I have been sufficiently chastised for lack of updates. I think the main reason I don’t write that much is because I just plain and simply don’t think that I’m that interesting; or to be more precise, I don’t think what I write is that interesting.
Plus, many times I feel that everything is pointless. A long time ago I read about a particular little known Greek philosopher. I think he was a Stoic. Well, he had studied all subjects that there were to study. Of course, all knowledge is fallible but he had achieved so much knowledge that he reached a sort of abyss of wisdom. Did he discover some deep meaning or purpose to Life? Did he find True wisdom and become One with all living things?
No. His final conclusion, his great contribution to Humanity, the sum total of this great thinkers learning, came to this: he decided that he simply was never going to speak again, because, well, everything was pointless. I’m learning every day and I surely don’t think I’m some wise and great thinker, but I do feel like that sometimes. It’s really that I’ve somewhat detached myself from the “free-world.” Behind these walls, I stay motivated and stay active.
Anyway, something happened a few days ago and I feel it is imperative that I write about it. For one, I was out at visitation the day after the incident occurred and I heard all kinds of off-the-wall fictitious bullshit being propagated by people who weren’t even on the same pod that the incident occurred on. Plus, only three people really saw what happened and I’m one of them. The other two are the people who were directly involved in the incident: the officer who was stabbed and the inmate who did the stabbing.
Usually, I would never write about something like this because that’s not proper; doing something like that would not be in line with my personal etiquette of “prison politics.” Countless others seem to have no problem with repeating fictitious propaganda to people out in the “free,” and the dude gave me permission to write about the incident, so here is the only “eye-witness” account of what happened on Friday.
December 1, 2006
Approximately 8:15pm:
I just saw an officer get stabbed. I’m in 67 cell and the inmate, who I’ll call “S,” that stabbed him is in 69 cell. I was just standing at my door waiting on the officers to pass out necessities. The door just opened and officer Stain and another CO started passing out jumpsuits. CO Stain got to 69 cell and right as I was about to ask him if he had a 3X jumper, he went to hand “S” a jumpsuit and was stabbed in the face through the door-grate. He jumped back and now he’s standing over by the railing with some blood running down his cheek. The other CO is standing in front of my cell and he just hollered at the picket officer to “call rank and get the team!!”
8:21pm: Sgt. Ferris just arrived on the section a few minutes ago. She has some type of “contamination kit” or something in two white boxes. She just snapped some rubber gloves on. Ms. Ferris is basically doing what she would probably call “taking control of the situation.” She’s telling “S.” that there’s no need for any more problems, telling him the Team is on the way, ordering him to “submit to a strip search” and instructing him to calmly and peacefully come out of his cell when the SWAT Team arrives. “S” is complying. Everyone is quiet, waiting on the Team.
8:27pm: Lt. Cabbiness is storming on the pod, he’s running up the stairs with his chest all poked up. This doesn’t look good. He just passed my cell and he’s in front of 69 cell. Cabbiness is talking shit to “S.” What the fuck?! The Lt. just quickly pulled out a canister of chemical gas and sprayed “S” right in the face! The Sgt. and other officers scattered away from the immediate area. Cabbiness just sprayed “S” again!
Everyone is coughing and choking. The Lt. ordered “S” to come out of his cell. He just cuffed him and they’re passing by my cell right now. “S”‘s face is coated in gas. Damn. I would very seriously rather receive the stab-wound in the face that CO Stain received than be gassed directly in the face. OK, the ER Team just got here and they took “S” off the pod.
8:38pm: I’ve been gassed so many times that I guess I’m somewhat immune to it, so I can still stand at the door and see what’s going on. One of my neighbors is hollering at the CO’s because he can’t breathe, but they’re ignoring him. Officer Loving is on the section with a gas mask or, he’s “securing the area.”
8:45pm: Now Sgt. Ferris is back and she’s taking pictures. CO Stain left and I assume he went to medical. Now, I don’t condone violence towards officers but I want you to think about something. Sgt. Ferris came and she handled the situation in a firm but professional manner and believe me, Ms. Ferris is very very far from what anyone would consider “friendly.” The main goal of TDCJ staff is supposed to be to “maintain the security of the institution.”
There was an immediate security threat, an officer was stabbed. Sgt. Ferris was called. She came and “reinstated the security” of the pod. That’s the logical thing to do, right? Then we have Lt. Cabbiness: he stormed on the pod red in the face with absolutely no self-control and started firing off canisters of chemical gas. People started going wild and beating on the doors and yelling. Officers ran off in a panic at essentially being gassed as well. Lt. John Cabbiness himself then became a “threat to the security of the institution.” Is that logical?
All situations should be analyzed from a “cause and effect” perspective and I’ll write more about that next time.
Peace!
Rob Will