Transcript
"Ups, downs, all arounds, pick yourself up, to fall back down: The never ending struggle for the enemies of the state & forced atrocities of the M.D.O.C." Joseph Goraj Manistee MI 49660 V.I. Pt I: The Kinross 300+ On September 10th 2016, a peaceful demonstration was escalated into a set of defiance by the convicts and inmates alike. We rallied on the yard, stood ground in front of the control center organizations and religious sects moving as a unit. Trying to get our voices heard about the atrocious and sometimes laughable way the M.D.O.C. (Michigan Dept. of Corruption) treats us and forces us to live inadequately. With slave wages, rotten food, psychiatric, dental and medical care that is close to non existent. Our demands for media went unheard, as our cries for better wages, food and medical. No one worked for four days leading up to this point. No porters, yard crew, kitchen staff, etc. Trinity, our sub contractor for our food service fed us cheese sandwiches and no hot meals to this point. Two pieces of cheese, a pat of butter, two pieces of bread and an apple for breakfast at 7:00am is not appealing, when you expect waffles. So set the march in place. There was to be no violence toward staff or other inmates and there wasn't except C.O. to prisoner violence later on. We asked to be heard by the Deputy Warden, the Warden, we wanted our voice to be heard by the media. Our questions answered, our thoughts put into consideration. The M.D.O.C. has been stripping us of our way to exist whether it be property to a decent meal, health care. We stood ground wanting to be heard while in the background the ERT was filling the control center and the parking lot outside. They blew emergency count sirens four to six times while we waited for a response or effort of action upon the KCF (Kinross Corr. Fac.) staff to come to middle ground. We agreed to a show of non violence and went into our units for count. Count was taken, cheese sandwiches were passed out to our units. Housing unit staff got radio calls to abandon their post within the unit while ERT surrounded all the units, bringing weapons into play brandishing full riot gear, 12 gauge shotguns, gas, pepper guns, etc. This a blatant show of foolishness and dangerous play by the KCF staff. Threats lead to violence and violence to destruction. The next hours would result in fires, property damage, thefts, etc. Barricades were placed in attempts to slow ERT entrance, cameras destroyed, etc. Communication was cut via the phones and Jpay machines by control center staff. In the hours to come tear gas and pepper balls would fill the unit to the point where extraction would be necessary. Inmates with respiratory issues attempting to back out down the hallway, hands raised in the "Don't shoot" gesture only to be assaulted by a barrage of pepper balls to the back. V.I Pt. II Extraction: People were herded out the emergency door like cattle, asked their name and zip cuffed and left to sit in front of the units. I myself was placed in steel cuffs and escorted to the chow hall, stripped, shackled and placed on a transport bus up to Marquette Branch Prison level 5 (M.D.O.C. has a number system for security classification 1, 2, 4, 5, 1 being low 5 being high). Kinross is a level 2. By the morning there was about 200 of us there. V.I. Pt. III, Tickets here, step right up and get your tickets: Everyone was issued incite to riot/striking misconducts and most found guilty without proof of reasonable doubt. A lot of people weren't even outside, until later in the morning due to a little provocation from others. While others stayed in due to personal matters (i.e. parole, points etc.). Nonetheless innocent people were being found guilty without proof, or just by association. "You were at Kinross you're guilty." We were issued sanctions 30-60 days put on ad-seq security classes raised to level 4 or 5. A couple weeks later the 190 or so with level 4 points rode out to level 4's. While the few of us remained and were moved to the hole here where there's levels and incentives for good behavior (i.e. TV, phone, select commissary) after you reach a certain stage of the incentive program. If you didn't have a TV they would loan you one, one call a month, a bag of chips and a pack of cookies does a hell of a lot for a man's psyche. Not to mention writing paper flows free (I'll explain more about the paper issue soon). By early November the remainders and myself were back in transfer. Our security classifications waved down and sent here to Oaks Corr. Fac, (ECF) and placed on lay down status. V.I. Pt. IV, "Welcome to Oaks, where we don't hide the fuck you's": Oaks the level 4 that's really a level 6, thus ushering in a new set of issues, where staff is above law and policy don't mean shit. Also ensuring my vendetta with the MDOC stays true. This is the point where my personal issues and grievances come into play. Well when you're on lay down status in ad-seq here at Oaks if you have a personal TV you can get it in your cell, but can you watch it? No, they removed all the cable outlets from the cells so you got a nice $150.00 paper