nighthawk_75253
05-03-2002, 08:41 AM
UNCENSORED FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW
by Paul Colella
April 4 - 12, 2002
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/polunsky.jpg>
April 4
I turned in 2 grievances Monday morning. One was against the excessive use of force on me by the team March 20; the other was about Level III inmates not being allowed to buy soap, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/i127front.jpg>
Rules state we can only file one grievance per seven days. Use of force grievances don?t count against that. Well Monday night I got the one about soap etc. back in the mail, saying I could only file one a week,
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/i127.jpg>
so I put a note with it, saying I?ve only filed one, and use of force doesn?t count, and sent it back in. I received it back again this time for inappropriate/excessive attachments. They wish to play games now. So last night I wrote the warden a letter stating what had transpired, sent him the grievance and note and asked him if he could get it filed for me since the grievance office wouldn?t accept it from me, even though I?d followed all rules.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/zeller1.jpg>
I?ll let you know what happens.
There?s not much been going on. I?ll keep reporting, hope you all don?t get bored and lose interest (frown),
April 5
Spoke to another officer today who said the videotape had caught all the excessive force, everything. He also told me he thought the video camera operator that day, Officer Jordon, got chewed out by the major for some reason. I?m curious as to why. I am assuming because he caught it all. If you remember, the camera operators had been staying way back outside the cells on Use Of Forces, so I wonder if he was right on top of it.
I?m going to try and file charges on Officer Beard for assault. If that camera caught him, I have a case. These rogue brutality minded officers must go. It?s unnecessary and just causes more problems when an officer comes in swinging. Wish me luck. I?ll need it.
April 6
6:19 a.m. ? Recreation day for Level III cell restriction inmates. We all get our cell restriction lifted Monday because they have been screwing us over all this time.
The mailroom ladies are in such a hurry going through here, they have been missing people?s mail, refusing to wait on an officer to open the food slot to get mail that won?t fit under the door, because some of them don?t have mail slots as I?ve said before. So they just walk on by. They are being very malicious about it because it?s more work for them. They flat out, refused to wait for the officer to open Hank?s food slot to get his mail today. And it was legal documents.
6:40 a.m. - Recreation Time!
8:00 a.m. ? Okay, I am back. We were able to talk the officers into putting Chi Town and me on the rec. yards. Of course, we had to give our word for no trouble. Our word is of course gold because it?s all we have left, and they know it. Many do not have that pride and honor, but there are still some of us left.
Anyway, he and I had a chance to discuss the direction of our protest. In forcing the administration?s hand on some small trivial matters. We have shown you what extreme measures they will go to, and I don?t care what level we are on. If we were on level I and refused to come out and be harassed, the end result would be the same, of that there is no doubt what so ever. We are not sure why some level I inmates are disputing what we say, but to us, our whole purpose was to show unity and show others here there is hope for change. Many do see this, yet we are still divided and the administration loves it. As I have said many times this situation is bigger than any 1, 2 or 3 people. It?s bigger than F-Pod, F-Section. So now several others have planned a non-violent, non-aggressive protest, show of unity. We will definitely take part. We also spoke of a hunger strike but that?s yet to be decided yet.
Our small protests here on F-Pod have helped spark protests out there, which in turn helped spark protests by several level 1 prisoners, which will hopefully help to bring us all together under one flag to fight the unjust barbaric administration which keeps us oppressed and in despair.
Most prisoners here do not realize the effect this security-housing unit is having on them.
SHU syndrome ? Dr. Terry Kupers, who I spoke of before is a well known and respected psychiatrist who has studied the effects of jails and prisons since the mid 60s, wrote:
?EVERY prisoner placed in an environment as stressful as a supermax unit, whether especially prone to mental breakdown or seemingly very sane, eventually begins to lose touch with reality and exhibit some signs and symptoms of psychiatric decomposition, even if the symptoms do not qualify for a diagnosis of psychosis.?
