Can you imagine?

Thompson, Michael Meeko

Original

Transcript

By: Michael "Meeko" Thompson Can You Imagine?? Can you imagine being thrown into a prison that is considered the worlds largest walled prison, which is called Jackson prison, located in Jackson, Michigan. Where each cell block is facing each other and whenever you look out your cell, you are facing 100 to 200 eye's staring back at you, even when you sit on your cell toilet. Imagine living in a house where 95% of the individuals living within this home have some serious mental issues, and at this same time they look at you the same a man do a woman, lusting, stalking, ever diligent for any sign of weakness, and for these who show even the slightest female tendencies, they will he preyed upon as if they are prime steak!! These sick prisoners are called, "ass bandits", seeing through the mask they maybe wearing, most of them in this area are more skillful than a licensed psychologist. You must understand, each day you are behind these walls, there are forces trying to strip away your identity and self-respect. You soon become like an idiot child scurrying around every time a bell ring for chow or yard time, you move like cows going to the pasture. Plus, when you hear voice of authority barking an order, you become less then a man because of fear of the unknown from them. Can you imagine, everyday of your life, you must wake-up and never show fear or weakness of any kind, because you never know when you may become the target of jealousy, hate, envy, and false gossip. Because of this human sickness under these factors you must always stay on guard and be prepared to kill or be killed, to hurt or be hurt. You must quickly realize this, it does not matter what background you come from or reputation you bring with you from the streets, you are now within a place called hell on earth where you will be tested. Now, you either continue walking with pride & dignity as the real man you were born in this world to be or you can change your name and start walking as the bitch you are or will soon become and still possess a penis. Can you imagine going out on an beautiful visit with your family or friends all those who you truly love and after your visit you are stripped down naked and with a very bad attitude from the officer who are stripped searching you, tells you to bend over so he could look at your ass hole. This within itself leaves serious wounds on your pride/dignity which take months of healing. This is the reason why I stopped my visits for (15) years. In addition, you have some correctional officers who play racial mind games while you are naked, constantly trying to steal what's left of your humanity!! Can you imagine, washing your clothes out in the same toilet where you piss and shit. Now this same toilet doubles as your refrigerator, keeping your pops cold. Also, you even have to knock on your neighbors wall whenever you need to flush your cell toilet, the reason for this, so the person in the next cell could flush toilet the same time, because if he don't his toilet will back-up into his cell. I'm sure you've heard about the "Flint, Michigan" water crisis, however, there are many other cities within the State of Michigan are dealing with this same issues, all of Ionia, St. Louis, and Jackson, Michigan. The water is so bad in Jackson that you had to tie a white clothe around the faucet working as a filter because the water is so full of rust and other sediments, after one hour this white clothe acting as a filter become do-do brown. After putting it through your self-made filter, then you have to boil water so it could become drinkable. Because of many years of drinking this water, I know a lot of older prisoners who has developed medical issues such as cancer and hepatitis-C. Yes, bottle water was sold in the prisoner store but everyone couldn't afford to purchase it daily. Oh yes, to boil your water you first had to make yourself a stinger, which were made from inside carbon batteries attached to wires, put water within your waste can and drop stinger into water. Also, this is how I cooked all my food and how those who drink coffee could drink hot. Now, these same cells doubled as your laundry room where your clothes lines ran from the back to the front. At night, when the lights go out the roaches come out to play, you must put cotton in your ears to keep them from crawling inside your ear's. Imagine how much mentally I had to adjust/adapt coming from a life of eating some top level foods, living in very nice homes, driving nice cars, wearing Armani suits, and alligator shoes, sleeping in a king-size bed, putting on a-market concert productions, traveling from state to state meeting some beautiful human-beings. Now prison life continue, can you imagine the cold chill of walking by a prisoners cell and witnessing clots and puddles of another prisoners blood from him slashing his wrist, slashed because he couldn't take it anymore. Can you imagine the mark it leaves for you to witness someone you called a friend mind snap and become a walking vegetable, or a guy you spoken to the day before, jump off 4th gallery, which is about the height of a six story building, because he received a Dear John letter. Imagine, in the face of constant assault upon your true personality and senses, you are eventually forced to turn off your once beautiful emotional faucet, dry up the feelings of pity, compassion, indignation, repugnance, or just become empty!! I guess these become your tools to help you from losing your mind. You survive by playing a role, acting out a part for the benefit of indifferent eyes, hiding who you really are from the contamination of this sick world you are force to live in. Its important to keep your strength and the humanity you walked in prison with, however, many prisoners lose themself. For example; you have many prisoners who are overtaken by their desires and lust to the point they go so far as to shoot down these females guard's as they making their count rounds, (shooting down means "masturbate"), in hopes that this behavior turns the female on or gets them a positive response from this female officer. Well, I too once found myself