nighthawk_75253
05-02-2002, 02:50 AM
UNCENSORED FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW
by Paul Colella
March 28 ? April 3, 2002
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/polunsky.jpg>
March 28
11:30 a.m. ? They haven?t served lunch yet which is usually served about 9:30 ? 10:00 a.m, so I asked the officer what was up. Turns out that population is on lockdown because two people were killed out there. Don?t know any details.
They served Chitown a disciplinary case this morning for threatening the mailroom lady supposedly on the 21st. So check it out. If it happened as they say on the 21st, why was the case held until now? He was made week 2 on 3-25-02 so now as we go into week 3 they will probably use the case to send him back to week 1, day 1. Is this dirty tactics? Of course it is. We decided to chill out to get off lockdown and they are going to use an old case to set him back. Devious I tell you. Just plain devious!!
They just came to take him to court on the shank case from last week. Of course they found him guilty and gave him 15 days cell restriction. He was already sent back to week 1, day 1 for it on the 20th.
March 29
Had a visit with my attorney today. Sgt. Ludwig came to get me with a camera. My lawyer was a bit amused (smile). Seems the state has filed its response to my federal Habeas Corpus. Now we must answer it. Of course the state disputed all of my claims which is their job. Knowing this, I still get despondent when I read their legal jargon because they make everything look hopeless. Oh well, we shall see what happens.
I?ve got a couple of things to address my friend asked about and I forgot to tell.
Yes, we did get our thermals back AFTER it warmed up. We on Level II and III still cannot buy them. We heard a rumor this warden was upset because they were taken without his approval. It was all Major Lester.
My friend asked about vents. There are vents in every cell; fans are what she meant by her question.
I said something to the effect ?in summer they must give us fans.? I was talking about our own fans, which we purchase in commissary. On Level II and Level III we can only have our fans in the summer months. Since they have covered up some of the electrical outlets we have no place to plug our fans in, when they pass them out. So they will say ?We gave them their fans.? We shall see how it plays out.
She also asked what I mean when I say a guard has a smart mouth. These are guards who speak down to us, call us names or act very self-righteous. It is common for an officer to call someone a bitch or a punk, which is a bad insult in prison.
An example, one guard was passing out juice at mealtime. He ran out and had to go fill up the pitcher again. On his way back he said: ?If it was up to me you punks wouldn?t get juice.? This is a smart mouth officer. There aren?t a lot but there are some.
March 30
Well March is about at an end. I?ve had quite a few letters about the protests out front and a lot of worries that once they have ended those things will die down. I hope that this is not the case. I know there was supposedly a prison board meeting yesterday. I tried to get a letter (see enclosed) out three times this week through the mailroom and each time it was sent back. Once because I had it in a homemade envelope and two other times because it was with other mail that come back because the slip wasn?t filled out ? but it was. Anyway, here is what I said, see end of ?Uncensored?.
The main thing is we can?t stop now through things in here are cool for the moment. The body can only stand so much till it needs rest.
But we really need you out there to continue on some level also, once a month outside, board meetings and executions.
Hopefully Nanon Williams idea come to life even thought it will make a lot mad here because it will make them take part or look really bad. I know that commissary rules some people's lives and I know between now and May many people will stock up if they are able,which kind of defeats the purpose, but at least they will take part. We will continue to do our part in some form or fashion, be it physical or filing grievances, writing letters, whatever, we will do something. And I will continue writing articles to awaken people to the injustices inside prisons and death rows.
I need statistics any and all about prisons, crime, juveniles in trouble (boys/girls), any prison stats at all, crime rates, whatever. I just need reference material. There are also several books I?d like to get my hands on. If you can help, Email Sabine at no.conditions@telweb.at or sabine@deathrow.at to find out what I need. I would really appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.
I keep getting more and more questions, which are very welcome because I want everyone to have a full understanding of this place.
Tours of Death Row: I?m not sure how or why they are set up or even allowed. We see a lot of college-aged kids on some of them, like a damn school field trip or something. Sometimes its men and women in suits. I know at one time Karen Sebung and some other activists came through. So maybe she could tell how it is arranged.
A lot of times we will yell to get their attention to see where they are from but we are ignored. They always stay outside the sections. Then there are the tours of new officers on Job Training.