He says EVERY PRISONER. I?ve seen it all around me. Men are becoming reclusive, not showering or recreating, not being able to sleep, screaming and yelling at all hours, sleeping 18-20 hours a day, slinging shit, getting in trouble just to have human contact.
I can write all day, every day and try to explain how it?s affecting us, but there?s no possible way for anyone to really understand the hell, the feelings of loneliness and despair, helplessness, isolation, or even the sheer joy of things that would probably not mean a lot to you. Yesterday they cut the grass outside our windows. There were some small pink flowers growing there which were just mowed down. I wanted to cry. Today it rained lightly and as I stood on a stack of books, looking out, I could smell faint whiffs of fresh cut grass. It overwhelmed me. I closed my eyes and just imagined walking barefoot through it. I actually felt the dampness of the rain and for a brief moment I escaped the reality, but when I opened my eyes and saw the window, ½ inch thick glass set in a 4 inch thick concrete wall, I fell into despair. How quick an emotion changes. Next time it sprinkles, go out barefoot and walk through the grass and think about your friend or loved one who cannot. Such a simple gesture, yet I desperately yearn for it.
What I was saying, though, is that a lot of prisoners here don?t realize what this environment is doing to them, and I will back any form of protest, any movement, that may help better this environment, and it doesn?t matter who starts it or who is involved. They will have my support and I?m sure Chi Town and Rick feel the same way. I only speak for them because we are close friends and I know them and how they think.
April 7
8:40 a.m. ? These people are some rotten dirty lowdown scoundrels. They have cut the size of the food loafs almost in half. Should have seen that coming. They just do not want to see a man with a full belly. This place is so screwed up. They feed breakfast at 3:14 a.m. here on F-Section, and we?re last to eat, so they had to have started on a section before 3 a.m. They came over here to serve lunch at 8:28 a.m. Again, they had to have started even earlier on A section. Breakfast at 3 a.m., lunch at 8 a.m., you tell me how screwed up this place is (frown).
April 8
There?s a lot going on. The mail room blazed through here this morning and missed one of my letters that was in fact in my mail slot, so there was no excuse at all.
We?re still having a hard time getting these security boxes clean. They are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Food is spilled in them; our dirty laundry must be put in them, shoes when we?re shaken down. I?ve talked to all the rank about it and every one passes the buck.
Still no reply from the warden about that grievance they kept sending back.
They have been keeping all of the relaxed officers working back here. But the other day Beard was working in here. Nothing was said. Nothing needs to be said.
April 10
7:00 a.m. ? Our first time of regular recreation. Officers came and woke us up to see if we were going to recreate. Of course. Turns out that they screwed Soulja over and didn?t let him off restriction as they did everyone else, so he is a bit upset, as he should be. Anyway, then they came back around and said they were only going to recreate one at a time, even though there are three empty dayrooms. I guess they are scared (smile). They don?t want us all out in the dayrooms at one time, because they think we?ll jack the dayrooms. Oh well, its just more work for them in the long run, which is just fine by me.
I may have mentioned this already. Here is an inter-office communication from Penny Long, mail room supervisor.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/mailroom.jpg>
It?s pretty much self-explanatory. What she is is sick. There is only one bodily fluid she could be speaking about and most of us have no desire to play in it.
I wrote and explained to the warden (Massey) that if you cut off several envelope flaps, soak them in a bit of water, you have glue. I know several of you have received homemade cards from your friends here. Well this ignorant sick woman is trying to stop even this small bit of creativity.
?NO, INMATE, YOU CANNOT USE YOUR MIND IN ANY CREATIVE MANNER.?
They try to quash every little form of creativity, no matter how trivial.
April 12
I?ll be dammed if the warden didn?t shoot my grievance back.
I am enclosing it just so that everyone can see what changes we go through on such simple issues.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/zeller.jpg>
Other than that, there is nothing going on. So I?ll go for this time.
