August 31, 2006
Thursday
Today Hasan Shakur (AKA Derrick Frazier) is set to be murdered by this state. I don’t really know Hasan, we’ve only spoken a few times. I’ve spent most of my time here on disciplinary status- I started committing physical acts of protest shortly after I arrived on death row.
Hasan has never gone to Level III and he has never committed any physical acts of protest, but he did voice support for what we were doing (and what we continue to do). That’s more than most complacent inmates do so I respect his vocal support. I know Hasan does a lot of organizing in the free-world and I respect that as well. I don’t believe in theory without action but Hasan does more than most and that’s appreciated. Just on that strength, I would conduct a demonstration today for Hasan, but I can’t get in the day-room. I don’t go to rec. today. Someone else has something planned though so it’s all good…
***
8-31-06 Approx. noon
Since we began an actual official mass protest last November the Administration here at the Polunsky Death Camp has instituted several new “security measures.” One of these new policies calls for all inmates to be in their cells when a person is about to be taken out of the building to be executed. That means that no inmates are supposed to be on the recreation yards, in the showers, at medical or anywhere else. A person’s last visit ends at noon. Then, they are promptly taken to the execution van and led off to slaughter. Right now, the officers are taking everyone out of the rec. yards but I do believe that one person is not going to voluntarily leave the yard. He will be conducting a demonstration today in protest of Hasan’s execution, which is scheduled to happen in about 6 hours.
A while back Hasan circulated a kite (i.e.: a letter) saying that he was going to fight on his execution date. He sent it to several people including myself. Many, many people have said that they’re going to fight and not simply participate in their execution, but when it comes down to it 98% of them have broken. That sounds a bit harsh, so let me switch it up and say that 98% of people who have said that they were going to fight on their execution date have changed their mind at the last minute. Why? Read George Orwell’s 1984 or study a little Pavlov…
Anyway, I hope Hasan fights or at least conducts a sit-in and makes them carry him. We’ll find out soon enough… The officers just started “racking” people up. One person refused to go in his cell- Mr. Amun Re Akhenaton (aka. Randy Greer). He has “occupied” D-day-room. Amun just hollered at me and he let me know that they Sgt. told him that if he didn’t leave the dayroom then they were going to cancel Hasan’s last visit. We both know that’s bullshit propaganda. Besides, Hasan’s last visit will be over in like 10 minutes.
Amun is standing up on the day-room bars looking out into the hall so he can see when the ER Team comes… Ah-ha! A bonfire has “appeared” up on 2-row, my row. We hold our own form of “candlelight vigils.” The fire alarm just went off and the exhaust fans kicked on. Sgt. Newberry just came on the section along with some other officers. Everyone is saying that Hasan walked voluntarily to his execution. It could be propaganda. Regardless, I know Amun is going to stick with it and conduct a demonstration today… CO Hunter just put the fire out and Amun is still in the dayroom…
The ER Team is here! They just came through the pod door and went to D-section… A few minutes have gone by. I can’t see D-section from my cell (82 cell) but I can hear what’s going on… I just heard the gate pop. There’s Amun! The ER Team is carrying him and he’s giving a protest speech! They’re carrying him onto this section; now they’re on the stairs. Hold up!… Okay, Amun just passed right by my cell, the Team put him in 84 cell and we talked for about 5 minutes. Then, the Sgt. and Lt. came and moved him back to C-section. Amun gave an excellent protest speech! He spoke on Hasan, conditions and other things.
This is the first act of physical protest Amun has engaged in so I would like everyone to do something for me: Send Amun a short note of encouragement – show a little solidarity! Let him know that people out there support protest on the inside. You don’t even have to put a return address on the envelope or postcard.
Amun can be reached at:
Randy Greer #999042
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351
It takes an enormous amount of strength and courage to commit an overt act of protest behind these walls. It’s hard to “break rules” and “disobey orders” directly in the face of a 5-man “Team” clad in combat riot gear. Let Amun (Randy) know what you think about his activism. On that note, I’d like a little feedback as well. I always appreciate thoughts, suggestions, questions and constructive criticism. I need to clean up the soot and ashes that are in front of my cell from the battlefield “candlelight vigil” that we had earlier.
One Love, One Struggle:
Rob Will
P.S.: Amun conducted another sit-in demonstration today! (Coming back from the shower)
September 7, 2006
Thursday
The last week has been relatively calm, except for today. Earlier, Carlton Turner conducted a demonstration down on A-pod and he was brought to Level III. Carlton is in 79 cell, 3 cells down from me. I asked him to write exactly what happened so hopefully his description of today’s events will be attached to this update. All Level 3 inmates are on a 24 hour shakedown list. Every time officers come on the section they have to be with a Sgt. or a Lt. There’s a lot of tension in the air. Our cells are being searched every single day and sometimes twice a day. Almost everyone on L-III is on cell restriction so there isn’t that much movement going on.
