Transcript
September,llth,20l7 7—pages & l—permission form mailed out on September,llth,20l7. Dear APWA Editors: PEACEM May this letter and the enclosed permission form reach you all safely and in the best of health and spirits.Please understand that for security concerns and legal that I am making a carbon copy of this letter and the enclosed writing,that will be sent to my many lawyer's in both Philadelphia and in Atlanta.This is to ensure that neither you nor anyone else at the APWA attempt to use what I send to you for anything other than what was stated in theform you sent explaining to me about the APWA.I have no problem with telling you and everyone that read's what can be found in the archive's about how one is treated and what he/she goes through while on/in Death Row/prison.As most of what I send you will be first hand and about issues that I or someone that I had been friend's with went through leading up to the very day of his execution by these very racist people in this sorry state of Texas.However,please understand that I judge no one and ask that no one reading what I say judge I;unless you are able to walk a mile in my shoes.Now,please allow me to share with you about my last living friend that was executed on July,27th,20l7 at 9:03pm. Tai'Chin Preyor,#999494 was executed by the State of Texas on July,27th,20l7 at 9:O3pm.During his last fourteen day's of life this is what he had to deal with by those which kept him within the walls of Texas Death Row.Big Tai,as he was known to his friend's and other 5%'s was in a lot of ways like that giant in the movie The Green Mile,though Big Tai wasn't here for the murder of a little girl.He was on death row-for the death of his drug dealer. A little bit about Big Tai for you,so that you may have a better understanding of who he was.Big Tai was from Brooklyn New York,though he has family here in Texas,his mom and pops live in Brooklyn,his siblings and his children and ex-wife live here in Texas.He was born on September,2nd,l97O and was killed on July,27th,20l7.Can you imagine what it's like to lose someone that you had gotten the chance to know as a person and not the animals that the district attorney's office tries to portray you as? To become a different Page #2 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tabler:#999523 person then the one that was sentenced to death by a so called jury of his own peers? My name is Richard L.Tabler,though Big Tai knew me from my other name that I went by.The name of Slim Shady or just Slim from California.Though I no longer have an execution date I was housed in a single man cell next to Big Tai on the section of Death Row that is called Death Watch.This section is where each inmate that is handed down an execution date from the district Judge in the county they fell out of.This section only houses an inmate with an execution date within the next 6 months or in my case is a very high profile death row inmate.Each cell on Death Watch has an in-cell video—camera that watches each of us twenty—four—seven,there is no privacy on this section.We are not allowed to cover up these camera's for anything even going to the bathroom or if some need to release the tension of feelings through mastrubation.We are locked up sometimes twenty- four-seven,but most of the time we are given the chance to recreate either in a dayroom or on the outside rec yard for two hours each day Monday thru Friday,except for when the Prison is on lockdown.When we are on lockdown status we are not allowed out of our cells except for a shower once every-72 hours,and than we are escorted in restraints to and from the shower,a shower that is only able to hold one inmate at a time.At no time are any of the inmates on death row allowed to be in the same dayroom or outside together,though there are two separate cages for outside rec,this is where Big Tai and I would do most of our talking to one another.But,please allow me to tell you about his last two weeks and what goes on during this time.On July,l3th,20l7,Big Tai is escorted down to the death row Major's office to speak with the Major and the Captain and to fill out his paper work for who will be attending his execution and who will be claiming his remains after he has been put to death.He's asked for information about his minister if he has one,and is given the chance to change his visitation list.Most the times this is when the Unit Warden or death row Warden is to talk to you,not just the major and captain.You are also given what is called a "special spin" on the commissary.This will be your last commissary spin for $150.00. This will be brought to you on the same day most of the time.BIg Page #3 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tab1er;#999523 Tai was brought his special spin on the same day,July,l3th,20l7.During his talk with the major and captain he is told that if he has any problems to let the officer's on the pod he lives on to know and have them contact the captain and he will personally come and talk with Big Tai,also during his last week he is allowed to go to rec either in the dayroom or outside for four hours each day and with whoever he wants to on the section he lives outside.After Big Tai is finished