In struggle and solidarity
Paul Colella
# 999045
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA
paul@deathrow.at
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/paul1.jpg>
Paul Colella # 999045
by Paul Colella
April 4 - 12, 2002
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/polunsky.jpg>
April 4
I turned in 2 grievances Monday morning. One was against the excessive use of force on me by the team March 20; the other was about Level III inmates not being allowed to buy soap, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/i127front.jpg>
Rules state we can only file one grievance per seven days. Use of force grievances don?t count against that. Well Monday night I got the one about soap etc. back in the mail, saying I could only file one a week,
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/i127.jpg>
so I put a note with it, saying I?ve only filed one, and use of force doesn?t count, and sent it back in. I received it back again this time for inappropriate/excessive attachments. They wish to play games now. So last night I wrote the warden a letter stating what had transpired, sent him the grievance and note and asked him if he could get it filed for me since the grievance office wouldn?t accept it from me, even though I?d followed all rules.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/zeller1.jpg>
I?ll let you know what happens.
There?s not much been going on. I?ll keep reporting, hope you all don?t get bored and lose interest (frown),
April 5
Spoke to another officer today who said the videotape had caught all the excessive force, everything. He also told me he thought the video camera operator that day, Officer Jordon, got chewed out by the major for some reason. I?m curious as to why. I am assuming because he caught it all. If you remember, the camera operators had been staying way back outside the cells on Use Of Forces, so I wonder if he was right on top of it.
I?m going to try and file charges on Officer Beard for assault. If that camera caught him, I have a case. These rogue brutality minded officers must go. It?s unnecessary and just causes more problems when an officer comes in swinging. Wish me luck. I?ll need it.
April 6
6:19 a.m. ? Recreation day for Level III cell restriction inmates. We all get our cell restriction lifted Monday because they have been screwing us over all this time.
The mailroom ladies are in such a hurry going through here, they have been missing people?s mail, refusing to wait on an officer to open the food slot to get mail that won?t fit under the door, because some of them don?t have mail slots as I?ve said before. So they just walk on by. They are being very malicious about it because it?s more work for them. They flat out, refused to wait for the officer to open Hank?s food slot to get his mail today. And it was legal documents.
6:40 a.m. - Recreation Time!
8:00 a.m. ? Okay, I am back. We were able to talk the officers into putting Chi Town and me on the rec. yards. Of course, we had to give our word for no trouble. Our word is of course gold because it?s all we have left, and they know it. Many do not have that pride and honor, but there are still some of us left.
Anyway, he and I had a chance to discuss the direction of our protest. In forcing the administration?s hand on some small trivial matters. We have shown you what extreme measures they will go to, and I don?t care what level we are on. If we were on level I and refused to come out and be harassed, the end result would be the same, of that there is no doubt what so ever. We are not sure why some level I inmates are disputing what we say, but to us, our whole purpose was to show unity and show others here there is hope for change. Many do see this, yet we are still divided and the administration loves it. As I have said many times this situation is bigger than any 1, 2 or 3 people. It?s bigger than F-Pod, F-Section. So now several others have planned a non-violent, non-aggressive protest, show of unity. We will definitely take part. We also spoke of a hunger strike but that?s yet to be decided yet.
Our small protests here on F-Pod have helped spark protests out there, which in turn helped spark protests by several level 1 prisoners, which will hopefully help to bring us all together under one flag to fight the unjust barbaric administration which keeps us oppressed and in despair.
Most prisoners here do not realize the effect this security-housing unit is having on them.
SHU syndrome ? Dr. Terry Kupers, who I spoke of before is a well known and respected psychiatrist who has studied the effects of jails and prisons since the mid 60s, wrote:
?EVERY prisoner placed in an environment as stressful as a supermax unit, whether especially prone to mental breakdown or seemingly very sane, eventually begins to lose touch with reality and exhibit some signs and symptoms of psychiatric decomposition, even if the symptoms do not qualify for a diagnosis of psychosis.?
