My Rob just got sent back to Macomb Regional after a 3 week writ to court. He lost his original bunkee and got stuck with a man who won't speak with him. OMG is he ever uncomfortable. He says even the yards are split, with whites on one side and blacks on the other. I AM NOT A RACIST!!! And I find this behavior apawling. I gasp at the rediculous lines that are drawn for no real apparent reason. Whether it be my race against another or another against my race It is all too redicualous. He is a level 2 and most if not all the men around him are out real soon. They all have to live together despite their personal feelings. Why do some people purposely make their life and the lives around them more miserable than need be? My Rob is a super cool person who is liked by more then unliked. This person won't even give him a chance. What shallow individuals there are in this world. I am not here to step on any toes or start any conflicts or some stupid war against anything. I just wish PEOPLE would just get along!!!!! ALL PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Stacy

stacy i don't no what to tell last month my baby prison hat a rito and it was bad. i no my VATO WAS NOT INVOLE IN IT BECOS HE WAS TO CLOSE TO COME HOME. BUT U NO I THINK IT FOR THE BEST. A LOT OF PRISON ARE GET TOUGHT ON A LOT OF THINGS. GOOD LUCK STACY.
UR NO I BE PRAY FOR YALL.
MARILYN@ROBERTO IT CLOSE NEXT MONTH

TY marylyn God Bless

Some men just keep to themselves for many reasons. Maybe this new bunky will be Ok once he gets to know Rob. In the meantime, why doesn't Rob try to find someone he can move in with......most of the prisons are good about letting moves happen....they don't want to deal with conflict.

I don't understand the racial lines myself. I don't think I will ever understand "the way it is" in prison. I have even noticed that some of the c/o's often separate ppl in the visiting room!!

Maybe ONE day the people of this world will forget racial lines, but honestly I don't think that will happen until the Klingons land and everybody will band together against them.

Mrs. D

stacy that's how prison is, it's totally racist like that. And it extends to the CO's. The white CO's treat the black inmates differently than they do the white ones and vice versa. And besides being racist it's chauvinist. The male CO's don't want the female CO's there and as one of them told me 'it's a man's world in here'. Sometimes they make it hard on them.

CO's SURE ARE RACISTS :( BECAUSE THAT'S WHY I LOST MY VISITS WITH MY GUY! :( ME AND MY GUY DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT COLOR CODE THAT DAY! IMAGINE~IN THE YEAR 2003, WE STILL LIVE IN A RACIST WORLD! :( SO SAD!

1. Most of the CO's I have worked around do not show any racism at work regardless of what they believe. Please remember that you are only in contact with a few officers and not the majority of them. It's not right to sterotype all CO's because of your perception of a few. Of course if you want to believe all CO's are the same you are entitled to your opinion but unless you have dealt with each and every one of them I can't see how someone could come to that conclusion. That would be the same as saying just because 1 inmate is a trouble-maker then they all are....many people are quick to stereotype CO's like they are all the same...but you don't want CO's to stereotype inmates like that....stereotyping is wrong for both...

2. As far as separation among inmates goes it has been that way as long as I can remember. Noone can change that except for the inmates themselves (and for ones who decide to "go against the grain" in a prison can possibly be subjected to deadly consequences from others in the same prison who do not agree with their actions)...Not a good thing but it does goes on in virtually every prison.

3. When it comes to male or female staff members in a prison there are situations which are present which are better handled when the inmate and staff member are of the same sex. That applies to men working in female prisons AND women working in male prisons. Many times someone can "relate" to someone of the same sex easier then they could with someone of the opposite sex.....Although there may be some problems with someone working there getting descriminated against because of their sex (as there is in every occupation) there are situations best handled by male staff with male inmates and female staff members with female inmates...That is a fact...


Not saying anything anyone said was incorrect...I can understand why you feel the way you do...but every situation has more then 1 way to look at it....and every situation is different...

Obviously you are a CO? I will admit that there are exceptions to the rule and it is bad to stereotype any group of people. However it is my opinion that you are sugar coating the situation and minimizing the problems. For whatever reasons. I am speaking from first hand experience myself, and have personally witnessed the things I am talking about. They exist and they happen ALL OF THE TIME. I have known CO's who belonged to and supported the Aryan Nation and they were not impartial in their treatment of inmates. Perhaps the situation is different in your state than it is in Michigan but I doubt it.

I agree Stacy ... it is a sad state of affairs ... but I don't see it changing in my lifetime ... I hope I'm wrong, that we don't have to wait for "the Klingons land"!

Nope...didn't sugar coat a thing....and that comes from working in corrections for over 15 years now. And every person I have dealt with including the ones I have had problems with would agree that I always am straight to the point, honest, and do everything I tell them I will do (even if doing it requires me to stay at work on my own time without getting a dime for it).

