed that our imprisoned comrade had not appealed the
decision to censor, yet s/he had, on multiple levels, and submitted
requests for the results of these appeals.
“You claim that MIM Distributors has no rights to appeal the censorship
of their mail. While we are not lawyers, and may have put too much
weight on the Procunier case, we still uphold that we have First and
Fourteenth Amendment rights according to federal law. As employees of
the state you may not deny anyone their rights to free speech and
association arbitrarily and without due process. In fact, if you read
Thornburgh v. Abbot, 490 U.S. 401, which you referred [COLLEAGUE] to,
you will see that its procedural protection was provided because the
publisher was notified of the censorship and given the right to
independent review. A number of U.S. Court of Appeals decisions have
upheld the right of the publisher in such instances (Montcalm Publ’g
Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), Trudeau v. Wyrick, 713 F.2d
1360, 1366 (8th Cir.1983), Martin v. Kelley, 803 F.2d 236, 243-44 (6th
Cir.1986) ).” - MIM Distributors, Legal Assistant
And ADC’s response?
“You assert that ‘MIM Distributors’ First Amendment right to free
speech’ is not being respected. The Arizona Department of Corrections is
obligated to respect, within the confines of legitimate penological
interests, an inmate’s constitutional rights. It does not follow
that ADC is likewise obliged to do the same for an independent
distributor such as MIM.” - General Counsel, Karyn Klausner
It is apparent that the ADC believes themselves to be exempt from the
legal straitjacket of the United $tates Constitution, which they don’t
see as having an application in the 10th Circuit. This isn’t surprising
coming from an institution whose administrators believe that one can
promote racial and/or religious repression without ever talking about
race or religion!
Amerikans like to pretend they hold no political prisoners, yet
political repression is an integral part of the U.$. injustice system at
every step. In our struggle for a world without oppression, MIM(Prisons)
works to build public opinion for national liberation struggles amongst
prisoners through our newsletter Under Lock & Key, our free
books for prisoners program, and our study groups. Within prisons, there
are two primary ways in which the state enacts political repression:
through physical torture techniques such as solitary confinement, forced
drugging, beatings, starvation and murder; and through the control of
the spread of ideas, which also includes solitary confinement as well as
the censorship of mail, and outlawing oppressed nation organizations.
In pre-fascist Amerika, we are still promised certain rights under
United $tates laws. While we recognize that U.$. law will never lead us
to communism (a world without oppression), we still need to fight for
more room to organize and educate for revolution. Fighting against the
censorship of revolutionary literature is vital to maintaining the
connection between the inside and out, which may make the difference
between being turned on to communism or not for many people. For those
already turned on, we need to fight against censorship so that we can
continue to build our revolutionary understanding.
Like a MIM Distributors Legal Assistant mentioned above, we are not
lawyers. We do what we can to protect our Constitutional rights from the
outside with the resources we have, and we rely on prisoners to fight to
maintain their rights from the inside. If there is a lawyer who wants to
get involved with this specific incident in Arizona, or with
anti-censorship work in general, get in touch!
I received the Prisoners’ Legal Clinic (PLC) summary from October 2010.
First off, I have to say that this is a good format, with various people
sharing ideas and expertise. This format will definitely push the legal
struggle forward.
Concerning the grievance petition initiated in California, while i’d
initially thought the campaign was a good idea, i have to say that i had
my doubts concerning the effectiveness of it. Its entire success hinges
on mass participation and not just on 10 or 15 individuals getting
involved. Even then i think its effectiveness is a longshot unless of
course you’re already involved in a legal battle within the judicial
system, as presentation of responses entered into evidence as exhibits
would help to prove to the court that the handling of grievances by
prison officials has some serious faults, which we know they do.
Instead, I like the comrade from California’s idea of suing CDCR and
attacking its entire appeals process. We can ask that a truly
independent institution take over the entire appeals process, or be
created if need be. I think this is very much a winnable battle were it
to enter the judicial arena. Copies of the grievance petition from
prisoners who’ve already completed the campaign and have received
responses should be forwarded to the PLC for forwarding to whomever
should decide to initiate and fight the legal battle.