Food loaf: Food loaf is given if we jack the tray, spoon, food slot or throw food, water, pee or poo poo.
Food loaf consists of cornmeal and whatever food is at the meal, all mixed up and baked into a small loaf about 6 inches long, 2 inches high. It usually has corn beans, ground meat (mystery meat), broccoli stems or cut up lunchmeat or hot dogs. Breakfast is cornmeal, raisins, grits and sometimes fruit. Food loaf is given for seven days at a time. No more than two seven-day periods with a 24-hour break between. So it can be given for 14 days, a 24-hour break on the 8th day which three hot meals are given.
Now they are made daily, but at one time they would be made one time a month and frozen, reheated as needed. At that time they were terrible. BD and me were on them 14 days straight and I lost 7 lbs because they were so nasty we couldn?t eat them.
10:12 p.m. ? I don?t know what they did to my ribs but they still hurt when I breathe deep or move just the right way. I?ll have to try and see a doctor Monday. It will probably take an act of congress to get it done. I showed my lawyer my toe yesterday, which is still bruised a bit, and it?s been nine days. It?s still a little sore too but not as bad as my ribs.
Once again I?d like to say: Any questions and comments are welcome.
Container restriction: We can have no containers, no cups, jars, bottles, and bowls. This means we get no beverages at meal, any juice, coffee or milk or cereal, which comes in a disposable bowl. Container restriction is for 30 days anytime we throw anything on an officer, water, pee, poo poo or food. While on container restriction all we have to drink is water from the sink.
April 1
8:30 a. m. ? April fools day! Wonder what the trickster has in store for us today. Me, Rick and Chi Town are supposed to advance to week 3 today. We have been on lockdown status for 52 days now.
I found out a couple of things last night that really pissed me off. It's always been when a person here gets an execution date, 30 days before his date, his restrictions and punishments are set aside. He could have weekly visits with his family, spend his Dollars on commissary, listen to his radio, etc.
I found out last night that is not the case here. No compassion, no sympathy, and no leniency for a man about to die. Gerald Tigner was kept on Level III until the day he died. He couldn't see his son or his father except for his last 2 days alive.
Now Brian Davis faces the same thing. He is on Level II, which means from now to May 7 he can have 4 visits. Only two people at a time. He could have had seven. He has two sons and a fairly large family and several friends who wish to see him before he is murdered, but because of a vindictive major who runs classification like a twisted sadistic Hitler incarnate, Brian will only be able to see a few of the many.
This execution date is a serious one because his attorneys missed a crucial deadline which procedurally bars him from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ? more than likely my friend, my brother will die on May 7th, and these uncompassionate, unsympathetic, sadistic bastards limit the time he can spend with his family. And people still wonder why we raise hell. Well I wonder why more don?t raise hell because one day it could be them, and then you might not be able to see them before they are murdered.
Brian has 36 days to live ?
4:18 a.m. ? Since being on Death Row I?ve met one of the most hateful person I?ve ever seen. I?ve only seen him talk rationally to a few people, everybody else is cussed out. The word that describes him is misanthrope, which is a person who hates and distrusts mankind. I wont put his name because it may hurt his case, but what make me write about him are his tirades early morning.
RATED R LANGUAGE
3:42 a.m. April 1, 2002
I awoke to yelling and screaming: ?You racist ?black-homosexual-organized-militant-dick sucking dog. I?ll cut your god damn throat. You brown skin mexican trash ? white skin devil ? take that and stick it in your stinky ass ? I?ll blow your goddamn head off. I?ll kill your black racist ass. All you black skin ? white skin ? brown skin ? homosexuals and the system knows your kind. I aint your colour or your kind white boy. So don?t try and talk to me. I don?t want your racist ass talking to me, you black skinned nigger.
Over and over and over and over the tirade goes. It doesn?t matter if you have ever spoken to him, if you are new or old to death row. He will cuss you out. White, black, mexican, it doesn?t matter to him. It?s gotten worse over the years but he has always been like that. I?ve seen him deteriorate, though, especially since coming here to Polunsky. He never comes out of his cell for recreation and rarely showers. I?ve seen times they have come to get him for a visit and he refuses. He is definitely suffering from some kind of sickness. What it is I have no idea.