Not that it seems like you would care anyway...but your statement "However it is my opinion that you are sugar coating the situation and minimizing the problems." shows that you pretty much already conclude that no staff member at any facility anywhere is good for anything. I respect your right to your opinion but it is still my opinion that most people working in prisons are NOT supporting any gang, racial group, or anything else...They are just people going to work everyday to put food on the table.


Well...I've said enough...not going to argue about it....We simply disagree.... Have a nice day. :)

WOW! lol.......I agree not all CO's are racial, nor do they ALL treat woman CO's differently, It does happen tho. My biggest concern is the whole seperation thing, I don't understand on how the outside world is not that seperated, I'm not saying there isn't seperation, I'm just saying you don't go to a resturaunt and find one side one color and the other a different, yet when our men (or woman) go to prison the lines are clearly drawn. These are the same people who I'm sure if were on the outside world would not act so ignorrant. It makes me both angry AND sad. We all bleed the same damn color!!!! And why make a bad situation worse? Yes it is the inmates responsibility to correct the problem, And I do understand if one goes against the grain consequences could occur. Maybe just maybe we will see the changes in this lifetime!

Stacy

..........THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT RACISM IN A PRISON SETTING IS THAT YOU HAVE NO WAY TO PROVE IT AND IT CAN NOT BE USED IN DEFENSE OF THE SO-CALLED BEHAVIOR AGAINST YOU. ANYONE WHO IS A RACIST KNOWS THAT IT IS VERY HARD TO PROVE SO IT IS THE EASIEST THING TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO USE IT AGAINST SOMEONE. I AM THE MOST NON-RACIST, NON-JUDGEMENTAL, LAW ABIDING PERSON AROUND AND I NEVER EVEN THINK THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE BUT WHEN YOU GO TO A PRISON TO VISIT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER IN YOUR LIFE AND YOUR VISIT LASTS LESS THAN ONE HOUR AND YOU KNOW THAT YOUR BEHAVIOR WAS NOT UNACCEPTABLE AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE BEEN SET UP BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK BACK TO ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE YOUR VISIT WAS TERMINATED AND IT ALL FITS THE SITUATION, I CAN SAY THAT THOSE WHITE CO's ON THAT DAY AT THAT TIME TERMINATED MY VISIT BECAUSE I WAS WHITE AND THEY DID NOT WANT TO SEE ME WITH MY BLACK BOYFRIEND, YOU BET YOUR A**, I CAN SAY THAT!! I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE I WAS WHITE AND YA KNOW, IT FRICKING HURT, NOT THAT I DID NOT KNOW THAT ALREADY. I HAVE WITNESSED MY GUY BE DISCRIMINATED RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES MORE THAN ONCE. HE KNOWS THE PAIN BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN DISCRIMINATED FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. IT HURT HIM TO WATCH IT HAPPEN TO ME. AND IF YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON/CO THEN I SAY THAT IS GREAT BUT WHEN YOU KNOW THAT ALL CO's ARE NOT LIKE YOU THEN IT CAN BE SAID THAT IT EXISTS!!! I CANNOT PROVE IT OR DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE TERMINATION. I HAVE TRIED...BUT I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP!! YA KNOW WHAT ELSE SUCKS, IS THAT I CANNOT DO A THING ABOUT THE DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE I CANNOT PROVE IT PERIOD. MY GUY AND I KNOW THE TRUTH, WE BOTH HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF IT, BUT THOSE WHITE (BOTH MALE AND FEMALE) CO's WERE AS RACIST AS THEY GET ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY AT THAT PARTICULAR PRISON. I WAS THERE, DAMMIT, AND I AM NOT STUPID, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. TOO BAD ON THAT DAY, THOSE CO's WERE NOT AT WORK TO PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLES, BUT INSTEAD THEY PUT THEIR HATE OUT ON THE TABLE. RACISM IS NOT JUST GOING TO GO AWAY, IT EXISTS WHETHER YOU CAN SEE IT OR NOT!!! :argh :( SO SAD, SO SAD... I DID NOT DESERVE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THAT DAY NOR DID MY GUY!! WHAT'S A WHITE GIRL GONNA DO WITH HER BLACK BOYFRIEND IN A PRISON WHERE NEITHER OF US HAVE ANY RIGHTS. FIGHT LIKE HELL... AND CONTINUE TO LOVE EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS THINK. :)

Denim you are telling the truth about the situation. And that is exactly what the ACLU told me when I went to them with my complaints that we were being discriminated against. They said 'you have to be able to prove it'. You are so right to say that they (CO's) are smart enough not to give you anything concrete you can use to prove your point. They set you up and wait for the right moment to close in. And how do you explain a prison where ALL of the officers and employees are white and the majority of prisoners are not? Something is not right with that picture. I am referring to Oaks Correctional Facility. And anyone who says that there is no prejudice from CO's against a white woman visiting a black inmate is either lying, blind, or just playing head games.

