2005. 20TH NOVEMBER
Much suppression & repression has taken place. This administration has done a fairly decent job of attacking my property to suppress my correspondence. To further suppress our voice, incoming & outgoing mail is being thrown away. When we mail our letters, we can’t seal the envelope, so mailroom staff may inspect the letters. And they’re inspecting them alright. None of my letters are of a threat to the safety & security, of this establishment, yet they throw it away. Their reasons are clear – they don’t want anybody to know about their retaliations. Ill be surprised if this entry makes it out. Because, as we know, this letter is a threat to the safety & security of this establishment But, the oppressors define the struggle right? It’s not enough that they are attacking our property, not allowing us to buy stamps for 30 days at a time, stopping incoming mail from those that support us in our cause, but they have gone as far as messing with our legal mail. This is mail they must open in our presence to only scan for contraband, yet they are opening it out of our presence.
This only reveals two thing: that we are obviously having an effect on them, and they have no qualms with violating our Federal & constitutional rights. The latter is no different than a parent catching their child rolling a joint – they must have done it before. For everything is too calculated to be coincidence. It’s no coincidence that our property is being attacked, that we’ve been place on “commissary restriction”, which amounts to “correspondence restriction” since all we can buy as level-3 prisoners is stamps, pencils, pens, paper and hygiene, and that all of a sudden our mail is not making it to its destination. Simple suppression. I, however, refuse to lose. My voice can’t be suppressed for ever. I equally have tricks up my sleeve.
Kangaroo Court.
The disciplinary hearings they dish us here is trash. I mean, they’re so absurd, that one has to laugh sometimes; but, can’t suppress those tears forever. People get tired of being mistreated. Oppression, injustice is based upon what the oppressed will accept.
And we won’t accept it no more. The following is one small example of what we are struggling against. On 11-20-05, Sunday evening, 2 officers knocked on my cage door & asked if I wanted to attend my disciplinary hearing. I always do. Despite its history of ruling against the prisoner irregardless the evidence, I know there’s power in truth. If I can continuously shed the light of truth on a hearing officer, that truth on a hearing officer, that truth may begin to penetrate through his shell of indifference, establishing more understanding than what existed before. If not this, my arguing my case if I have objections, or pleading guilty when I was wrong will at least reveal that I’m a principled man that will stand on what I believe. I was handcuffed and escorted to Lt. Sterns office, who was also the presiding disciplinary hearing officer. Sgt. Goins, an egotistical person, gave me a smirk that was telling of his scandalous history with me, and looked on as a spectator.
The case I was at this hearing for was written by officer Richmond. Ring a bell? The same officer that felt comfortable enough on the other side of my cage-door to call me a “lil ol’ bitch”! And he wrote me up on that same day, a bogus case for setting mattress stuffing, towels, and sheets on fire. It was clear retaliation for that 11-16-05 protest. Big Thank, Rest in Peace!!!! Lt. Stern asked for my plea & statement. I pled not guilty, and argued that the case, written on the day, I began my drive protest, was merely retaliatory. I told the Lt. of officer Richmond’s disrespect & provocation; then brought up these points: If officer Richmond knew that said items were being burned, where was the evidence? If said items were being burned, why didn’t he put out the fire as required of him, preserving evidence? And if evidence burned up, how did he know that said items were actually being burned? It was my word against his, yet Lt. Stern said he would take his officers word over a prisoners, and found me guilty. Lt. Stern, and for emphasis I will repeat, Lieutenant Stern, a supervisor, demonstrated the attitude of disciplinary hearings. The prisoner is in white – an untrustworthy criminal; whereas, the officer, the “gray-suits” are infallible. It’s a superficial process. They just go through the motions and it’s business as usual. Well it wasn’t this day. In non-violent protest of the complete process & unjust verdict, I refused to walk back to my cage. Sgt. Goins called for more officers to carry me back to my designated cage. As we waited for more officers to arrive, one officer saw me sitting in this office and peeked his head in to make the comment “stinky” to me, referring to an incident on 10-17-05 where Sgt. Goins, through my sit-in refusal to enter, forced-moved me into a cage with feces smeared on its walls. When I brought this violation up to the whole office, Sgt. Goins ordered an officer to take all my property out of my cage, and said to me, “You gon’ learn!” B their policy, the only way they are justified in taking a prisoners property is if it was used to “threaten the safety & security” of their establishement; neither of which I had done. And even if I had, they’re to provide me with clothing & security” of their establishment; neither of which I had done. And even if I had, they’re to provide me with clothing & hygiene substitutes. I verbalized this blatant violation, and Lt. Stern looked on indifferent.
Non-violence Effectiveness
Finally, a team of officers arrived, picked me up, placing me on a gurney, and rolled me back to the pod & section where I’ve been designated to live?!!! Though live I must. These officers then picked me up, carrying me up a flight of stairs to place me face down on the floor of my cage, handcuffed behind my back, before backing out my cage, and slamming my cage-door shut. Blam! The timing was right. Sgt. Goins was thinking through his ego. I knew if I gave him the opportunity, to exercise brutality against me in an attempt to discourage my comrades from continuing in this protest, he would seize it. I knew what was to come. Sgt. Goins would play into my hands. Sgt. Goins ordered me to get up & back to the cage-door so they could take the handcuffs off. I refused, remaining in the position they left me. Sgt. Goins, staying true to the nature of the sadist, suited up a 5-man response team, in full riot gear, acquired chemical agents, then ordered me to return cuffs. I could hear my comrade Gabriel yelling to me “they’re lined outside your door like they’re going to run in!” I responded, “this is a non-violent protest. I’m in the same position the officers left me, face-down on the floor, handcuffed behind my back, with my legs crossed!” Sgt. Goins made the same order, and I gave the same response. I was on the floor facing away from the cage-door. I heard Gabriel say, “Get ready, it looks like he’s fixin’ to gas you.” I took a deep breath, and Sgt. Goins maliciously sprayed me with chemical agents. I slowly let the air out my mouth, taking slow & deep breaths in through the nose. The gas was strong. I looked on the floor around me & it was wet with chemical agents. I carefully rolled over to one side, and got to one knee. By then, I could no longer see. My eyes were burning, and mucus began to run from my nose profusely. I kept my breath steady, not trying to cough, not trying to give my oppressors the satisfaction of seeing the gas effectiveness. Though the gas made me feel as if a vice-grip was clamping down on my lungs. I paused for effect. I got what I wanted – my video-taped proof of this administrations indifferent & malicious behavior. I then allowed the officers to unhandcuffed me. I went through their dehumanizing strip-search routine, was handcuffed again, and asked to go to my knees so they could shackle me. When they ordered me to my feet, I refused. They picked me up, and as they carried me to a clean cage, a few cages down, I protested their unwarranted spraying me & taking of all my property. They placed me in the cold cage in nothing more than the socks & boxers on my body.
I remained property less for a week. I couldn’t even write my lawyer, or notify my loved ones. It took from 11-20-05 to 12-13-05 for me to get my property back. These tactics didn’t suppress my voice nor discourage me. It made me stronger. It made us more determined. Though these practices have existed for a long time, these atrocities can never be vanquished unless The People are made aware of this systamized oppression perpetuated by this administration. This is why we say the Death Penalty is so inherently unjust, that anything associated with it will be equally unjust. It all operates through the same corrupted flow. From the Death Penalty application to the Death Row conditions. How can a dehumanizing process treat someone humanely?
Solidarity,
Omari Huduma, AKA
Reginald W. Blanton
999395/12 EF-83
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351