[UPDATE: Phone
Zap/Petition campaign targeted around 14 September
2020]
I would like to update you all on what’s been transpiring the last
month here in tekkk$a$. The last time i wrote i believe i mentioned my
organizing of a hunger strike. We were initially set for the national
date of Black August 21st through Bloody September 9th. However, due to
the advent of the social uprisings in the wake of George Floyd’s
lynching, We collectively decided to begin on the imperialist’s
independence day. Due to receiving word thru inmate moles and rats, the
Senior Warden Jimmy Smith, called one of our committee members out along
with another participant. This committee member laid our just demands
down. The most immediate of which was access to communication with loved
ones via telephones being put on each dayroom. (This is for
isolated-solitary-restrictive housing) and an alternative to visitation
(video visits) and TV for audio/video stimulation, rehabilitation,
education, cultural socialization classes or functions, and a clear path
for release from isolated solitary RHU confinement. In addition, there
were a few smaller, in-house demands. These were the main ones
though.
Of course the warden attempted to negotiate without us actually
striking. This was 1 July 2020. The committee member wasn’t hearing it.
On 2 July 2020 all phones (in general population) were suddenly out of
order. Of course this was a tactic by the fascist pig power structure to
keep this in house as much as possible. We committee members were ahead
of them; 2 weeks prior, we had provided 250 stamped envelopes, written
memos, and passed them out at 30 a piece on five out of six total pods.
These went out to an array of media outlets.
On 4 July 2020 we began with 141 hunger strike participants out of
about 600 prisoners on the building. This was a multi-national,
multi-organizational collective campaign. The committee is composed of 2
Chican@s, 1 New Afrikan and 1 Anglo-amerikan.
On 5 July 2020 Gang Investigators (G.I.) searched every strikers’
cell. It was merely an intimidation tactic, because all they did was
inventory the commissary for those who had any. 2 people ended their
strikes for the time being due to not wanting the G.I. in their cells.
So we were down to 139. By policy (Management of Offender Hunger Strike
G.53.3) after 72 hours (9 meals) without eating, a hunger strike becomes
“official.” This means medical will begin getting vital signs, urine
samples, and weight at this time.
On 7 July 2020 we all were supposed to be pulled out per policy.
However, on each pod, more than half of the strikers weren’t pulled out.
I wrote a grievance, and flooded the tier out that night. I was told
medical had to catch up on some people the next day. This was a lie. On
the next day, 8 July, i was still not on medical list, along with about
3 or 4 others on my pod. I can’t account for the other pods on that
date.
This refusal of medical was an administrative tactic utilized to:
discourage the participants, so that those of less determination
will quit our mission
To keep the reported numbers as small as possible. After 72 hours
the unit must report all the numbers to the prisonkkkrats in Huntsville
daily.
I scribed an urgent communique to others of the committee , and it
was then passed down to all the participants. The communique basically
outlined how we were to conduct our own independent 1095 for this
specific reason. It called on the people to stay encouraged, and also
our counter-tactics if/when such things continued.
On that same day, 8 July, I was in the dayroom for my out of cell
time. I hijacked the dayroom, forcing pigs to come down and speak to me
directly. A particular Sergeant whose pretty fair came down and i
informed him of the problem. A nurse, whose very favorable to prisoners
had previously informed me that Major Washington, an Uncle Tom, was in
charge of viewing security cameras to verify whether we were taking
trays. Therefore he was the one falsifying state documentation. I
informed the Sergeant of this directly. Also that there would be a mass
of LIDs (life in danger) filed on the Major and all rank who i’ve
informed who do nothing. The Sergeant took a list of each persyn who was
being neglected medical attention.
The next day, 9 July 2020, while in the dayroom again the nurse i
mentioned above informed me that i and the other comrades were still not
on the list. I was infuriated to say the least. All the day rooms were
hijacked. The Warden was on the building i was told, but eventually i
fell out. Upon this development, various ranking pigs, medical and other
pigs cautiously entered the dayroom while i lay motionless on the floor.
I hear SGT Barbara Atteberry threaten me while pulling her riot baton. I
hear a comrade who is known for severely hurting pigs threaten her in
return. The kkkaptives began going crazy. Burning things, flooding the
tier. The dayrooms is still hijacked and of course the shouting of
expletives is the soundtrack. After this reaction to her threatening me,
i guess Atteberry changed her mind. I was rolled out in a wheelchair,
when after finally getting my vitals taken, Atteberry told me i would be
going to suicide cell if i didn’t get off strike. I refused. Yet the
“pretty fair” Sergeant vetoed her decision and i was eventually put in
my cell. I told the pigs i wasn’t satisfied because there were others
who hadn’t been pulled out.
Later that day, certain committee members were pulled out,
“investigated” by regional Gang Investigators due to a pig and agent
provocateur-circulated rumor that a conspiracy to murder prison guards
in the “free world” and in the prison if we didn’t receive our demands
was in play.
On 10 July i was finally placed on the medical list. During this time
i’ve been denied books, letters, pictures, law library materials. Other
prisoners were being denied chronic medication such as blood pressure,
seizure meds, psych meds as long as they’re on strike.
Also around this time, we began being told that phones have been
approved. We’re skeptical of this information. I neglected to mention on
9 July at about 12 midnight nine pigs came to each door ordering those
with commissary to relinquish it or they would be taken off strike and
gassed. This was a Lt. Mason leading the charge, under orders from Head
Warden J. Smith. Most didn’t fall for the banana in the tail pipe and
gave up their commissary. We did lose 60 souljas however. This
reactionary tactic is of course outside of rules and regulations, not to
mention the sensory deprivation caused by the harassment of interrupting
sleep not 1, not 2, but 3 times to get one’s commissary finally at 5:00
AM.
We filed all manner of complaints, yet the admin dangled the
commissary in front of our faces saying “You’ll get it back when you get
off strike.” Most stayed on.
Fast forward to 23 July, we finally ended the strike in abeyance
after a diplomatic decision was reached within the Team One organization
and the committee met with J. Smith. We were given a communique on TDCJ
letterhead saying that TDCJ leadership was requesting phones in each RHU
dayroom statewide and video visits as an alternative for visits during
COVID. This is being requested to the TBCJ (Texas Board of Criminal
Justice), which meets every August to determine new board policy. Upon a
30-45 day abeyance we will re-assess our material conditions and if need
be implement stage 2 of our plan.
This is the short version of events. I want the comrades within the
walls to know that We truly have power in unity and determined action.
Comrades must also reach out to these support orgs and individuals.
Network. Get your voice and vision out there. In the words of Nas: “We
stronger now, my peoples the time is now!”
[24 July 2020 this comrade was rehoused where ey is further isolated
in a unit with active COVID cases and faced regular tampering of eir
mail since then.]