April 2
10:37 a.m. ? Is this crazy or what? Yesterday around 2-2:30 T calls the Sgt. to his cell and asks to be put on food loaf. The Sgt. looks at him a bit funny and says why. T replies: ?Because I?m hungry,? so the Sgt., Sgt. Thompson, says he will go talk to the Lt. about it. So he leaves and doesn?t return. When supper is served T asks Sgt. Flotea to check with Sgt. Thompson and see what the deal is. Finally he just refuses to return his tray so they put him on food loaf.
It seems the quantity of food has gone back down. Since I?ve been on lockdown eating Johnnies, I hadn?t been keeping up with the trays, but I?ve now asked, and it like I said: portions again declined. Soulja is also talking about getting put on food loaf. It may not taste all that good but it is filling. I shouldn?t say that now. They?ll cut the loaf portions down. It?s a damn shame a man would choose to accept a form of punishment in order to get full.
Me, Rick and Chi Town were made week 3 late yesterday. So we got a supper tray. It was cold and nasty. Some kind of BBG Pork and Chicken mix, black eye peas, sweet potatoes, green beans and a hot dog bun, which was stale. We told them damn that, give us our Johnnies. Pitiful isn?t it?
6:30 p.m. ? Once again I must say something that I shouldn?t have to. I don?t care if people believe my reports of abuse, because I tell the truth, and it?s a person?s choice to believe or not. Again I?ve gotten feedback that we?re having fun. Who ever is saying it must be an idiot. There?s no fun getting smashed by 5 guards in riot gear. Every movement, protest or revolution has to start somewhere. There will always be those who are pro government or pro administration. But what just amazes me is why would anyone here undermine a movement or a protest that may eventually better the conditions we live in.
Lets just say hypothetically we are having fun. So what! What difference would it make to the eventual outcome?
We are definitely troublemakers. There is no doubt about that. But one has to be a troublemaker to raise hell. You can?t be good and protest at the level we have. It?s impossible. So there is no denying that. (frown). It is a damn shame we must be troublemakers. We shouldn?t have to always go to extremes.
April 3
Yahooo! We?re off of lockdown. For lunch there were 2 pieces of chicken, which is highly unusual, beans, beans, potatoes and 2 bread.
Wouldn?t you know it, there are a bunch of people from Huntsville touring the unit and investigating the stabbing out in general population.
I also talked to an officer that was on the team the day Beard used my head for a punching ball and he said it was caught on tape, the extreme use of force they used, and that its being investigated, which I don?t really understand. If you have something like that caught on tape what is there to investigate? It's right there on tape. Now punish those responsible. That?s the bottom line. It amazes me every time about that kind of comment. But it?s typical Texas for you.
I filed a grievance about the Level III prisoners not getting hygiene, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. They sent it back saying I already filed my 1 grievance for the week. I haven?t filed any at all. Just another run around.
Okay folks. I?ll get this one out to you.
Stay strong, stand tall
Be proud.
In struggle and solidarity
Paul Colella
# 999045
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA
paul@deathrow.at
PS: They never followed up on the threatening case on Chi Town. It was BS anyway!
To Mister Gary Johnson/Prison Board Members
My name is Paul Colella. I have been on Death Row for almost 10 years. The first seven years I was on Ellis One Unit where I was on and off work capable status. I had many things to occupy my mind and my hands. I could attend religious services and go out to recreate with others or sit in my cell do crafts or watch television.
I am sure you are aware that Death Row has always been more relaxed than general population. Death Row has less staff and offender assaults, less percent of disciplinary violations than any other part of TDC.
Overall behaviour exhibited by Death Row is passive because we have a lot more to deal with emotionally as well as legally. The majority of Death Row inmates have in the past set aside racial disparities, rivalries between gangs and even discourage predatory inmates which are common in general population who take advantage of other inmates.
Those who had the opportunity to work in the garment factory/work program were issued a vanity of tools, 14 inch industrial shears, utility knifes, screw drivers and any other tools needed to do an assigned task.
In all that time the garment factory was open, not one incident occurred where a weapon was used, and there were only two fights, neither of which involved a staff member. We interacted with officers on a daily basis.
