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.
I’m writing to give you an update on the
protest
back in June. The protest in June was just the start. The real
protest will jump off in October. The one in June went on for six days,
not two. It was on for two days before the south and north compounds
took part. We really wanted to go off with the July 8 one, but things
here were getting so bad the prisoners just couldn’t hold back any
longer. By October all should be ready. If not, those that are prepared
will be ready to share the understanding of what is going on so all the
population will be on the same page. And everyone understands this is a
peaceful protest, too much is just not right. I’m not the one doing the
talking but I’m surely a part.
MIM(Prisons) adds: As another comrade from New Jersey reported:
“Although nothing has changed as of the writing of this report, it is
important to highlight that the level of unity achieved across nations
and groups, the effective organization of the protest, and the fearful
response by the state demonstrate the power of non-violent resistance in
a corrections environment.” We agree this unity is critical. We are
seeing unity in resistance in prisons across the country. We need to
take advantage of this opportunity to educate and build. As this
prisoner points out, those who are ready for October in New Jersey will
share information so that all the population will understand. We call on
anti-imperialist comrades in prison to expand this education and take
this opportunity to educate others about the nature of the injustice
system and its role in imperialism in general. Protests to improve
conditions are important, but they are just the start.
Here in the Ad-Seg unit at North Kern they’ve transferred a lot of us to
A4 which is on the main level III yard, and half of the building is
Ad-Seg, the other is orientation. All of us are on single cell status
and validated members and associates of STG (Security Threat Group
types) I & II but there’s unity in here.
The hunger strike/work stoppage is over, and most if not all received
128 G chronos for participating. This will be used as validation points,
but no one cares. We don’t get our 10 hour a week for yard, no laundry
exchange, or supplies being passed out, and our food is cold because
they serve it on paper trays.
Our mail has to get rerouted from the other Ad-Seg unit and the IGI/ISU
informed us that the SF Bayview, CA Prison Focus, The Rock, Revolution,
Militant, PHSS, MIM(Prisons) and any of the literature that makes
reference to our struggle behind these walls will be screened and
withheld. I’ve been receiving mail that’s 2.5 months old. We have a
group 602 going around collecting signatures so we can show the yard
captain we’re not happy with this program we have here in the A4
location. Just yesterday they cell extracted someone and all of us above
the incident on the top tier had pepper spray in our cells, because it
came up through our cells, and the ventilating shaft.
It seems as if all chaos has been released on this unit, as now the
security officers and administration officers are denying prisoners here
their prescribed medication. Medical wants to close evening pill
dispensing at 5.30pm whether all prisoners get their medication or not,
to avoid overtime. The unit is relatively small and if run by security
staff properly, it could run pill window for all prisoners by 5:30pm.
But the prison creates conditions that make this impossible, delaying
count, shutting down prisoner movement, etc.
Because of a lack of proper medication several prisoners have had
violent epileptic seizures. Other prisoners have gone days at a time
without their medication. A building missed their medication three days
straight.
It is obvious that the wheels have fallen off when the medical
department blames security for such denials of a person’s medication,
and security blames medical by stating they “have no control over
medical decisions.”
Four days out of ten last month I myself missed medication, and I was
placed in protected custody twice for speaking out against such blatant
violation of our rights. Because of this, trouble is brewing that
presents an environment that is hostile and unsafe for both officers and
prisoners, a violation of our right to a safe and secure place to do our
time.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Medical neglect is all too common in Amerikan
prisons. This should be no surprise as capitalism puts profits before
health, and in the case of prisons it puts social control before health.
This is a clear example of the criminal injustice system punishing
prisoners just for the sake of punishment. There is no possible
rehabilitative purpose to denying prisoners their medicine. It is a way
to put lives in danger. They might claim to save a few dollars on staff
overtime in the short run, but the long-term financial cost of treating
seriously ill prisoners will far exceed these savings as many prisoners
are on medication critical to control serious conditions.
The abysmal health care in Amerikan prisons mirrors the situation on the
streets in this country that spends more money per persyn on health care
than any other in the world, but yet has far poorer health than most
First World countries and even some Third World countries. Ironically
this poor health hits the wealthy in Amerika too. These are some ways in
which communism will serve all the world’s people, not just the poor.
