Transcript
To everyone this may concern. I was asked to speak or write something briefly referencing covid and the ramifications it has had on prisoners and the experience. Well anyone who has been to prison can tell you this is not the place to get sick. from broken bones to surgeries I have experienced in prison. Surely I ran across some medical staff that were genuinely helpful and I made mention of that to help paint the picture that I am not just writing because I am disturbed by these people and their overall lack of empathy but I really was spiritually preparing myself for the worst at the initial stages of this pandemic. things started like this. First there was a lock down which had everyone nervous and marveling at the time frame. preparing themselves for a short struggle yet I started seeing how this was turning into the removal of certain amenities and liberties. I watched as guards were infuriated by having to prepare and serve food which seemed as though that there was a food shortage because the food bags were not fitting for the consumption of no male adult. a sense of urgency for excuses were often given to why we didn't get a shower or phone call together. If this is supposed to be to save a life then why aren't the guards cleaning more, being aware of changing gloves, being aware of housing prisoners who contracted covid away the men that haven't been exposed or tested positive. I have literally had verbal confrontations with staff about how important it is that I am afforded toilet paper when I have to use the bathroom and their retort was some asinine statement about them not having the proper authority to give it to me. Encounters like that is what has given me pause and anxiety where I perspire profusely in the pit of the arms because I am often worried about an outbreak and just treated as it is my fault like i did something wrong.i have seen positive covid cases being really disregarded and even been mixed in with cohorts. that don't have any positive cases.yet the staff are always mindful of the time for a prisoner to go back in their cells or other things to make this as much as a punitive ordeal as it can possibly be. since the pandemic there has been a lot of 23 and 1 days. The whole covid equation is that we lost the ability to get daily fresh air with the current restrictions on the chow hall. The walk from the block to the chow hall is relatively a few hundred feet away still the small liberty of fresh air was removed. one has to try and fathom the fact of a human being not getting any constant fresh air. There has been moments where I couldn't communicate with loved ones because of the hours of the phone calls. no school for real, no phycologists consistently making rounds identifying themselves as mental health care. assisting with individuals that already have in most instances mental health issue's. when you have no one to vent to, when the virtual visits specifically now always has a problem for the 45 minutes your allotted. now they have designated days and times for certain areas of the prison for the visits. the fact was removed that maybe Tuesday at 8:30am wasn't a good time to virtually be visited by your loved one. maybe work or other elements hinder this person from that. exercise is little to none and the attitudes and energy of staff aren't conducive to teaching manners and emotional support. we seen the world having discussions about being negative affects of Covid about staying in their homes socially distancing.now add that with the frustration of being counted amongst hundreds but personally feeling alone. and just say the word prison and tell me what idea comes to your head when you hear that word used at any time. now that there is no real movement I never hear guards complain. before we actually was doing the work in all capacities in the institutions. so we was out and about. now the staff have learned to circumvent the system to allow them to be able to lay back essentially milk the clock and go home.I can deeply consider that feelings of older prisoners or men and woman with health issues. I know their families aren't feeling content in their hearts knowing that being in prison puts them at great risk. many should learn what's really transpiring in prison a place where a stab wound may get you moltron and a pandemic may get you isolated and confined even more. we see the hospitals overwhelmed, essential workers and what I learned is prisons never considered the humane approach on dealing with concerned family members whom have been spoken to very rudely on more then one occasion and in situations they didn't even answer. it's one thing to treat me as I been treated for decades but now that the public may hear more stories depicting the version the people seldom get to hear. my goal is to get people aware of this all. we have all these spokesman conveying to the general public about what's going on institutionally but who aren't entertaining the platforms they stand upon with the truth. for some this pandemic was a trip on death row. for some its getting us closer to our creator and what's important, and for others its loss, its turmoil, its constant uneasiness. my name is Matthew Garcia reporting live from behind the walls and fences
