What has F-pod been like for me?
Can't really describe this dehumanising, helpless feeling waking up on F-pod with no radio to occupy my thoughts, not sure what's going on in the outside world. All day, all I see are walls, fences & bars. This dead atmosphere has become my tormentor, my tomb - my psychological burial.
Some consider this pod to be a pit for the walking dead, it's where I was dragged off to August 21, 2012 by a 5-man team coverein pepper gas protesting an injustice - souls walking these corridors now become my neighbors. No one asks "What have you done?", it's "What have they done to you this time?". Victims themselves, many are aware how guards & ranking officials ignore the facts of a situation to create an unjust situation, in some cases, simply because they feel like it, in a rush to leave or not in a hurry to do their jobs, because they hate their job & prisoners - I can't explain why, only what they do.
Recently Hank Skiner almost was a victim to this madness on October 25. He was denied his shower by guards working the morning shift, he discovered this until the night shift guards passed him up during shower time, not wanting to argue over his shower. "Just take my ID. I'll return the razor once I'm finished shaving." Hank stated the guards refused to give him a razor - death row prisoners are not allowed to have razors, only inside the shower. The following day Hank would be threatened to have his rec taken away because he hadn't shaved & given a case for refusing to groom. Luckily for Hank, a thoughtful person provided him with what he needed.
For the guards it's easy, standing around doing nothing watching their sergeant speaking with an upset prisoner who didn't receive his rec, shower or lunch tray - lies will be told suppering the guards or the sergeant will come up with some new rule to justify the guard action.
In my case, it was a dinner tray: the main course covered with food spilled by the guard rushing to leave, then refusing to give me another tray after I had told him "The food you spilled over the main course I don't eat". I've witnessed guards not feel prisoners simply because they don't like the prisoner. Since I've been housed on F-pod, I've seen prisoners not receive their showers due to the guards being lazy, not wanting to do their jobs. It's like an unseen battle going on between two shifts, the morning shift try to leave the night shift as many recs & showers as possible, night shift take their time passing out dinner trays, recs & showers - a guard at my door 10:30/11 o'clock waking me up to give me my mail or I'm going to the shower at 10:00 at night. This is their routine...at times.

Conditions: are worse. Inside these cages paint is coming off the wall, in some cages the ventilation system doesn't work or is blowing very weak. The ventilation system inside the shower on 12-FF section doesn't work at all, one of the reasons why it smells. Left-over food is being passed out often. Normally the lunch left-overs are mixed with what's served during dinner hour.
No one is allowed to have any personal clothing while housed on F-pod, while inside the dayroom or outside yard, prisoners must wear our jumpsuit since we're not allowed to have T-shirts. The problem with this: the jumpsuit gets sewaty while working out, a very small bar of soap is passed out once a week, jumpsuits are passed out every other day in the morning - we're made to wear the same sweaty jumpsuit after returning from rec...the soap passed out is just enough to wash my body for the week.
Black mold grows on the shower walls on 12-FF section. The smell? It's like a dead animal has been inside the shower for over a month. What makes this worse: prison officials refuse to fix the fan system that circulates the air inside the shower. I recently came down with a cold. I believe it come from the shower. Just the other day someone mentioned the same thing - it's not healthy showering inside unclean showers.

Torture: On September 26, 2012 I witnessed Robert Woodard be gassed in an unprofessional, unjust way. I believe Mr.Woodard created the situation as he refused to come out of the dayroom when asked - however, this does not justify the abuse forced upon him. Woodard was ordered to remove his clothes, once he complied with these orders, he was told to run his hands through his hair - Woodard doesn't have any hair...He was covered with pepper gas because he failed to run his hand through his hair! Totall insane, when this man doesn't have any hair on his head!
Clifton William would be the next prisoner to experience this madness. Each prisoner created the situation but both have mental disorders. I believe prison officials should have addressed the situation differently.
Clifton was ordered to remove something from his window, he refused. Prison officials assembled a team of men around his cage door, orders were given to remove his clothes - again once the prisoner was naked he was covered with pepper gas. He would be handcuffed, removed from his cage, everything taken, then placed back into the same unclean contaminated cage to suffer from the effect of the gas - torture is alive & functioning behind these walls!

I only have a few more weeks to endure but the way the rules are being enforced, I'm not sure of anything. I'll let you know in a few weeks...

20-11-2012, 00:00 geschreven door Sunshine