Although the wealthy will be brought down to the same economic level as
everyone else in the world, improvements in healthcare, an end to
environmental destruction, and opportunities to lead productive lives
are all important enhancements in life that all will enjoy when
capitalism is overthrown.
I was discussing the issue of declining membership with a well known
organizational leader with tens of thousands of followers. He stated
that you only want to write if it is behind your philosophy, and that
you criticize anyone who does not agree with your strategy. He
specifically mentioned the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. So your
criticism, well intended or not, is doing more dividing than uniting.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This letter is responding to the article
in ULK 33summarizing
our annual congress which reported that our number of subscribers
has dropped in the past year. First, we want to be clear that
subscribers are not the same thing as members. We reported in the same
article that the number of active United Struggle from Within members
has increased over the past year. But still, we want to see an increase
in ULK readers as well and so this is a bad trend.
It is true that MIM(Prisons) is critical of other organizations. This is
because we see political struggle and education as fundamental to
building an effective revolutionary movement. The MXGM is a good example
of an organization that we have
reported
favorably about in the past. But we need to be honest about where we
see faults in the political lines or strategies of other organizations.
We hope others will do the same for us. We cannot build real unity if we
just ignore significant disagreements over political line and strategy.
Further, we work towards a
United
Front with all organizations who can unite with us on basic goals.
This is an important Maoist strategy that allows different organizations
to come together for common goals without sacrificing their independence
or brushing real political differences under the rug.
We see these practices as principled. It may lead some individuals to
dismiss MIM(Prisons) as too divisive, but we see the real divisiveness
in those groups that refuse to publicly acknowledge political
differences while privately gossiping or positioning themselves into
power. We are willing to lose a few supporters who can’t take open
political discussion and disagreements to maintain clarity of political
line.
I am writing today because I just wrote you on August 8 and the very
next day I was called into the office where I was told that my letter
(to you) was of concern. The woman working in the office stated that a
number of the issues I mentioned they were currently in the process of
trying to fix. They have been saying this for the last year while I’ve
been here, and for at least four years according to many of the
long-time inmates here.
So like I said in the last letter, (“I’m sure to see some type of
retaliation for this letter”). I’ve been carefully documenting
everything that has been happening since I began: piss test, matrix
checks, compliance checks, etc. I ask for any books or other legal
material that may help with what I’m dealing with. There are no
resources to be had here and I do not want OCC to ship me out under the
false pretense of legal library issues. I have around sixteen months
left and want to spend my time trying to fix some of this BS that is
happening here.
MIM(Prisons) adds: The censorship of mail exposing what is going
on behind bars in the Amerikan criminal injustice system is one of the
most pressing problems that our movement must fight. Mail is our primary
method of communication between prisoners and the outside, and also
between prisoners in different institutions as our newsletters share
news from across the country. This is why we need legal fighters, both
behind bars and on the streets. Get in touch with us if you can help
take these censorship cases to court.
I would just like to educate those who hope to be released from
SHU/Ad-Seg. STG kickouts are a sham! Rope to hang yourself is what it
should be called. I am validated and was excited to be given a “chance”
to go to mainline, but I lasted one week and am back in Ad-Seg. During
that 1 week staff and gang units harassed me, searched my cell 3 times,
and told me they would be back until they “catch me slipping” and could
lock me back in SHU again.
I was told socializing with gang members is a violation, yet I’m GP
(General Population) so of course I socialize with the fellas around me.
I received a letter from a friend on the street who is from the same
neighborhood as me, so he closed the letter with our street name. I was
told by gang units this was a violation and “promoting gangs”. Really?
So I must not speak to friends I grew up with because CDCR says so?
Anyway, myself and a few others did not last more than days and we are
now under investigation (for what? I’ve no clue). So for those of you
who are active as I am, I wish you luck if you can actually go to the
line without dropping out and not coming back. STG kickouts were not
designed for us actives.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We believe the program this prisoner
writes about is the same as the
new
STG Step Down program in California. We have reported from others
that this is a revolving door that will not really address the problem
of Security Threat Group validation, which locks prisoners up in
long-term isolation on flimsy “evidence” of membership in a lumpen
organization. The reality is, prisons target lumpen organizations out of
fear for what they represent. Organizations of the oppressed, many of
which get involved in some organizing against the criminal injustice
system, are a scary thing to the oppressors. And when these
organizations start coming together and building unity to fight broader
anti-imperialist battles, like has happened in California around the
July 8
hunger strike, this is even more dangerous for the system.