I also have here a copy of a §1983 “Findings and Recommendations
Recommending Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss be Denied” which was filed by
CDCR officials in California against a prisoner in which the pigs tried
to have the plaintiff’s §1983 dismissed due to supposed failure to
exhaust claims. The motion was dismissed and the court found in favor of
the prisoner plaintiff. While I do not know of the outcome of the case,
i believe this motion is worth a look. As soon as i’m able to obtain
copies i will forward them to the PLC for review and dispersal.
For now, however, here is relevant case law pertaining to the exhaustion
requirement:
Jones v. Bock, 127 S. Ct. 910, 918-19 (2007) McKinney v. Carey,
311 F.3d 1198, 1199-1201 (9th Circuit. 2002) Booth v. Churner, 532
U.S. 731, 741, 121 S. Ct 1819 (2001) Porter v. Nussle, 435 U.S. 516,
532, 122 S. Ct 983 (2002) Wyatt v. Terhune, 315 F.3d 1108, 1119 (9th
Cir. 2003) Ritza v. Int’l Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Union,
837 F.2d 365, 368 (9th Cir. 1998) (per currium) Woodford v. Ngo, 548
U.S. 81, 126 S. Ct. 2378, 2383 (2006)
The following case law was cited to the plaintiff’s favor:
Moore v. Bennette, 517 F.3d 717, 725 (4th Cir.
2008) Aquilar-Avellaveda v. Terrell, 478 F.3d 1223, 1225 (10th Cir.
2007) Kaba v. Stepp, 458 F.3d 678, 684 (7th Cir. 2006) Dole v.
Chandler, 438 F.3d 804, 809 (7th Cir. 2006) Boyd v. Corrections
Corp. of America, 380 F.3d 989, 986 (6th Cir. 2004) Abney v.
McGinnis, 380 F.3d 663, 667 (2d 2004) Jernigan v. Stuchell, 304 F.3
1030, 1032 (10th Cir. 2002) Foulk v. Charrier, 262 F.3d 687, 698 (8th
Cir. 2001) Powe v. Ennis, 177 F.3d 393, 394 (5th Cir.
1999) Underwood v. Wilson, 151 F.3d 292, 295 (5th Cir.
1998) Mitchell v. Horn, 318 F.3d 523, 529 (3d Cir. 2003) Brown v.
Croak, 312 F.3d 109, 113 (3d Cir. 2002) Miller v. Norris, 247 F.3d
736, 740 (8th Cir. 2001)
These next citations are concerning requirements for the
establishment of law libraries in prisons. I got these out of The
Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook 4th edition 2003:
Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817 (1977) Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343
(1996) Benjamin v. Fraser, 264 F.3d 175 (2d Cir. 2001) Tourscher
v. McCullough, 184 F.3d 236, 242 (3d Cir. 1999) Johnson v. Moore, 948
F.2d 517 (9th Cir. 1991) Corgain v. Miler, 708 F.2d 1241 (7th Cir.
1983) Cruz v. Hauck, 627 F.2d 710 (5th Cir. 1980) Shango v.
Jurich, 965 F.2d 289 (7th Cir. 1992) Lindquist v. Idaho State Bd. of
Corrections, 776 F.2d 851 (9th Cir. 1985) Cepulonis v. Fair, 732 F.2d
1 (1st Cir. 1984) Marange v. Fontenof, 879 F. Supp. 679 (E.D. Tex
1995)
MIM(Prisons) responds: In assessing the effectiveness of our
campaigns we have a twofold approach. One goal is to win small battles
that increase, or maintain space for, the free exchange of political
ideas and the freedom of affiliation. Our second goal is to train the
oppressed in mass action and power struggles.
The lawsuit idea suggested here might be more effective in meeting our
first goal in relation to establishing a legal process for prisoners to
have their complaints addressed under the current injustice system. But,
ultimately, a real prison movement needs to mobilize large numbers of
prisoners into participating in struggling for humane treatment and the
freedom to fight for a better world. Without struggle there are no
so-called “rights.”
While the petition campaign has still been limited in the numbers
reached, we are working to better streamline our support for USW
campaigns, including the grievance petitions in states where these
campaigns are active. We need more than a couple articles in
ULK to launch a successful campaign. We need more regular USW
cadre who are willing to take these agitational points to the masses on
a regular basis. Get in touch with MIM(Prisons) today to get copies of
the petition, or to contribute to building a legal case around this
battle.
Your article on
gang
validation in
ULK 17 was on
point. I’m in a California state prison and every word that he spoke on
was true, you have to watch what you say, who you with, what you read
and receive and basically what you have in your cell.