with speaking to them he is escorted back to his cell by a team of officer's.When he is back in his cell he shoots me a kite Unote/letter)letting me know what all was said and went on.Big Tai tells me later on that night that his mom is coming to visit with him from Brooklyn in the morning,She will be flying out first thing in the morning and renting a car and then driving to the prison to see her son.He's ina really good mood even though he has only two weeks to live. In the morning he refuses rec and ask for a shower where he can shave and get ready for his visit with his mom.Anytime someone is coming to visit from over three hundred miles away,they are given a special visit.This is a visit that is for four hours the first day and then another four hours on the second day,or they can have all eight hours in one day.Though you do have to call the warden's office and set it up thirty day's in advance.His mom had done this very thing,because she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it back down here to see her son again before his execution day.On Friday,July,l4th,20l7 around Noon time his mom shows up and he is escorted out to the visitation building.This building is where all of death row has their visit,at no time are the visit contact,each visit is behind glass and we are able to talk with those visiting us through a telephone that is within the little cages we are in.To me what i'm going to tell you doesn't matter,what I mean is your nationality doesn't matter to me as i'm not a racist.Big Tai is a black man with a bald head and tattoos all over his body.He is 6'6 and weighs around 240 pounds,and is a Five Percenter,he doesn't eat pork and is always working out and staying in shape.This is a man you would want as a friend and not your enemy.In a lot of way's he's like a giant teddy bear! He is always making you laugh and he was a great Teacher.I Page #4 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tab1er.#999523 say the later because he was my teacher in becoming a Five Percenter. Anyhow,when he was out at visitation with his mom,the officer working out in visitation is named officer Chavis,she is also a black woman,though with a bitter attitude towards most inmates. Big Tai and his mom hadn't even been out there anywhere close to their four hours,when officer Chavis tells them that their time is up and that she has to leave.It had only been two hours! Big Tai's mom is crying cause she knows this may be the only time that she'll see her son alive.They were supposed to get not four hours but the rest of the day,because she couldn't visit on the weekend.When she left here she had to drive back to Houston,Texas and return the rental car and then catch a flight right back to Brooklyn.Big Tai is pissed off when he returns to his cell under escort.Wouldn't you be? He tells me everything that went down out in the visitation and how officer Chavis cut his vistit with his mom short.After he tells me everythingfhe then ask one of the officer's working the pod to let the captain know that he needs to speak with him.For the next four day's he is requesting to speak with the Captain of death row,though nobody has gone and told the captain that Big Tai is having problems and needs to speak with the captain.Instead of telling the captain like he has told them,the officer's are telling their superviser's who inturn are doing nothing.On Tuesday,July,l8th,20l7;Big Tai is told he has a legal visit with one of his lawyer's a Ms.S.A.Pirmohamed from Sugar Land,Texas.When Big Tai leaves his cell he is carrying a mesh bag full of things for his lawyer that will be used as mitigating evidence to show what he has been doing with his time on death row.Just about when he is to leave out of the death row building,he and the escorting officer's are stopped by the l2—Control by SGT.Petty and LT;Couch and some other officer's.All of the people involved are white.They take the mash bag away from Big Tai and tell him that he cannot take it with him to his legal visit,that the death row warden,warden T.Jefferson at the time who is also black but does not act it:has told the officer's that they need to confiscate it and go through it for contraband.Big Tai is becoming pissed off,he has nine days left to live and is only trying to save his own life from execution Page #5 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tabler,#999523 and these people are doing everything within their power to prevent him from doing so.As long as Big Tai has been on death row he has never lost his cool,though now he's reaching his limit.He tells them that they are not taking his legal work and that if they want to try and stop him then he's willing to go all the way right now!They threaten to prevent him from going out to his legal visit and take him back to his cell,he tells them that they cannot stop him nor refuse him his right to his lawyer nor his visit with her.He tells them he's going out to his visit and that when he get's out there their going to bring him everything that they just took from him or there's going to be trouble.He get's out to his legal visit with Ms.Pirmohamed and tells her everything that just took place,she get's up and goes to the warden's