In 2001 at the Lynaugh Unit in Fort Stockton while at medical out in the
cage “outside waiting” a man came out of medical and turned around and
hit the door, then fell out. The guard kicked the man and told him to go
to his cell. Then the guard kicked him once more and told him once more
to go to his cell. The man was dead! He had gone to medical to complain
about chest pain. The doctor and nurse checked him out and told him that
nothing was wrong. This is due to the lack of real medical attention
given in prison.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Medical neglect is a serious problem in
Amerikan prisons. While the government reports deaths in custody, they
do not report how many of those were avoidable. Under Lock &
Key reports many deaths as well as cases of medical neglect that do
not immediately lead to death, but we only cover a small number of the
incidents. Exposing this abuse is a critical element in our fight
against the criminal injustice system. We need to share this information
both with other prisoners and with people on the streets, and urge them
to think about why we have a prison system that wants to let people die
of neglect. This is not a system trying to rehabilitate people, it is a
system of social control, serving imperialism.
by a North Carolina prisoner August 2013 permalink
On August 2nd my old cellmate had only been here 5 days and within those
5 days the pigs were really messing with him. Then on the 2nd they told
him they were moving him, just to move an inmate across the hall into
his cell. They were going to move him to the end of the hall in a sally
port with a prisoner who had feces smeared on his cell wall and old food
in his cell. Before the move he asked to see the Sgt/Lt, but was told
no, pack up or they would pack his stuff.
After moving he and I were at recreation call and we, along with one
other prisoner, refused to lock up until the Lt/Captain came down. When
she came I locked up. As she approached his sally port she asked what
the smell was. He explained. They got the prisoner out of his cell and
janitors bleached and removed all the items from the cell, and after the
weekend on 8/5 he was moved to another cell.
Had we not stood our ground that prisoner’s cell would still be covered
in feces. The pigs knew this and were doing nothing. All of the H-Con
staff here at Polk Incorrectional institution just didn’t care, and went
even further to harass a prisoner who they thought they could take
advantage of due to his health (he just had surgery on his foot to
reattach bones and replace a steel rod after PERT team pigs shattered it
during an assault using excessive use of force a few months back). We
need more times of unity like this in North Carolina prisons.
MIM(Prisons) adds: This is a small example of prisoners uniting
for common cause. And this is a good start to building the broader unity
that is necessary for the
United
Front for Peace that will build the power and strength of the
anti-imperialist movement behind bars.
I would like to respond to an article on page 8 of ULK33:
Rats
Undermine United Front. The brother who sent that in to you should
be on something other than what he spoke about. I feel he should’ve been
informing you about how these pigs down here continue to bring us cold
food in lockup. How they mistreat Muslims during Ramadan and all
throughout their stay here as far as how they are fed. It is so
ridiculous how they so blatantly give you cold half-cooked, sometimes
spoiled beans and a funky crusty peanut butter sandwich in place of a
“pork-free” meal. There’s a sign posted in all the chow halls that says
“drink at your own risk” when it comes to the juice. They put this
poison out on the tables knowing that the majority of the offender
population is more than likely going to drink it. We are not getting the
proper portions, or enough to eat.
When you write a grievance and a step 2 followup, you get some type of
frivolous disposition back on it. I have several grievances from
different offices, all with the same disposition on them. It is as if
the employees are trained with what to write on the back on the
grievances. And they always side with the guilty officer.
Also, a female guard or nurse has power. Especially in these little hick
and country-ass towns, where they wish a muthafucka would get out of
line. Don’t matter what color you are. When they get thru beatin’ you
half to death, behind something some female said, you’ll more than
likely be beat blue. I’ve seen it at least fifty times. I even had a
woman lie on me and say that I had threatened her physically, from
behind two closed and locked doors. The warden looked at her like she
was crazy and let me make it. I was just blessed to be in the presence
of a warden who knows the game.
The article should have also talked about how we get charged $100 every
year for medical, but they don’t pay us for working or provide a way for
us to work the $100 off. Also, we only get $50 when we leave, and $50
when we go report. If you discharge they give you a whole hundred. Wow!
