Now I hope this statement sounds as crazy to you as it does to me. It is disturbing how many guys in the system just don't get it. We as prisoners live in a closely controlled "police state" and it is NEVER the cops mission to help us. It really irks me how needy so many prisoners are. It's time to put away mama's tit and start doing what you need for yourself. Don't forget that every time you yell out your cell door for unnecessary reasons you are displaying a weakness - the inability to do your cell time - to your captors. This perpetuates their arrogance toward abusiveness. It ain't rocket science folks. Let's toughen up a bit. Do your business on your time. Don't lower yourself by asking the man with the keys to unshackle you to use the phone, run through the rain locker, or grab some grub from a brother. If we can show our captors just how much they are NOT needed, it would have a beneficial effect for all us men and women in these cages.
If you have a real beef that puts your well-being in jeopardy - no water in your cage, improper sentence calculation, theft or damage of your property by the Gestapo, etc. Then you have no choice but to address it with the powers that be. Don't weep, just state your case clearly and do your best to resolve the issue with your dignity intact. Don't afford the "Police" any more power than they already have.
Put your issues on paper. It catches shirts in lies. How can you tell when a cop or their agents are lying? When their lips are moving. If you dare head out to the oxymoronic "Happy Hour," you have a poor chance of gaining redress, as you can't hold the shirts to what they tell you out there. Deniability is why they run it like that. I have proposed that they just put life sized cardboard cut-outs with Radio Shack voice boxes out there with pre-recorded messages like "I'll look into it.", "It's on the shelf." and "You’re next on the list." It would offer the same effect. Sometimes your dignity requires that that you just need to look someone in the eyes and express how you feel. Just make certain you’re doing such out of dignity, not ego.
Some guys don't like to put grievances in. They say it ain't "Old School". Do they really want to go back to old school conditions? The war stories of fantasy glory days are not supported by the facts.
Barbarism is not good for anyone involved and if you act like an animal it just justifies keeping us in these cages. Now don't get me wrong, there were some good things years back. Furloughs, Pel grants, group visits, care packages, and the like. There was no good reason to strip us of many of those things, but in some cases we shot ourselves in the foot. The coppers just ain't allowing 14 grams of China White to come in via a jelly jar. People get killed over dope.
Unity comes in many forms. To me I see the most powerful form as a display of personal responsibility, coming from each individual, which reflects a group conscious of strength and dignity. Be strong. Be honest. Be smart. We can gain much more by showing the iron fiber of our being than by displaying constant need and revolving door thinking.
The police are not here to help. Don't help them write your ticket for continued abusive treatment or a return trip back to prison. Take care of your needs yourself. Prisoner autonomy equals freedom. They've got your body. DO NOT surrender your heart and soul.
|
July -> Mid Sept |
CONTACT INFORMATION |
Mid Sept -> June |
|
Cell Door Magazine 6 Tolman Rd Peaks Island, ME 04108 |
Publisher - Email Editor - Email Web Master - Email |
Cell Door Magazine 12200 CR 41.9 Mancos, CO 81328 |