There were never fights at religious services, and even thought fights did occur in group recreation, there were not as many as one would think.
Arts and crafts were an important part of my life, because it let me create, use my hands in a constructive way. I would spend up to ten hours a day just doing crafts. Television, recreation and work took up the rest of my time.
In the move to Polunsky all this was stripped from me. I am now housed in a building designed specifically for punishment. Those who were housed here before us were here as punishment.
Personally I am at my wits end. Though I can still think and communicate, intelligently I feel myself slipping. I have gotten into more trouble the last 2 ½ years than in 15 years of prison time. Simply because there?s nothing else to do.
I have nothing to occupy myself with. My hands and mind are idle. I have no spiritual fellowship. Religious services consists of a volunteer coming to my cell for a quick prayer, so my thirst for understanding the Word is denied.
Crafts are nil. The pencils and watercolors sold on commissary are the same given to kindergarten children. There?s no reason I shouldn?t be allowed to order good quality color/drawing pencils, drawing paper, watercolors or even other crafts that we were once allowed. If someone abuses the privilege then suspend it for that individual, but give us at least a chance, and I?m almost sure you would not see many abuse the privileges.
Many crafts would not be a threat to security or safety. Since being here we have watched millions of dollars spent on more security measures like the stun fence, metal grates over the lights, steel bars/padlocks on pipe chases and alarm systems, so the possibility of using a craft item to escape is nil. I think its obvious that Death Row history shows that crafts are not a threat to the safety of staff. Contrary. In letting Death Row have crafts it would give the inmates something to do beside getting into trouble.
90 % of population has access to television, all except those being punished, but even some troublesome general population on close custody have TV. It is said Death Row is not under punitive segregation. Then we should also have television.
Mr. Johnson, members of the board, we?re going crazy over here. I think you realize. Death Row is not a threat it's made out to be. Statistics prove that.
Give us something to do. Something to occupy our minds and our hands. Even if a work program cannot be opened right now, crafts, television and religious services should be reinstated. There?s absolutely no reason not to. Please, your cooperation would be so much appreciated.
Respectfully requested
Paul Colella
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/paul1.jpg>
Paul Colella # 999045
<
by Paul Colella
March 28 ? April 3, 2002
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/polunsky.jpg>
March 28
11:30 a.m. ? They haven?t served lunch yet which is usually served about 9:30 ? 10:00 a.m, so I asked the officer what was up. Turns out that population is on lockdown because two people were killed out there. Don?t know any details.
They served Chitown a disciplinary case this morning for threatening the mailroom lady supposedly on the 21st. So check it out. If it happened as they say on the 21st, why was the case held until now? He was made week 2 on 3-25-02 so now as we go into week 3 they will probably use the case to send him back to week 1, day 1. Is this dirty tactics? Of course it is. We decided to chill out to get off lockdown and they are going to use an old case to set him back. Devious I tell you. Just plain devious!!
They just came to take him to court on the shank case from last week. Of course they found him guilty and gave him 15 days cell restriction. He was already sent back to week 1, day 1 for it on the 20th.
March 29
Had a visit with my attorney today. Sgt. Ludwig came to get me with a camera. My lawyer was a bit amused (smile). Seems the state has filed its response to my federal Habeas Corpus. Now we must answer it. Of course the state disputed all of my claims which is their job. Knowing this, I still get despondent when I read their legal jargon because they make everything look hopeless. Oh well, we shall see what happens.
I?ve got a couple of things to address my friend asked about and I forgot to tell.
Yes, we did get our thermals back AFTER it warmed up. We on Level II and III still cannot buy them. We heard a rumor this warden was upset because they were taken without his approval. It was all Major Lester.
My friend asked about vents. There are vents in every cell; fans are what she meant by her question.
I said something to the effect ?in summer they must give us fans.? I was talking about our own fans, which we purchase in commissary. On Level II and Level III we can only have our fans in the summer months. Since they have covered up some of the electrical outlets we have no place to plug our fans in, when they pass them out. So they will say ?We gave them their fans.? We shall see how it plays out.
She also asked what I mean when I say a guard has a smart mouth. These are guards who speak down to us, call us names or act very self-righteous. It is common for an officer to call someone a bitch or a punk, which is a bad insult in prison.
