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NO TITLE 6-17-18 A.P.W.A., I’m a prisoner in the Texas department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), and I’ve been incarcerated in this prison system just days short of twenty flat years. So I’ve seen it all. Thus, I have a deep understanding of how TDCJ functions and operates (officer’s and offender’s). Inasmuch, there’s two major problems concerning TDCJ which I would like to address (gang affiliation & administrative segregation). So I plan to write two separate essays. However, in this first essay I would like to tackle gang affiliation in TDCJ. Now understand this, I’m not gang affiliated, and the story which I’ve decided to use in this essay is true. Taken from my prison experience (journey). So the names have no been changed to protect the guilty..... A.P.W.A., I first came to prison (TDCJ) in June of 1995. Young, wild, aggressive, and gang related. But the prison atmosphere was different back then. Then on maximum security unit’s, prisoners had to prove themselves fierce before they could gain any kind of respect. Which meant they had to be equally dangerous with the rawest of criminals. However, until a man proved himself capable of performing this task, he was not respected (even if he was gang affiliated), and that left him in the category of someone’s flunky, girl, or prey. Twisted? Yes. But that was how prison life functioned back then and it served a purpose. That functioning separated the real from the fake. Which allowed the real criminals to gain control over his environment and allowed the fake criminal to realize that he’s not cut out for prison life. So he would be scared into the thoughts of a productive citizen. That’s if he left here with his manhood intact. Nevertheless, when the aggressive criminal had control over the prison environment you knew what to expect. Because the real criminal killed to survive, he didn’t kill for the fun of it.... Unlike the prison environment today were little boys are running the show. However, back in the early nineties many real criminals were street smart and could categorize their peers quick. Which means if he recognized that you were a solid man, yet chose to walk righteously, he’d see to it that on his turf all his equals knew that. Also, if a man had a quarrel with another man he’d see to it that they took care of it like men (man to man). Now it may have been knife to knife, but however they handled it, he’d see to it that it was just between those two men. However, prison has taken a 360 degree change now-a-days, and things have gotten outrageous. The gang affiliated offender’s have taken control over TDCJ, and their not governed by any morals. Yet they’ve advanced in power because there’s power in numbers. But 85% of these gang related chumps are not solid men. I know, cause I categorize quick..... Nonetheless, with that said, allow me to share one of my prison experiences with you. But first, let me say this. I’m a Christian and have been since Nov. 1998. That’s the year that I accepted Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior. That’s also the year (upon that confession) I laid down my flag and stopped gang banging. Only to pick it back up in 2004, to lay it down again within the same month..... Inasmuch, in 2003, I had been shipped to the Ferguson Unit in Midway, Texas. Because at the time the administrative prison system had devised a plan to place old offender’s (doing time on maximum security convict unit’s) and put us on maximum security little boy unit’s. To teach the little boys how to do convict time. However, this was done without anyone of us having any knowledge of the plot, and since I was handsome, fly, and walking righteously, I was taken out of my comfort zone and sent to the Ferguson Unit. A.P.W.A., now I’ve studied that experiment over the years (in my mind) and I’ve come to conclude that it was a true test of my character. It allowed me to see the changes I had made, first hand, and it also allowed me to see how much of my past I still had in me. Which brings me to the beginning of my story. In 2004, my mother had declared homelessness, because she had hurt her back at work and was no longer capable of working to support herself nor me. So I was worried about her welfare and at the same thinking about how I was going to get by since she was my only support system at the time. But in stead of me trusting God and letting Him guide my thoughts and actions; so He could lead me to some financial help, I let my street instinct get the best of me. So I started gambling again. I believe it was the Spurs and the Lakers playing in the championship and I had fifty-three dollars riding on the game. In which, I had won and collected my money from those who lost. However, since we could only spend twenty dollars on close custody at the time, I told E (a blood) who owed me ten dollars, to just give me five dollars and I’d get the other five dollars from him store day. I done that to keep the gambling good. But when store day came E didn’t send my money. Now peep this. I lived on three row, and E lived on one row. The officer’s always ran one row to shower and a time, in the morning, right before recreation. So when I came out for shower that morning, when I got to one row, I ran to E cell (8) to get my money. However, when I asked him for my money, he told me I was jacked. (smile) (He did it because I had checked his homeboy.) Nonetheless, I haven’t ever let a man take nothing from me in prison nor nowhere else as far as that’s concerned, and I sure wasn’t about to start letting that happen now. But since I couldn’t get to him then I would have to wait on recreation. Yet in the meanwhile I tried to talk to the bloods leader (Ready Red) to see if he could talk some sense into him and get my money. Cause I knew that little boy wasn’t on my level..... However, Ready Red wasn’t available and waiting to talk to him was not an option. So when we went to rec that morning, I told Whacky J to tell E to come on over to the corner of the yard so I could get my money. When he got to the corner I punished him (I thought that I was going to have to fight the whole army), but his homeboys sat there and watched me punish him. Therefore, I was paid....... Now A.P.W.A., we ended up in solitary confinement for that. But when I got back to the block, a convict pull me to the side and told me the business. He said, “Those bloods got a hit out on you. So watch yourself.” At that point I said to myself, “These fools must think I’m brand new. That clown jacked me (he’s in the wrong), yet when I put that fire in his life he couldn’t stand the heat. And instead of his homeboys letting him learn from his mistakes they’re trying to clean up the humiliation that I (a neutral man) cause them. And I’m not the type of man to sit back and let no cowards hunt me; so I told myself play time was over. It was time to pull (the gangster) out of the box…..” However, God intervened (all this happened because I disobeyed Him anyway). Anyhow, God intervened because my heart was set on destruction and didn’t let none of my plans go through. Because if He wouldn’t