And the windbreakers they make us wear during the winter months, and
have the nerve to call it a coat. They work you in winter weather with
no thermal clothing, even though they have more than enough to issue
out.
Damn man, talk about the shit that’s really going on. The real shit. How
muthafukas came in gangsta-and-guerrilla, but leaving out like ginger
bread dolls. Yeah. And you all know who you are. You boys outta control
down here in the great state of Texas.
MIM(Prisons) responds: There are a few points in this letter that
need a response. First, we’re not sure exactly what issue the author is
taking with the original article in ULK where another prisoner
wrote about how rats working for the prison were undermining his United
Front work. It sounds like this prisoner thinks that’s not important,
but if we are going to fight these terrible conditions we need some
unity, and building a United Front across organizations is critical to
this battle. We can’t just write about the problems without also talking
about the solutions, or organizing successes and failures, and how to
build from there.
The point this writer raises about female prison staff is a good
demonstration of the gender oppression that happens in prison, that is
very different from what goes on on the streets. While biological men
generally have gender privilege relative to biological wimmin in
Amerika, there are some differences by nationality and also within
prison. In the prison situation, where most prisoners are men, female
prison workers can accuse those men of sexual misconduct and get them
beat or punished, without having to provide any proof. Further, numbers
from the Bureau of Justice Statistics demonstrate this power difference:
“Significantly, most perpetrators of staff sexual misconduct were female
and most victims were male: among male victims of staff sexual
misconduct, 69% of prisoners and 64% of jail inmates reported sexual
activity with female staff.”(1) Overall MIM(Prisons) sees gender
privilege as the norm for both men and wimmin in the First World,
relative to both men and wimmin in the Third World. But the abuse in
prisons should not be ignored.
On 8/13/2013 an offender who has severe breathing problems was pepper
sprayed in the face. I am sorry to say it took his life. On 8/14/2013 on
A3 in an isolation cell an offender had his hand in the door where the
hinges are. A guard, Mr. Wright, closed the door on his hand, cutting it
and breaking bones. I asked Mr. Wright about it and he said he did not
do it out of malicious intent. I was working as SSI all day and had to
clean up all the blood that was in the cell. A Sergeant came and told
Mr. Wright that he should be careful what he says in his report, and
ripped it up, and all morning the Sergeant helped him cover up the
incident.
From around 8am to 2:30pm I was out cleaning pod. I cleaned isolation
cells at 8am and again around 2pm on 8/14/2013. I heard them talk about
it all morning. They disrespect us, harm us, and when they do something
to us they high five each other. Their actions to fib on reports are
backed up by each other. How to ever catch them to tell the truth is a
major problem.
I am at a unit that violates multiple policies of its own. It hides its
actions and harms us in many ways. I started looking into the rules and
I am really not surprised at what I found. I have seen them handcuff and
beat one prisoner and they later on pepper sprayed another for having
his jacket on at pill call. I have filed multiple grievances and have
received no answer. We can’t defend ourselves at all without double
punishment due to the guards being one solid group that high five each
other after they beat us down. They do such mean things to us and get
away with it. These officials go out of their way to do mean things to
us. We are held in isolation for months even years even though we have
not broken any rules. How far must we bend before we get help from
outside?
One mailroom worker made sexual advances and I knew it was a setup so I
filed a grievance and sent a statement to the warden. A captain came and
I refused to be forced to write a statement for him so I wrote him up.
On the grievance response it stated that my verbal statement was
different than my written statement. But I gave no verbal statement. The
grievance investigator did not even investigate.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This prisoner is right that catching the
guards and exposing the truth is a major problem. This is part of the
important role played by Under Lock & Key: providing a
forum to expose guard brutality and abuse. By documenting these
incidents we can show that they are not just individual cases, but a
systematic part of the criminal injustice system, and something that we
must fight as a whole. Write to us with details about abuse in your
prison.
To help fight the grievance system, which denies prisoner’s an avenue to
appeal injustice and guard abuse, get involved in our
campaign to
demand grievances be addressed. There is already a petition for
Texas, and petitions exist for many other states as well. If we don’t
have a petition for your state we can send you a generic petition which
you can customize for your state.