I was transferred to California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and
State Prison (CSATF). Me and a companion from the former prison we
arrived from knew that we had arrived at a concentration camp that was
as shitty of a place as we could have ended up in. One can always tell
the make-up of a prison by the writings on the walls of its R&R. If
its toilets look like something that one could catch a disease from just
staring at, and the pigs search out the property seizing every single
object that the average person would assume allowable; face it, you’re
in hell.
Time has found me here, but since the 30th of March, and there have
already been several incidents forced before me, one of which surprised
the living world out of me. And this isn’t something I say lightly. I am
a person with pretty thick skin who would like to believe can handle
just about anything. But on 6 May 2017, I was revealed a sign that
showed me maybe I am not quite ready to handle it all.
- I was solicited for murder of an inmate by a California correctional
officer.
- On the date of 6 May 2017, at CSATF, approx. 12:05 p.m. after
returning from rec. yard to the assigned living quarters D2-211 to be
informed by the cell-mate occupying the quarters with me that the
facility unit officer Pano had conducted a punitive cell search of the
quarters in response to the cell-mate’s failure to return to the living
quarters in a timely matter, having my cooling fan confiscated.
- The cell-mate mentioned is an XXX YYY ZZZZ, 28-years-old.
- I reported to the officer in question C/O Pano, who was covered by
colleague C/O Barajas – female floor officer – and C/O Martines – male
tower officer – where I opened a dialogue with Pano in regards to an
explanation for the confiscation/seizure of my cooling fan; at a time
when the temperatures of the living quarters are rising to high
levels.
- C/O Pano replied that the objective of the search was to “give him
the attention that he was looking for” referring to XXX YYY ZZZZ.
- I notified C/O Pano that I had nothing to do with him and XXX YYY
ZZZZ problem, and it was unfair that I’d had my personal property
confiscated as a result of another person’s actions. I informed this
officer that I would not be held accountable for another prisoner’s
actions unless he was somehow asking me to rectify the problem between
him and XXX YYY ZZZZ by “handling it.”
- By “handling it”, I for all intents and purposes meant to do bodily
harm to XXX YYY ZZZZ, as physical force is the only power I have over
another, to harm an inmate – being an inmate myself – I went so far as
to describe “bashing his head into the wall”, as to getting a clear
understanding to the degree of violence that officer Pano smiled at me
and said, “You know how it goes, it’s just business.”
- But I didn’t “know how it go.” I am not accustomed to officers
soliciting my service to do harm to another inmate. Though I have
experienced in the past, officers of CDCR attempting to incite violence
between myself and a cell-mate out of retaliation for a cell-mate’s
misbehavior. [Officers conducted a punitive cell search of my assigned
living quarters, destroyed only my property and then informed me that it
was because of my cell-mate that the nature of the cell search
transpired as it did, hoping I’d take my anger out on him, See,
KVSP-APPEAL-602-0-10-00887]
- I am a political prisoner freedom fighter with many years of
experience in dealing with crooked officers who abuse their power,
invested into both badge and seal by the republic of California to cross
up prisoners and have them framed for rule violations and criminal
charges in the local courts. My particular history can be reviewed in
the Superior Court of CA County of Kern, “People of California v. David
Cauthen DF010469A.”
- Officers at Kern Valley State Prison made me the target of a
physical beat down, while in handcuffs, for my leadership role in a ten
man protest on the rec yard. KVSP officials came together in an effort
to frame me in disorder to cover up their attack on me. False statements
were made in reports used to have me prosecuted by Kern Valley District
Attorney Lisa Green, Officer of the Court, in a criminal complaint based
on charges of ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A POLICE OFFICER. I spent nearly two
years in California’s Security Housing Unit defending myself in court on
bogus charges.
- When it comes to the struggle being waged between California and its
most advanced political prisoners, I may be considered an expert.
Identifying the sneaky tactics of officers/pigs instigating problems
amongst the prison population to justify their failure to correct &
rehabilitate. I have made it a point to single-handedly lead the charge
of political prisoners uniting and holding the state accountable for
their actions.