Pictures, articles or drawings of George, Jonathan, a guerilla, gang
banging and even some Muslim literature is not allowed. It’s a shame
that there is a long list of books that you cannot have because they say
that it promotes unwanted activity, when in reality they just want to
limit your understanding of the injustices that have been going on for
decades in the system.
They have taken everything from us and are still taking everything from
us; things that the ones before us shed blood, lost their lives, and are
still locked up in the SHU fighting for. Every day it’s something and by
design you can’t win fighting by their rules.
I just wanted to give big respect to y’all for this newsletter telling
the real.
MIM(Prisons) responds: While the rules are set up to keep people
in their place, we have strategic confidence in our ability to win. This
is based in the fact that most people in the world suffer under the
oppression of imperialism and have an interest in overthrowing it. By
connecting the struggles of prisoners in the U.$. with the Third World
workers, peasants and lumpen we will be on the right side of history.
In this response to a grievance petition from California sent to the
Department of Justice (DOJ), they minimize the widespread scale of
corruption of the grievance system in the California state prison
system. Instead they are asking for facts and dates related to single
incidents or perpetrators.
In
“Bad
Apples” in the Pig Pen we explained why a focus on targeting
individual pigs is incorrect in most cases in our struggle because the
problems we address are societal. Although societal problems manifest in
individual pigs, focusing all of our energy trying to get one or two
pigs fired from our facility doesn’t significantly impact society as a
whole.
One may argue that the DOJ just needs a place to begin their
investigation. However, the petition makes it clear that this problem is
widespread throughout the system. Realistically they could interview
prisoners at random for details and receive enough information to begin
an investigation. Their narrow and sterile approach to “justice” is just
a cover for their interests in maintaining the status quo.
The pigs at CCI Tehachapi SHU are monitoring revolutionary
correspondence and materials coming through the mail; not censoring but
delaying them by as much as three to four weeks. This specific instance
was a personal experience, but it can be concluded that if one
individual’s revolutionary activity is being monitored, then all
revolutionaries may be monitored.
Due to a medical condition, I must be taken out of my cell and to
medical for a weekly injection which I use as an opportunity to butter
up loose-mouth pigs and gather intelligence, catching a general idea of
the internal condition of the pigs’ camp. Never at any time have I
mentioned or alluded to my revolutionary standpoint or activities in any
way.
While going to medical this past week a pig made a very revealing
statement inadvertently, immediately tipping me off that my mail was
being monitored, specifically what I’d mailed to MIM(Prisons) the
previous week. The pig’s statement could not have been reaching because
it contained the word “revolution” and related content of a letter to
MIM(Prisons).
Let this be a warning to revolutionary activists and comrades across the
U.$. injustice system, and California concentration camps in particular,
that even if there is no censorship at your facility, if you participate
in any serious revolutionary activities, then it’s sure to be monitored.
Practical steps may be taken to combat this issue, such as working with
and notifying MIM(Prisons) of censorship issues while going through the
grievance and court system, if able to do so. Keeping eyes and ears open
to detect if you are being monitored is not difficult to do.
If it feels like you are being watched, then you are. Remember, paranoia
can be the better part of prudence in the control unit.
Last month in October a brother was written a misconduct report for
having Soledad Brother and From Niggas to Gods. They
reasoned that George Jackson is a “known Panther” as if that is a valid
reason to write him up. They said From Niggas to Gods was
banned in Green Bay Correctional Institution. I guess ’cause they don’t
want us to go from calling ourselves niggas, behaving like niggas, to
calling ourselves children of God or behaving as such. They want us to
still be their niggas and we best not be caught trying to learn or read
any books of substance. But we can read an “urban” novel that promotes
all type of Black-on-Black murder and violence. He was given 210 days in
the hole.
On November 2 2010 my comrade’s bunk was searched and the racist pig Van
Laden took several books from him, i.e. Soledad Brother, Noam
Chomsky, Niami Akbar, Cornel West’s Reader and a couple more.
They also took some 4struggle newspapers because they mentioned
the
Black
Panther Party. For several days they didn’t give him the conduct
report. They usually come within 2 days. He was called out to talk to
the pig Van Laden and Van Laden told him that he will see him in court,
meaning at the conduct report hearing.
On November 8 2010 he was given the conduct report. It is a witch hunt.