He says EVERY PRISONER. I?ve seen it all around me. Men are becoming reclusive, not showering or recreating, not being able to sleep, screaming and yelling at all hours, sleeping 18-20 hours a day, slinging shit, getting in trouble just to have human contact.
I can write all day, every day and try to explain how it?s affecting us, but there?s no possible way for anyone to really understand the hell, the feelings of loneliness and despair, helplessness, isolation, or even the sheer joy of things that would probably not mean a lot to you. Yesterday they cut the grass outside our windows. There were some small pink flowers growing there which were just mowed down. I wanted to cry. Today it rained lightly and as I stood on a stack of books, looking out, I could smell faint whiffs of fresh cut grass. It overwhelmed me. I closed my eyes and just imagined walking barefoot through it. I actually felt the dampness of the rain and for a brief moment I escaped the reality, but when I opened my eyes and saw the window, ½ inch thick glass set in a 4 inch thick concrete wall, I fell into despair. How quick an emotion changes. Next time it sprinkles, go out barefoot and walk through the grass and think about your friend or loved one who cannot. Such a simple gesture, yet I desperately yearn for it.
What I was saying, though, is that a lot of prisoners here don?t realize what this environment is doing to them, and I will back any form of protest, any movement, that may help better this environment, and it doesn?t matter who starts it or who is involved. They will have my support and I?m sure Chi Town and Rick feel the same way. I only speak for them because we are close friends and I know them and how they think.
April 7
8:40 a.m. ? These people are some rotten dirty lowdown scoundrels. They have cut the size of the food loafs almost in half. Should have seen that coming. They just do not want to see a man with a full belly. This place is so screwed up. They feed breakfast at 3:14 a.m. here on F-Section, and we?re last to eat, so they had to have started on a section before 3 a.m. They came over here to serve lunch at 8:28 a.m. Again, they had to have started even earlier on A section. Breakfast at 3 a.m., lunch at 8 a.m., you tell me how screwed up this place is (frown).
April 8
There?s a lot going on. The mail room blazed through here this morning and missed one of my letters that was in fact in my mail slot, so there was no excuse at all.
We?re still having a hard time getting these security boxes clean. They are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Food is spilled in them; our dirty laundry must be put in them, shoes when we?re shaken down. I?ve talked to all the rank about it and every one passes the buck.
Still no reply from the warden about that grievance they kept sending back.
They have been keeping all of the relaxed officers working back here. But the other day Beard was working in here. Nothing was said. Nothing needs to be said.
April 10
7:00 a.m. ? Our first time of regular recreation. Officers came and woke us up to see if we were going to recreate. Of course. Turns out that they screwed Soulja over and didn?t let him off restriction as they did everyone else, so he is a bit upset, as he should be. Anyway, then they came back around and said they were only going to recreate one at a time, even though there are three empty dayrooms. I guess they are scared (smile). They don?t want us all out in the dayrooms at one time, because they think we?ll jack the dayrooms. Oh well, its just more work for them in the long run, which is just fine by me.
I may have mentioned this already. Here is an inter-office communication from Penny Long, mail room supervisor.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/mailroom.jpg>
It?s pretty much self-explanatory. What she is is sick. There is only one bodily fluid she could be speaking about and most of us have no desire to play in it.
I wrote and explained to the warden (Massey) that if you cut off several envelope flaps, soak them in a bit of water, you have glue. I know several of you have received homemade cards from your friends here. Well this ignorant sick woman is trying to stop even this small bit of creativity.
?NO, INMATE, YOU CANNOT USE YOUR MIND IN ANY CREATIVE MANNER.?
They try to quash every little form of creativity, no matter how trivial.
April 12
I?ll be dammed if the warden didn?t shoot my grievance back.
I am enclosing it just so that everyone can see what changes we go through on such simple issues.
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/zeller.jpg>
Other than that, there is nothing going on. So I?ll go for this time.
In struggle and solidarity
Paul Colella
# 999045
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA
paul@deathrow.at
<http://www.deathrow.at/polunsky/news/paul1.jpg>
Paul Colella # 999045