- I believe it is in a database held by the state that I am who I say
I am and C.O.s may and often do access this data for their own personal
information. Officer Pano had to have accessed this information to make
himself familiar with me as a prisoner with capabilities of committing
violence against another prisoner.
- After standing in the center of the dayroom of the unit, pleading
with Officer Pano that as it had begun to get extremely hot in the cells
[The staff at CSATF TURNS THE HEAT ON IN THE SUMMER TIME] his decision
to enter my living quarters and confiscate the cooling fan used to keep
me cool, would be construed as inhumane & cruel treatment. He just
smiled and walked away to retrieve the fan.
- Pano returned the fan, but not without making a smug statement about
how I needed to “get at my celly” and how he’d return to confiscate the
fan if the particulars of a situation did not check out.
- I returned to my assigned living quarters without any further
dialogue with Pano. Upon my return I opened a dialogue with my cell-mate
XXX YYY ZZZZ in relation to his actions having an effect upon my
program, bringing about unnecessary altercation with the Babylon, and
what could be done to rectify the situation.
- I informed XXX YYY ZZZZ that the Babylonian officer had acted in a
manner that would cause the two of us to be placed in a cross. It was
intended for me to act rash in response to the level of disrespect
suffered at the hands of both “Ant” and the Babylons, but as a righteous
member of the Black Riders Liberation Party and leader of the United
Struggle from Within Chapel Group Ra’star Far I, Prison Ministries I
would not be puppeted by the pigs.
- I informed “Ant” that there were two options. 1) The two of us could
file a complaint and get paid from the Babylons’ willingness to break
the law, or 2) we could fight, like the pigs wanted, for the disrespect
suffered to my character and make our people look like fools. I
explained to him how I aspired to be a member of the African People’s
Socialist Party and could not in good conscience support the second
option and preferred the first alternative. He too agreed and settled
for the first option.
- I immediately got to work drawing up the statement of facts for the
entire incident. Once I had concluded my works I took my outcome to the
young ndugu “Ant” to read over. To my surprise he lit up and seemed on
fire to bring justice to the situation. We agreed that the facts I
outlined were best and should be moved forward on.
- But on the following day, 8 May 2017, things took a turn for the
worst. I reported from my work assignment as a Main Kitchen Baker,
making about $0.15 an hour :( Upon arrival to the living quarters I
discovered that my cell-mate had rolled up, voluntarily removed himself
from the yard and was in the process of being transferred to a more
safe/comfortable living environment.
- This young African stole close to $400 worth of property from me and
the Babylons helped him pack it up and travel to the program office. The
pigs actually inventoried my belongings as being inside of his property
and tried to tell me that it was nothing they could do about it when I
brought it to their attention. This alone confirmed to me that the
Babylon had planted this lost ndugu amongst my ranks to distract my
mission and disorder my campaign to unite the prisoner masses.
- This ndugu was allowed to roll up with a variety of valuables, but
what was of a tell-tale sign that the individual was a plant is that he:
1) Took the complaint that I had put together, 2) He stole letters from
the latest supporters of my United Front for Peace in Prisons project
“FREE KING DAVID” as a means to interfere with communications, and 3) He
stole the goods of commerce to support the economical needs of an
initiative to finance the subscriptions to: “The Burning Spear,” “The 5%
Power Paper,” “The Final Call,” “The Bayview Newspaper,” and “Under Lock
& Key.”
- After establishing a partnership with the leader of “Peace Behind
Bars” to develop a system of exchange inside prisons using photos of
women, to remind men what they struggle to be released to, for postage I
convinced this brother to begin printing photos for my project so that I
can begin accumulating postage stamps, and in turn offer them to the
comrades employed by the above publications in order to have the
publications mailed in to the yard with hopes of raising the awareness
level. I had a total of 50 wonderful photos prices at the least 8
postage stamps alone. Taking care of the bill of one subscription, dues
to he who made it possible and postage for a new 50 photos to be mailed.
But all was delayed by Babylon.