The pig Van Laden says Soledad Brother mentions the Black
Panthers, that 4struggle mentions the Panthers’ 10 point
platform, and phrases like “clenched fist,” “power to the people,” “red
black and green.” This pig said the material and books are “black
supremacy” literature! I’m still trying to understand what is Black
supremacy and what does that mean. The use of the word supremacy means
one group is saying that they are superior to another. Nothing in any of
the material points to that because if it did he would have written
“page so-and-so of this book says they are superior and whites are
inferior.” But he can’t because that is not what any of the material
advocates. He claims to be a Security Threat Expert and states in the
report that the Panthers are on the list as a security threat group.
Thus any material that mentions it is banned and anyone caught with it
is in violation for having this reading material. Same as slavery.
But dig this, comrade has receipts for every book they say is a threat
to their security. They let them in, then say you can’t have them. They
have a list of banned books and none of his books are on the banned book
list. Not even Soledad Brother, because nothing in it is a
security threat. George ain’t advocating nothing of so-called violence
or Black supremacy. Like I said before this is just a witch hunt to
break us up. The two brothers I mentioned are in the dorm with me, we
are in a social environment, not fighting each other, and teaching these
younger brothers. That is the security threat to them. They don’t want
us to learn about our history and gain a sense of self. They want us
ignorant running around here being good n’s. Reading is forbidden unless
it’s fiction. He was charged with Group Resistance and Petition and
awaits to go on his hearing.
On November 5 2010 I was called up to the CO desk and asked how another
prisoner got my book. She said if I didn’t give it to him she would
write him up for theft. I said the regular CO Zellner that works here
said he can read it as long as I get it back by the end of the night.
She said “well I’m giving you a ticket for unauthorized transfer of
property.” She called another brother to the desk and gave him his book
back without writing a ticket for him. The title of my book was Huey
P. Newton and the Black Panther Party. That is why she wrote me up
but gave the other brother his book back.
I got the conduct report on November 8 2010 and Group Resistance and
Petition was on it too. This charge is one that they use to lay someone
down in the hole or send to Wisconsin’s supermax in Boscobel where I
have been for over 4 years already. The report says I gave my book to
someone else to read which is a violation 9.e. unauthorized transfer of
property. Even if a CO gave you permission it is still unauthorized
transfer of property under their 1984 newspeak semantics. It also says
that the Black Panthers are an “unsanctioned” group, and the book is
confiscated. But I worked in the library here before and I’ve seen this
same book come in on inter-library loan on several occasions;
Soledad Brother and From Niggas to Gods too.
The fix is in. My comrade and I still await our hearings. We talked to
white shirt and the security director about this fix. This way they have
knowledge of it and can be added to the lawsuit. Because none of this is
a threat. I had this book for almost six and a half years! We’re trying
to get the word out about this. They have a list of banned books but
none of these books we are written up for are banned.
Also I wrote a book about change and let a young brother read it. His
bunk was searched and a new pig brought it up to the Sergeant and he
called me up to the desk and asked if it was my book. I said yes. He
asked, “who gave you permission to write this?” I said, “my mind! What
you mean who gave me permission?” He said he was calling up to security
to see if I could do that. About an hour went by and he called me to the
desk and gave me the book back. But the thing is “who gave you
permission?” As if I need someone’s permission to write down my own
thoughts. This same pig has a confederate flag tattoo on his left arm.
Saying we can’t read or gain a sense of self by learning our history or
that we need “their” permission slip to write our thoughts is the same
as the slavery that our ancestors went through. But most can’t see it.
They just see these racist pigs as having a job. This is not a job, this
is a form of oppression. Capitalism is a form of oppression. We are a
means for them to be employed through our oppression. And I try to get
these young and older brothers to see this. Slavery was capitalism.
Prisons are capitalism. Whites were the ones that ran the plantations.
Whites are the ones that run the prisons. It’s all the same just a new
way.
by a North Carolina prisoner November 2010 permalink
I am a prisoner at Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg,
North Carolina. I am writing to you because of the fact that the legal
mail that you sent out to several prisoners here [containing a letter
MIM(Prisons) sent to the Director of Prisons regarding ongoing
censorship at Scotland CI] was opened by the mailroom staff and treated
as regular mail.
