16TH FEBRUARY 2006

10:52 pm

Only a few hours ago I found myself in the midst of yet another demonstration – an act of civil disobedience towards the abuses here on death row. As an act of retaliation the staff here has begun to refuse to let us out of our cells to shower. Earlier in our protest this tactic was used against us. You see – this tactic is being done in frustration against our protest. Nothing they’ve been able to do has broken us; not their restrictions, food loafs or anything else. So, they simply try to keep us in our cells and not deal with us.

Today, I was gassed behind this. This 2 card shift is ran by Lt’s Richie and Hutto and Sgt’s Brown, Lutwig and Henderson. These ranks under permission of Capt. Dickens, Major Nelson and all the Wardens have conspired to do this to us. Today, they left my shower for the 2nd shift. I would not be taken to shower until around 7:30 pm. They purposely make us wait this long to punish us. I was fed up with their tactics, so I decided to hold the shower and I stated to these people that they had NO right to take our showers for any reason. There is no policy that allows this. Infact, the TDCJ Offender Handbook REQUIRES that an inmate bathe DAILY. If I do something wrong then I am subject to the disciplinary process. There is no disciplinary process that says an inmate can be denied a shower. For several days this was done to us: on 2/8, 2/14, 2/15.

I tried the reasonable route. I asked Sgt. Brown for 3 days in a row (2/14, 2/15, 2/16) who ordered our showers denied. It was a game to him. He exclaimed he didn’t know. That’s ludicrous. He’s a Sgt. and any order that comes down against an inmate a Sgt. will know about it. But, this is their little game. It’s not a game to me/us! For 3 days I asked this Sgt. for the names of the rank who ordered this so that I could file a grievance. He denied me this information, so he shut down all doors of reasonable communication. They do this to us because they can get away with it. They don’t think people give a damn about us or what we get.

By me occupying this shower and refusing to come out the 5 man riot team was called. Upon my refusal to exit the shower I was sprayed – through the tiny food slot – once with orange pepper gas. The dose was potent. After this spray I did surrender the shower at which point I came out and laid on the ground and proceeded to document the abuses on their uses of force camera. I thoroughly exclaimed for the camera who was denying us showers. I affirmed that I would continue these actions until our showers were ceased to be tampered with. These bastards talk about policy, but break it at every interval. We’re not going to sit by quietly and accept this.

If they think this will break us they are deeply mistaken. This adds fuel to our fire. More and more they step over the edge to break policy against us. We need you people out there to raise hell about this. Don’t allow these tyrants to think our movement is weak. We need to show that we have strength to stand up to their foul ways. We’re standing here and we will not cease until we attain humane treatment!

D.R.I.V.E.

DEATH Row INNER-COMMUNALIST VANGUARD ENGAGEMENT