ISADORA, I LOVE YOU!! THANKS FOR MAKING FEEL GOOD ABOUT MY THOUGHTS. NOT EVERYBODY AGREES LIKE YOU DO. THANK YOU. RACISM EXISTS, PERIOD. SO, SO SAD... PEOPLE GET HURT! :( AND IN PRISONS, WE HAVE NO RIGHTS. I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT THIS. EVEN ONCE MY GUY IS OUT. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE THIS!! :argh PLUS MY GUY MAY NOT GET PAROLE BECAUSE OF THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE ELSE, THAT SUCKS!!! :(

I know, Denim; no everybody doesn't agree cause not everybody has been there and been through the B.S. I guess. I, like you have been on the receiving end of it. I have also watched my husband be treated badly because of the color of his skin and for no other reason. It does hurt, it hurts to the inside of your bones to see that happen to the man you love and be helpless to do anything about it. And I am mad as hell about it as you can no doubt tell. I am burning inside about what has been done to my husband and I by the MDOC for no reason at all except the smallness and hardness of their hearts. I hope I can use my anger for something good someday, use it to somehow fight the terrible injustice that is being done to people here in the U.S. by the DOC.

THE ANGER PART OF ME WILL GET MY VISITATION BACK REGARDLESS IF MY GUY IS IN OR NOT, I WILL NOT HAVE MY RIGHTS (NON-RIGHTS) TAKEN AWAY FROM ME FOR NO GOOD REASON, I WILL GET THEM BACK!! THE ADVOCATE PART OF ME WILL STAND IN FRONT OF THAT PRISON (PARNALL/JACKSON) AND TELL PEOPLE TO BEWARE OF THE RACISM INSIDE, AND I WILL WRITE LETTERS UNTIL I AM BLUE (DENIMBLUE, THAT IS!) THE HUMOR PART OF ME WILL STAND ON THE EDGE OF THOSE PRISON GROUNDS WHEN MY GUY IS RELEASED, AND HUG HIM TO PIECES, JUST SO THEY CAN SEE THAT THEY DIDN'T WIN!! :) BUT THE RACISM PART IS STILL THE "SILENT PAIN" OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE OR WHO HAVE WATCHED IT HAPPEN TO THEIR LOVED ONES. AND THAT PAIN DOES NOT JUST GO AWAY! WAY TOO MANY INJUSTICES!! :pissed:

I'm sorry denim you have to got through any of this. I don't think any of it is fair. And to still not have tour visits back after all this time is sickening. Have ou wrote to the warden? His counselor? Anybody? And if so, have they set a time when you can get them back? I just don't understand why they have taken them away for so long for something so minor to begin with. It makes me sick!!!!

MY VISITATION WAS TAKEN AWAY BECAUSE CO's SAID I PUT MY HAND ON HIS CROTCH. SO I GOT A SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OUT OF THE DEAL EVEN THOUGH I ONLY TOUCHED HIS KNEE. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT SAYS MY VISITATION IS TERMINATED PERMANENTLY FROM ANY MDOC! I HAVE DONE JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING I CAN EXCEPT HIRE A LAWYER WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD. THEY SAY YOU CAN TRY TO GET YOUR VISITATION BACK AFTER 6 MONTHS AND AGAIN AT 1 YEAR OF THE HEARING PLUS MY GUY HAS SUBMITTED KITES TO THE WARDEN/DEPUTY WARDEN BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED YET. HIS PAROLE HEARING WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS TICKET, TOO! IT ALL SUCKS! :mad:

Another thing I have noticed in the visiting room is that if we are having too much fun (imagine THAT), some c/o's start watching us more carefully....like we aren't supposed to laugh and enjoy our time together.

And yes, they will take visits away for no apparent reason...not all c/o are like that but a lot are. I've seen it happen in every visiting room I've been in, sometimes its for just cause, more often its not.


The state has postcards made up that SHOULD be available in the lobby for visitors to send if they have problems with their visit....if these cards aren't available where you visit....let me know and I'll send an email asking why not!!!

mrs d

MRS. D- I WAS NOT THERE (PARNALL) LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY POSTCARDS OR NOT. WHERE DO THE POSTCARDS GET SENT TO? AND MY "BAD" VISIT WAS IN OCT 2002, IS THAT TOO LONG AGO TO SEND ONE? JUST WONDERING~THANKS! :)

You hang in there Denim! Don't give up! Stay strong and try to keep your head up. Things always work out in the end. I know that doesn't help right now, but I promise it will in the end. It just has to!