Even though the mail had “Legal Mail” stamped on it, the mailroom staff
still opened it. By DOC policy I have to witness them opening my legal
mail, and I have to sign for legal mail. By them opening this legal
mail, they violated DOC policy and broke Federal law.
This requires some sort of action. I am filing a grievance on this
matter and when I receive a response I will send it to you.
MIM(Prisons) adds: This letter is just one example of the long
history of mailroom staff at Scotland CI unjustly censoring, banning,
and trashing mail from MIM(Prisons), with the collusion of Assistant
Superintendent Karen Stanback. While this comrade is filing grievances
and organizing other prisoners around the issue, another comrade in
North Carolina is working on bringing a case against the NC DOC to
hopefully reformat the whole censorship and grievance system. If you
want to get involved, or support this case, get in touch. Both methods
are correct and necessary if we want to combat censorship.
First and foremost I hope this letter reaches you. Officer Sherry A
Conrad over in the mailroom has been opening and reading my legal mail.
She has also confiscated every legal document I have tried to send to
you, along with the letters I’ve written to you about her. I used the
prisoner grievance system against her and ever since then she has used
retaliation against me. She has written 3 major disciplinary reports on
me about my mail; one of these major disciplinary reports was concerning
a letter I wrote you. I appealed this major disciplinary but Warden
Jimmy Banks has violated my due process rights and refused to answer my
appeal.
Under Lock & Key was also confiscated and sent to the Unit
Publication Review Committee for “illegal discrimination, violence,
verbal or sexual abuse or inflammatory attitudes towards any racial,
sexual, age, handicapped or individuals or groups.” I appealed the
decision of this committee but it also has been refused to be answered.
Now Warden Jimmy Banks and Law Library Officer Ms. Smith are refusing to
make copies of my legal documents so I can mail them to you and the
United States District Court to file a claim against them.
I’ve also requested the Administrative Regulation and Directives of the
Arkansas Department of Corrections so I could send them to you and the
court but I’ve been denied access to these by Warden Jimmy Banks. Warden
Banks does not want us to have these Administrative Regulations or
Directives because he or his officers at the Varner Super Max Unit do
not follow the Administrative Regulations and Directives. So many of our
rights are being violated by Warden Banks and his officers, it’s not
even funny.
This is the good ole south, “the good ole boy system” and they will do
everything it takes to keep the public, media, or any other group or
organization in the dark about how prisoners are being violated in the
Arkansas prison system. The prisoners in Arkansas will not stand or
stick together, write grievances, or write the public, media or any
other groups or organizations out of fear of major disciplinaries or
retaliation used against them for doing so. If a prisoner writes a
grievance, public officials, media or groups or sticks together to take
a stand against the ADC, they are placed in the Super Max under false
charges, written major disciplinaries that will keep them from being
released, are placed in the hole without any of their property, and the
list goes on and on.
If a prisoner keeps on doing these things to stand against the ADC then
the officers will use all kinds of force on the prisoner and make the
reports look like the force was justified. I have been held in the
Varner Super Max for one year under false banding together, escape,
possession of tobacco, and possession of cell phone charges. Now they
are using retaliation against me by confiscating my legal and personal
mail and writing me major disciplinary reports for the mail they
confiscate when I’ve broken no administrative regulation, directives,
policies or rules. They are also refusing me law books, legal copies,
and administrative regulations and directives that I need. I’ve been
told by the Warden himself that I’ll never be released from Varner Super
Max into population.
I know many prisoners who want to write your organization but they have
seen everything that has happened to me and others who have written
letters about the ADC and they are afraid. I refuse to just lay down and
go quietly away. I try to stay in the law books, and follow all rules,
policies and regulations. A lot of prisoners come to me for legal advice
and I try to help all I can. I’m working on filing a big claim of many
violations against Interim Director Ray Hobbs, Warden Jimmy Banks,
Officer Sherry A. Conrad of the ADC in the United States District Court.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This account of retaliation against
prisoners who fight censorship and other illegal actions in prisons
should strengthen our resolve to get Under Lock & Key in
the hands of all prisoners who can receive it. We know receiving ULK can
be a risk, which is why it is important that our subscribers share. But
if you’re not organizing, then nothing’s gonna change. Those on the
outside willing to help with these legal battles can aid us both in
fighting censorship and exposing the criminal injustice system. As long
as the state is not following its own rules, there will be countless
legal battles to take on.