An example, one guard was passing out juice at mealtime. He ran out and had to go fill up the pitcher again. On his way back he said: ?If it was up to me you punks wouldn?t get juice.? This is a smart mouth officer. There aren?t a lot but there are some.
March 30
Well March is about at an end. I?ve had quite a few letters about the protests out front and a lot of worries that once they have ended those things will die down. I hope that this is not the case. I know there was supposedly a prison board meeting yesterday. I tried to get a letter (see enclosed) out three times this week through the mailroom and each time it was sent back. Once because I had it in a homemade envelope and two other times because it was with other mail that come back because the slip wasn?t filled out ? but it was. Anyway, here is what I said, see end of ?Uncensored?.
The main thing is we can?t stop now through things in here are cool for the moment. The body can only stand so much till it needs rest.
But we really need you out there to continue on some level also, once a month outside, board meetings and executions.
Hopefully Nanon Williams idea come to life even thought it will make a lot mad here because it will make them take part or look really bad. I know that commissary rules some people's lives and I know between now and May many people will stock up if they are able,which kind of defeats the purpose, but at least they will take part. We will continue to do our part in some form or fashion, be it physical or filing grievances, writing letters, whatever, we will do something. And I will continue writing articles to awaken people to the injustices inside prisons and death rows.
I need statistics any and all about prisons, crime, juveniles in trouble (boys/girls), any prison stats at all, crime rates, whatever. I just need reference material. There are also several books I?d like to get my hands on. If you can help, Email Sabine at no.conditions@telweb.at or sabine@deathrow.at to find out what I need. I would really appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.
I keep getting more and more questions, which are very welcome because I want everyone to have a full understanding of this place.
Tours of Death Row: I?m not sure how or why they are set up or even allowed. We see a lot of college-aged kids on some of them, like a damn school field trip or something. Sometimes its men and women in suits. I know at one time Karen Sebung and some other activists came through. So maybe she could tell how it is arranged.
A lot of times we will yell to get their attention to see where they are from but we are ignored. They always stay outside the sections. Then there are the tours of new officers on Job Training.
Food loaf: Food loaf is given if we jack the tray, spoon, food slot or throw food, water, pee or poo poo.
Food loaf consists of cornmeal and whatever food is at the meal, all mixed up and baked into a small loaf about 6 inches long, 2 inches high. It usually has corn beans, ground meat (mystery meat), broccoli stems or cut up lunchmeat or hot dogs. Breakfast is cornmeal, raisins, grits and sometimes fruit. Food loaf is given for seven days at a time. No more than two seven-day periods with a 24-hour break between. So it can be given for 14 days, a 24-hour break on the 8th day which three hot meals are given.
Now they are made daily, but at one time they would be made one time a month and frozen, reheated as needed. At that time they were terrible. BD and me were on them 14 days straight and I lost 7 lbs because they were so nasty we couldn?t eat them.
10:12 p.m. ? I don?t know what they did to my ribs but they still hurt when I breathe deep or move just the right way. I?ll have to try and see a doctor Monday. It will probably take an act of congress to get it done. I showed my lawyer my toe yesterday, which is still bruised a bit, and it?s been nine days. It?s still a little sore too but not as bad as my ribs.
Once again I?d like to say: Any questions and comments are welcome.
Container restriction: We can have no containers, no cups, jars, bottles, and bowls. This means we get no beverages at meal, any juice, coffee or milk or cereal, which comes in a disposable bowl. Container restriction is for 30 days anytime we throw anything on an officer, water, pee, poo poo or food. While on container restriction all we have to drink is water from the sink.
April 1
8:30 a. m. ? April fools day! Wonder what the trickster has in store for us today. Me, Rick and Chi Town are supposed to advance to week 3 today. We have been on lockdown status for 52 days now.
I found out a couple of things last night that really pissed me off. It's always been when a person here gets an execution date, 30 days before his date, his restrictions and punishments are set aside. He could have weekly visits with his family, spend his Dollars on commissary, listen to his radio, etc.
I found out last night that is not the case here. No compassion, no sympathy, and no leniency for a man about to die. Gerald Tigner was kept on Level III until the day he died. He couldn't see his son or his father except for his last 2 days alive.