office,the Head Warden over the whole prisonlwarden Harris.A few minutes later when she returns to her visit with Big Tai,everything that they had taken from him was brought out to the visitation and given to her.After their visit Big Tai returns to his cell and I send him some taco's I had cooked for us while he was gone,as he eats he tells me everything that went down.Again he ask the officer's on the pod to let the captain know that he needs to speak with him.From July,l8th,20l7 to July,25th,20l7 he was asking to speak with the captain of death row and at no time did he ever see him nor the major of death row nor the warden.Nobody came around.On Wednesday/July,26th,20l7 both Big Tai and I are out at a legal Visit.He with his lawyer and I with my investigator. The two of us had planned this so that we could be out at visitation together and to see the other's lawyer or investigator as we had been telling each other about each and how they meant to us as people/friend's that we both out for and cared about.OUr plan was to jack the visitation after our legal visit's were overland force them to get the captain out there so Big Tai could clear things up,cause the last thing they want is for him to have a use of force on the day of his execution.After our visitor's had left I asked Big Tai what he wanted to do? He told me not to worry about it and to go ahead and go back to the cell.The escorting officer's come to get me before they get Big Tai,as g'm being led passed l2—Control,the officer inside tells the Page #6 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tabler:#999523 escorting officer's that they want to speak with me in the Major's office.I'm turned around and taken inside the major's office,where the major tells the escorting officer's to wait outside and closes the door on them.The Major ask me what is up with my friend Big Tai? I look at him and then ask him to have a seat at his desk while I sit down.He's okay with this,and as we start to talk,or I talk he listens,the captain walks in to listen too.I tell them that I am aware of everything that has been said between them and Tai'Chin Preyor.I tell them about how he had been asking to speak to the captain since the 14th of this month July and that the captain wouldn't come to talk to him.I told them in no uncertain terms that basically they just needed to leave him the fuck alone! They asked me if he was going to fight and I looked at them all stupid like,thinking that whenever they do someting to one of us,they don't tell us before hand.Do you tell the person that you are playing chess what you are going to do before you move?Nol But I don't tell them this,and i'm returned to my cell only to find that the people the are in charge of this place are stupid.Big Tai and all his property had been removed from his cell while we were out at our legal visit's and he was‘ being moved to $1 cell down stairs and in the corner.He doesn't have twenty-four-hours left to live and they keep screwing with him pushing the envelope.Big Tai didn't come back for some time after me,as he too was taken to the Major's office.Long story short,he and I went outside later that night from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and we talked a lot.He gave me my last lesson my Twelve Jewels and we ate tacos for our last time together and laughed and shot the shit,and we shed some tears.The next day we were both once again out at a legal visit,he with his lawyer and brother and I with one of my lawyer's from Philadelphia.At Noon time as he was being escorted from the visitation building,he passed me and I asked him how he was doing and what was up with him? He told me,"Slim.you know what it is God.Always remember everything I taught you and this...The greatest luxury in life is time.Savour every second."He was escorted to the van that would take him to the death chamber in Huntsville,Texas and I was returned to my cell where I would place my headphones on and listen to the Page #7 of letter to the APWA From:Richard L.Tabler:#999523 news and see what was being said about my brother and fellow God.At 9:03pm this racist state killed Tai'Chin Preyor,may he forever Rest In Peace! My life as I had known it would change as the man I had known for ten years had a major effect on my life.All frustration and anger at his murder has only turned into not only pain of my own but into homicidal thoughts that have been slowly killing me from the inside out. Allow me to end this here in the hopes that it has given all of you something to think about. V Peace & Respects: Richard L.Tabler Texas Death Watch I have added a picture of me that was taken from when I was still out in society about six months before I caught my first capital murder case that would send me to death row in Texas in 2004.I do this so that people may place a face to the letters that I send,that each of you may put the face to the many words.As I don't think of myself like those who keep me here as a number only.I'm a human being who made a mistake in life that has cost me and other's my freedom and their lives.Not a day goes by that I don't wish that I could go back in time and return their lives. To the APWA Editors From:Richard L.Tabler,#999523