have I would have had another life sentence, and that’s not the story God wrote for me. But let me get back to the story. When I received news of the hit I went into action. I got at a friend of mine (Perm Loc) and laced him up and told him what I needed. Because he was the leader of the crips over there and I don’t believe there was a dude on the block who hated them (the bloods) more than he did. That’s exactly why I told him the business. To make sure I got what I needed (a knife). But he said, “I don’t want to see you jammed up like that. Plus, the money is good right now, but if you do what I know your going to do, it’s going to shut down shop. So let me take care of it for you.” I couldn’t believe my eyes (he wrote me a kite - letter), but since I trusted him (even though he was just 22) I agreed..... Inasmuch, to make a long story short, I'll say this. His plot back fired on the both of us and I ended up getting stabbed (poked) seven times on the rec yard and jumped on by 30 gang affiliated chumps (bloods & crips). Only one chump had the knife, a crip (Killa) was his name. But I got clicked on by thirty little boys, who know in their hearts, man to man, they couldn't touch me. But they had their strength (power) in numbers. No heart, just numbers..... Just like cowards. However, I learned another life lesson out of that. Which is, "One warrior can not defeat and army in physical combat....." Because I tried. Nonetheless, I had to come to this conclusion: Never again; the next time I'm sending someone to the morgue, and that's dangerous when you have a convict (who will survive) set in his mind like that. Nevertheless, these gang affiliated offender's are out of control and TDCJ can't do anything with them. Their ganging up on other men, taking their shoes, radio's, commissary, etc. Not because the man has done something disrespectful to one of them, but because they want what it is he has. Petty stuff..... Then to top it off, you can't fight one of them without getting jumped on by a group of them. Because their cowards..... And that puts us neutral offender's in a bad spot, because men will have differences in prison, and will settle it with their first. But since we know how the gang affiliate chumps operate, we know we have to really hurt one of them if we get into it with one of them; before (they) hurt us..... Even if that means we have to sacrifice our freedom to survive..... Now A.P.W.A., look at this. TDCJ recognized the threat of gangs, so they built administrative segregation to house the more aggressive gangs (Mexican Mafia - MM & Texas Sin-E-Cut - TS). However, that didn't stop a thing, because other gangs just picked up where those gangs left off. So I've devised a plan to eliminate the chaos and to stop the gang growth in TDCJ. But before I give you this plan, I would like to tell you a short story. But first I would like to say this: Gangs initiates 90% of the violence in TDCJ. So when you gain control of the gangs, you gain control of the violence. A.P.W.A., in 1994, when I was gang affiliated, doing time in the Galveston county jail. Classification put a few of my homies and I on A-pod, an all black pod at the time. And being young, wild, and aggressive at the time; we started terrorizing the pod. There was about ten of us (crips) on a 48 man pod. The other men were just trying to do their time stress free, because being incarcerated cause enough stress, but we were about that drama. Because at the time I believe that's what we thought doing time was all about. So all the gang affiliated dues were terrorizing the jail. So one morning after breakfast, the officer's came on the pod and told everyone to rack up. Then they told my homies and I to pack our property (we were moving). Just us..... we were banded from the new jail and moved to the old jail (the dungeon). The crips were moved to our own tank (3-H) and the bloods were given (3-A). Now peep this..... Now, 3-H was a 21 man tank, and there was no one to hog or prey on. There was no outsiders with us. So what do you think we did? We started fighting each other..... But eventually we learned to live with one another (even though we were different sets). Once we knew where everyone stood, and in that environment weak links don't last long (even amongst crips). Now, I've just given you the plot to my plan in that story. So pay attention..... There's four gangs dominating TDCJ (Mandingo Warriors, Bloods, Crips & Tango Blast). Now the Mexican gang Tango Blast is growing so fast, I don't know if my plan can stop them. However, here it goes.... First, you need to find or build a maximum security unit for the Mandingo Warriors, two maximum security units to house the bloods, and three maximum security units to house Tango Blast. They need their own unit's so they can't do any recruiting, afflict any violence on outsiders, nor prey on the weak. If they want to fight they can fight each other. But if you're going to give them their own units, you might have to double up on security. Because to turn their hate from one another, they might direct it towards the officers. Now if that happens you're suppose to put them on a 90 day lock-down, with property restriction. That will break that spirit..... Next, once TDCJ knows where their going to house these gangs. Classification in Huntsville needs to do away with their old gang files and create new ones with the help of TDCJ's GI's (Gang Intelligence) officer's. I say that because you might have some gang members who have been X out by their gang. Or you might have some men who've quit their gang, but are still on gang file. However, if men in either one of those categories land on that gang affiliated unit with the gang they once represented, one thing is for sure (their dead). So the Unit GI's throughout TDCJ, have to do a thorough investigation, to make sure that whoever their sending to these gang related unit's, deserves to be there. Which shouldn't be hard because gang affiliated dudes run it packs and if asked their going to represent their gang (especially if they think their gang is notorious). Also, if you leave some strays behind, no problem. They can be shipped to the gang unit a year, or two, or three later..... However, new gang files do need to be made, especially for offender's who've been incarcerated over ten years. And GI's shouldn't assume someone is gang related. They need to have a confession. Because if a man isn't representing he is a threat..... Once those two steps are taken, and those gang affiliated offender's are sent to their gang affiliated unit's. Then maybe the rest of us offender's can start doing some productive time..... Well A.P.W.A., I don't know what it is you plan on doing with this information, but I'd like to make two suggestions. I would like you to share it with President Trump who's been taken an interest in criminal prison reform and I would ilke you to share it with the TDCJ prison director..... And I hope you too will gain from my insight. Either way, the pleasure has been mine. God loves you and may he keep blessing you. Word!!!!! Sincerely, Bishop Danyelle Eugene Ardie P.S. There's power in the impression of the mind.....