Now Brian Davis faces the same thing. He is on Level II, which means from now to May 7 he can have 4 visits. Only two people at a time. He could have had seven. He has two sons and a fairly large family and several friends who wish to see him before he is murdered, but because of a vindictive major who runs classification like a twisted sadistic Hitler incarnate, Brian will only be able to see a few of the many.
This execution date is a serious one because his attorneys missed a crucial deadline which procedurally bars him from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ? more than likely my friend, my brother will die on May 7th, and these uncompassionate, unsympathetic, sadistic bastards limit the time he can spend with his family. And people still wonder why we raise hell. Well I wonder why more don?t raise hell because one day it could be them, and then you might not be able to see them before they are murdered.
Brian has 36 days to live ?
4:18 a.m. ? Since being on Death Row I?ve met one of the most hateful person I?ve ever seen. I?ve only seen him talk rationally to a few people, everybody else is cussed out. The word that describes him is misanthrope, which is a person who hates and distrusts mankind. I wont put his name because it may hurt his case, but what make me write about him are his tirades early morning.
RATED R LANGUAGE
3:42 a.m. April 1, 2002
I awoke to yelling and screaming: ?You racist ?black-homosexual-organized-militant-dick sucking dog. I?ll cut your god damn throat. You brown skin mexican trash ? white skin devil ? take that and stick it in your stinky ass ? I?ll blow your goddamn head off. I?ll kill your black racist ass. All you black skin ? white skin ? brown skin ? homosexuals and the system knows your kind. I aint your colour or your kind white boy. So don?t try and talk to me. I don?t want your racist ass talking to me, you black skinned nigger.
Over and over and over and over the tirade goes. It doesn?t matter if you have ever spoken to him, if you are new or old to death row. He will cuss you out. White, black, mexican, it doesn?t matter to him. It?s gotten worse over the years but he has always been like that. I?ve seen him deteriorate, though, especially since coming here to Polunsky. He never comes out of his cell for recreation and rarely showers. I?ve seen times they have come to get him for a visit and he refuses. He is definitely suffering from some kind of sickness. What it is I have no idea.
April 2
10:37 a.m. ? Is this crazy or what? Yesterday around 2-2:30 T calls the Sgt. to his cell and asks to be put on food loaf. The Sgt. looks at him a bit funny and says why. T replies: ?Because I?m hungry,? so the Sgt., Sgt. Thompson, says he will go talk to the Lt. about it. So he leaves and doesn?t return. When supper is served T asks Sgt. Flotea to check with Sgt. Thompson and see what the deal is. Finally he just refuses to return his tray so they put him on food loaf.
It seems the quantity of food has gone back down. Since I?ve been on lockdown eating Johnnies, I hadn?t been keeping up with the trays, but I?ve now asked, and it like I said: portions again declined. Soulja is also talking about getting put on food loaf. It may not taste all that good but it is filling. I shouldn?t say that now. They?ll cut the loaf portions down. It?s a damn shame a man would choose to accept a form of punishment in order to get full.
Me, Rick and Chi Town were made week 3 late yesterday. So we got a supper tray. It was cold and nasty. Some kind of BBG Pork and Chicken mix, black eye peas, sweet potatoes, green beans and a hot dog bun, which was stale. We told them damn that, give us our Johnnies. Pitiful isn?t it?
6:30 p.m. ? Once again I must say something that I shouldn?t have to. I don?t care if people believe my reports of abuse, because I tell the truth, and it?s a person?s choice to believe or not. Again I?ve gotten feedback that we?re having fun. Who ever is saying it must be an idiot. There?s no fun getting smashed by 5 guards in riot gear. Every movement, protest or revolution has to start somewhere. There will always be those who are pro government or pro administration. But what just amazes me is why would anyone here undermine a movement or a protest that may eventually better the conditions we live in.
Lets just say hypothetically we are having fun. So what! What difference would it make to the eventual outcome?
We are definitely troublemakers. There is no doubt about that. But one has to be a troublemaker to raise hell. You can?t be good and protest at the level we have. It?s impossible. So there is no denying that. (frown). It is a damn shame we must be troublemakers. We shouldn?t have to always go to extremes.