- I have submitted the report as a complaint of C.O.s soliciting
murder from me as of 22 May 2017. So I trust Babylon will bring its
fire. All of this comes right after the announcement published in
“Turning The Tide” of my works to move along the United Front for Peace
in Prison and a complaint filed at the previous prison against “UNSAFE
WORKING CONDITIONS” in support of the 2016 nationwide prison work
stoppage. [See, CSATF Appeal-STAFF COMPLAINT-D-17-02787- ]
I write this statement to describe to brothers & sisters behind the
wire inside Babylon of what staying strong under pressure looks like.
When you sign up to join forces with groups like the Ida B. Wells
Coalition Against Police Brutality, Anti-Racist Action/People Against
Racist Terror, Black Riders Liberation Party, Uhuru Movement and the
United Struggle from Within, Babylon is going to bring its death game.
We must remain strong under fire and lean even greater on the teachings
of the groups mentioned above, and those not, placing the people’s
principles into practice.
No matter who you are, radiate the teachings and uphold good conduct.
Feed other prisoners who wander the path of the freedom fighters and
trust in the teachings, not the student. The Babylon will scratch and
claw at what it fears threatens its existence as a system of power
oppressing the people. All of the above mentioned groups are feared
because they bring light to the minds of prisoners, who are essentially
the most capable mass of people in the United $tates to free themselves
from the strongholds of imperialism.
Educate yourself on the methods of government interference with United
Front culture campaigns, that you will be prepared. Both state and
federal government agencies will go out of their way (the District of
Columbia) in order to intimidate the members. In the newsletter
publication of Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons, ULK
No.56, there is a story published titled,
“No
TX pack tactics have worked,” by a Texas prisoner. This story really
touched me because I know the struggle. It feels like it’s all a waste
of time, but it’s not! I’ve learned that we won’t see the works of our
labor filing charges against the Department, but it will be NOTICE.
At the moment the Campaign Demanding that our Grievances be addressed is
in a phase where supporters of the campaign in states across the U.$.
are familiarizing themselves with the art of serving NOTICE to the
office that corruption is taking place. Once prisoners master the art of
serving NOTICE, then they will learn to FILE CHARGES against the office
with the right people/agency, forcing the Department to make a public
statement officially ANSWERING to our charge :)
The comrades being released will then begin holding court with the
agents/representatives in the streets. Until then, just keep documenting
the corruption until you have a book to release. And you will see the
movement that has been here all along. Keep it sharp, keep it tight.
In struggle, David S. Cauthen, Jr.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Since receiving this report, the comrade has
asked for supporters to call CSATF on eir behalf at (559) 992-7100. Ey
is going to initiate a civil complaint. The appeals coordinators are not
even processing the appeals, they’re just rubber stamping them. Callers
should inquire:
-
Why wasn’t a report filed? A crime occurred.
-
Why was a complaint against a C.O. processed as a first level appeal
when it was accepted on its charges of “An Officer Soliciting Murder”?
-
Why was appeal log #SATF-D-17-03418 against SATF Appeals Coordinators
for failure to process appeals canceled by a Lt. N. SCAIFE – an officer
who wrote themselves into the coordinators office?
As this example paints quite clearly, the campaign to have grievances
heard in California prisons, which began over 7 years ago, is a campaign
to get the CDCR to put a stop to life-threatening behavior by their
staff. The lives of the oppressed nation lumpen are given little regard
in this injustice system. Those in power manipulating their wards to
fight and kill each other has long been a practice in California prisons
to control those who the state sees as a threat. The notorious
“gladiator fights” staged by staff in the Corcoran Security Housing Unit
is just one blatant example of this. So while the right to have
grievances heard may seem like a nicety of civil society, it is more
than that. It is about the oppressed having recourse when their lives
are threatened by their captors.
Our comrade has already been retaliated against with a transfer for
filing a complaint on the above incident, filed by a grievance when the
Appeals Coordinator refused to NOTICE the complaint. We expose this case
to rally support on the inside and the outside for the campaign for a
meaningful grievance process in California prisons, and in all the
states across the country waging this same battle.