For Mr. Turner’s description of what happened, please visit the “Nomolos 120″ section of the site.
September 12, 2006
Tuesday
Yesterday was insane. Early in the morning, on the 1st round of recreation, my neighbor Rick Rhodes went to the outside rec. yard. Sgt. Brown, accompanied by several officers, shook Rick’s cell down. During the cell search they took some things that Rick didn’t want them to take so he refused to leave the yard. Rick was then assaulted with a tear-gas grenade, fired on with the crowd control tear gas assault weapon and physically removed by the ER Team. I attempted to write down a “play-by-play” account of the events but I had to stop midway because of the tear gas – it forced my eyes to close and I began choking and coughing. The ER Team didn’t beat Rick too bad; he’s alright, but the chemical gas affected his respiratory and nervous system. Rick was back in his cell by 8:36am and that was only the beginning of the day.
***
About an hour later the officer’s started putting people out to recreation but they skipped our section. We were told that “because of Rick Rhodes no one in F-section is going to go to rec. or showers.” So, we all got mad at Rick, cursed him out and now no one will talk to him… Yeah right! Their little “divide-and-conquer” tactics do not work with some of us. Sadly, those types of tactics do work with most inmates though. That’s why Sgt. Brown had the audacity to look me right in the eyes and say “Blame Rick Rhodes, it’s his fault ya’ll aren’t going to shower or rec.” Ah, yes, and I suppose I should blame the poor for being poor, blame all Muslims for “terrorism” and blame the “illegal immigrants” for…whatever they’re being blamed for this week!! No, I don’t think so…
To show solidarity with Rick and to support his courageous act of protest, a bonfire was lit on 2-row and then guys on 1-row started flooding. I’ve been around probably hundreds of fires since I’ve been here and I’ve never seen such an outright sadistic act happen like what happened after the fire was lit: the officers shut off the power, turned off all the ventilation and let the fire burn. Keep in mind that this is a completely enclosed space.
There are no windows to open. Inside our cells there are 2 vents – one that blows air out near the ceiling and one that sucks air in near the floor. When they’re turned off there is absolutely no air flow. When a fire is started, usually after a minute or two, the fire alarm goes off and a huge exhaust fan kicks on that sucks all of the smoke out of the pod.
However, the officers can override the system and shut everything off. Actually, I think that the system on this pod is broken because I don’t think that they’re supposed to be able to do that.
Anyway, smoke began consuming the entire section. I tied a sheet to my door to try to keep the smoke out but it didn’t work. Thick dark grey smoke began filling our cells. Everyone was hollering at the officers to turn the fans on but they wouldn’t. I wrapped a wet towel around my face, then I began getting dizzy. I crashed out on my bunk because I couldn’t stand up any more. I heard my neighbor screaming, “We need help! Get medical! 84 cell passed out!” The officers didn’t do anything.
I don’t know if I passed out also, but I remember trying to get up and I couldn’t. Then, I remember an officer beating on my door and I got up and some of the smoke was cleared out. I took the wet towel from around my face and it was black on the area where my mouth was. The towel turned black from the smoke I was breathing in. Eventually the smoke cleared out. No one died but many of us were pretty bad off – feeling extremely sick with severe headaches. Either Sgt. Ludwig, Ms. Jager, CO Fisher or CO Smith was responsible for this blatant act of sadism. Or, perhaps all of them. They were the only staff members on the pod at the time. If a decent officer wouldn’t have come on the pod and turned the exhaust fans on we probably would have all died. Seriously, it was that bad.
***
Later on (yesterday), Steven Woods, who is downstairs in 73 cell, “occupied” the food slot in protest of an excessive shakedown. He eventually gave the slot up without a major incident.
If we want change to happen then we have to fight for change. Remaining idle while injustice occurs only encourages that injustice. One of the main reasons I do what I do is because I want to show solidarity with activists on the outside. You’re fighting for us so I feel that it’s only right that we fight for ourselves. Through solidarity, cooperation and mutual aid we can strengthen the Abolitionist movement and make more progressive change happen. On that note, I want to send everyone in the Movement warm vibes of strength and peace along with a strong embrace of solidarity!
One Love, One Struggle:
Rob Will
P.S.: I asked Rick if he wanted to add anything and he said, “I just want to be left alone.”
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