April 3
Yahooo! We?re off of lockdown. For lunch there were 2 pieces of chicken, which is highly unusual, beans, beans, potatoes and 2 bread.
Wouldn?t you know it, there are a bunch of people from Huntsville touring the unit and investigating the stabbing out in general population.
I also talked to an officer that was on the team the day Beard used my head for a punching ball and he said it was caught on tape, the extreme use of force they used, and that its being investigated, which I don?t really understand. If you have something like that caught on tape what is there to investigate? It's right there on tape. Now punish those responsible. That?s the bottom line. It amazes me every time about that kind of comment. But it?s typical Texas for you.
I filed a grievance about the Level III prisoners not getting hygiene, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. They sent it back saying I already filed my 1 grievance for the week. I haven?t filed any at all. Just another run around.
Okay folks. I?ll get this one out to you.
Stay strong, stand tall
Be proud.
In struggle and solidarity
Paul Colella
# 999045
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA
paul@deathrow.at
PS: They never followed up on the threatening case on Chi Town. It was BS anyway!
To Mister Gary Johnson/Prison Board Members
My name is Paul Colella. I have been on Death Row for almost 10 years. The first seven years I was on Ellis One Unit where I was on and off work capable status. I had many things to occupy my mind and my hands. I could attend religious services and go out to recreate with others or sit in my cell do crafts or watch television.
I am sure you are aware that Death Row has always been more relaxed than general population. Death Row has less staff and offender assaults, less percent of disciplinary violations than any other part of TDC.
Overall behaviour exhibited by Death Row is passive because we have a lot more to deal with emotionally as well as legally. The majority of Death Row inmates have in the past set aside racial disparities, rivalries between gangs and even discourage predatory inmates which are common in general population who take advantage of other inmates.
Those who had the opportunity to work in the garment factory/work program were issued a vanity of tools, 14 inch industrial shears, utility knifes, screw drivers and any other tools needed to do an assigned task.
In all that time the garment factory was open, not one incident occurred where a weapon was used, and there were only two fights, neither of which involved a staff member. We interacted with officers on a daily basis.
There were never fights at religious services, and even thought fights did occur in group recreation, there were not as many as one would think.
Arts and crafts were an important part of my life, because it let me create, use my hands in a constructive way. I would spend up to ten hours a day just doing crafts. Television, recreation and work took up the rest of my time.
In the move to Polunsky all this was stripped from me. I am now housed in a building designed specifically for punishment. Those who were housed here before us were here as punishment.
Personally I am at my wits end. Though I can still think and communicate, intelligently I feel myself slipping. I have gotten into more trouble the last 2 ½ years than in 15 years of prison time. Simply because there?s nothing else to do.
I have nothing to occupy myself with. My hands and mind are idle. I have no spiritual fellowship. Religious services consists of a volunteer coming to my cell for a quick prayer, so my thirst for understanding the Word is denied.
Crafts are nil. The pencils and watercolors sold on commissary are the same given to kindergarten children. There?s no reason I shouldn?t be allowed to order good quality color/drawing pencils, drawing paper, watercolors or even other crafts that we were once allowed. If someone abuses the privilege then suspend it for that individual, but give us at least a chance, and I?m almost sure you would not see many abuse the privileges.
Many crafts would not be a threat to security or safety. Since being here we have watched millions of dollars spent on more security measures like the stun fence, metal grates over the lights, steel bars/padlocks on pipe chases and alarm systems, so the possibility of using a craft item to escape is nil. I think its obvious that Death Row history shows that crafts are not a threat to the safety of staff. Contrary. In letting Death Row have crafts it would give the inmates something to do beside getting into trouble.
90 % of population has access to television, all except those being punished, but even some troublesome general population on close custody have TV. It is said Death Row is not under punitive segregation. Then we should also have television.
Mr. Johnson, members of the board, we?re going crazy over here. I think you realize. Death Row is not a threat it's made out to be. Statistics prove that.
Give us something to do. Something to occupy our minds and our hands. Even if a work program cannot be opened right now, crafts, television and religious services should be reinstated. There?s absolutely no reason not to. Please, your cooperation would be so much appreciated.
Respectfully requested
Paul Colella
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Paul Colella # 999045
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