indulging into somewhat the same lewd behavior. Many years ago this prisoner who had been incarcerated (40) years turned me out on "raw liver", he told me to wrap the hot liver around my penis while materbating and fantasize being inside your woman, honestly it truly felt like what he told me, for (5) years I was turned out on raw liver, sometime, (2) times a day. However, I finally looked into the mirror and from this day I started re-focusing on re-obtaining my long-sought 'Politically Motivated Sentence" behind me!! Today, they have these more modern prison's than Jackson prison was, they all resemble college campus, instead of walls they have bob-wire fences. The old school prisoners like myself call these new facilities mico-wave prisons. At one time prisoners were in full control of every faucet within prison life. Those who were considered rats, child-molesters, abuser of old people, & rapist were targets for physical abuse or were forced to pay cash on a monthly bases to keep the wolves off of them. When I first started my sentence, prison guards use to come to work with their heads down, today they come to work with they head up. Today prisons are being migrated with misguided artificial young gangs, even though, Michigan never been a gang state. Something is going on out within the free world because most of these young guys are coming to prison border line closet freaks and pill takers. Because of the misguiding of these young people prison life have changed drastically, for the worst, and the administration look at most of them like cartoon characters. Can you imagine, becoming sick within prison and all they tell you is drink plenty of water. It was a time when those prisoners who needed interferon shots for hepatitis-C, Michigan Department Of Corrections policy, was its cheaper to let them die. You can go to health care displaying symptoms of a fever, vomicking, your bones aching or you even on the verge of passing out, and they will still give you their famous response, "Drink plenty of water", as well as, fill out another health care kite with your complaint. To see a nurse takes 6 or 7 days, to see a doctor 3 months, your health care kite dose not constitute a immediate response, "Health care within prison is one big serious jokel! Some people believe prison preserves you, that just isn't true, the stress level alone is humongest. Remember, prisoners are watching T.V., talking on the phone to their love ones and hang-up still hearing their voice, some go on visits and they kiss you goodby, now you are wishing you were there. The quality of food your love ones speak about by phone, letter, or visit is also stressful and you become sad that this is what you are missing out on. You must realize, prison food is of very poor quality, one level/step under dog food. The prison store have a variety of foods, however, nothing good for your health, everything within the prisoners store is very high on "sodium", even your tuna fish. Can you imagine, going over (22) years you have not had a decent sleep? I'm sure the bunkie you are force to lock in the same cell with have something to do with short sleeps, because its very common to get someone who is mentally challenged. Its a secret war going on within prison life between the have and the have not's, which is no accident, because there are very few jobs, not being able to use the phone from time to time or eat cook-up's will quickly bring about jealousy, hate, envy and the start for gossip so the door could open for a false fight, only because he has support and you don't, and is eating store cook-ups and you are not. Once again, you must be strong enough to protect what is yours, if not, this will become your problem the rest of your incarceration. Let me share something crazy with you, I can personally remember having a anxiety attack when I was housed in (8) block behind Jackson prison walls, it was so severe that today I believe, I suffered a light stroke!! Many, many prisoners are not knowledgeable or just choose not to acknowledge, this is a real problem. Can you imagine having your cell-door top-locked for 2 or 3 hours due to the word "emergency count", even after officers made head count, even then, no matter how bad you need to use the bathroom you are ignored, many prisoners are either forced to use the bathroom on themself or within a potato chip bag and discard out your prison window. In addition, you must be on guard at all times especially from over zealous "dirty guards", even the most innocent encounter could go bad very quickly, a shank or drugs could pop-up within your cell. Sleeping on hard plastic which is called mattress is another daily stress from not receiving a good night sleep is another stress you must overcome and not allow it to overcome you. Can you imagine, dealing with the death of your best friends, my Mother, Father, favorite Nephew, and only Son. I ask you, what level of man you must become to deal with this stress level, how bitter should I be to those who injustice keep me in prison. Do anyone realize that I am the only one within the State of Michigan who been in the penal system for over (22) years for a non-violent offense, 3-LBS. Marijuana and felony fire arm possession. Today marijuana is legal in most states and I received a sentence of 42-60 years. My ex-wife testified that those guns were given to her while I was incarcerated by my father, they were mostly rife's and locked in a closet. Where is the connection with regards to the commission of the felony, a warrant were given for my home, weapons were found and because of this they were made mine. Even after all these years, I am still baffled to where the guns are connected to the crime. This is why 99% of the people who read my case say the same thing, my "Sentence simply doesn't fit the crime", over (22) years for ea victimless crime, when is someone going to finally hear the cry, "Enough is enough!! Michael "Meeko" Thompson Michigan

Author: Thompson, Michael Meeko

Author Location: Michigan

Date: March 20, 2018

Genre: Essay

Extent: 6 pages

If this is your essay and you would like it removed from or changed on this site, refer to our Takedown and Changes policy.