weight unless you're lucky enough to destroy 1/2 of your ear buds for wire to try to make an antenna & based where you lock you might get a station or two. Now I see the parole board soon and before you see them the unit counselor has to work with you to your P.E.R. (parole eligibility report). Mine was done without me and when I received it it was erroneous and full of bias statements. So I asked my unit counselor (Arus/PC) to adjust the issues. His statement was "take it up with the parole board". Very professional, so I guess a little sabotage in your P.E.R. helps ensure your stay a little longer. God forbid someone do their job around here. I arrived here missing state issued clothing that was in the laundry when I left Marquette. I put in several quarter master kites in the months to follow. I received my missing items last week so it took 4 months to receive 4 pairs of underwear, 2 t-shirts and 2 pairs of socks. I grieved the issue to no avail in the past. Now, have you ever been in a lower level than 5 (where paper was supplied weekly) to be brought to a level 4 where you cannot purchase paper? The paper issued out is once a month on the first Sunday and its 10 sheets of copy paper so don't have legal work, friends, family, outside businesses to write. Now I know for a fact that in the Mandela Rules approved at Geneva and re-approved in 2015 states prisoners are allowed correspondences through mail and visitation (violation of rights? Could be). These are just my injustices faced here at Oaks so far within the 4 months not to mention other issues not mentioned. V.I. Pt. V, The Search for Self Sufficiency: Have you ever had a job making .17 1/2 cents a hour? I have. So comes the challenges of saving money for a year, hopefully to get $150.00 plus for a TV, or eat commissary, get hygiene or put money on the phone or Jpay & not to mention all the other expenses and necessary things to help make life a little easier or more normal. Some of the kitchen issues come with the sub contractor whether Aramark or Trinity as you experience these atrocities of their company and the people who they hire. These people look and treat you as objects not prisoners so for them to put rotten food and inadequate meals out to serve the population isn't a problem as its not a reality to them. The disrespect toward the prison staff is unbelievable. V.I. Pt. VI , Personal Suffrage: Have you ever had a toothache for 2 years? I have. It takes 2 years to get a dental exam. I myself am in need of a partial and its 7 months past my 2 year mark. Then the MDOC has a unorthodox practice of extracting teeth not filling them. So for a man with 6 teeth its a matter and bitter question keep teeth to eat with and struggle through the pain or let them extract and wait 1-5 years to get a partial or a full denture? Then pray I never need a replacement. (Violation of the 8th Amendment or malpractice?) Have you ever been a mental health patient to be taken off your meds that work? I have. I've had a psychological evaluation in the streets and been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder reoccurring with psychosis and a acute form of schizophrenia. Now I understand the medical here is not what it should be. But there should be imitation drugs that are of the same effect. They discontinued a lot of drugs, non-narcotic drugs. I've been taken off the majority of drugs that work for me including 1 of 2 anti depressants. The doctor stated I can't be on 2 medications with anti-depressant qualities. So I had to pick one or the other. One of these medications has a sleep aid in it's chemical make up. For an insomniac its a perk (only if you can get it to work). I asked my therapist why the doc would make a person choose between being depressed or catching a hour of sleep , she didn't know. Then I asked if she would ask the doctor to raise my dose, she told me the doc won't go past 30mg when the max dosage is 45mg so my choice is get a little rest and be sad or don't sleep and choose to be normal. Then I was on a medication which helped with R.L.S. and they discontinued it without notice. I grieved this issue to no understanding, again malpractice or violation of the 8th Amendment. V.I. Pt. VII, Outro: Prison strife is alive and well in AmeriKKKa's prison machine for an anarchist activist who experiences these personal battles with no way to voice and speak for others who can't its even harder. The prison machine preys on recidivism, not reentry. This is a sad fact to any man/woman/child who enters the system. Programs that don't teach or deal with real life situations. No help to self sufficiency or adjustment to life in public where violence is not a regular view in the public eye not an experience to everyday society. No mental health or SSI/SSD for an adjusting period, only placement into jobless, crime ridden, depressing environments where your only assistance is to hold the shackle to your ankle and a bed roll in waiting. Truth in sentencing does not apply in Michigan. For some reason they get away with it. Oh we do have it, but its ignored. Questions, comments, help are all welcome. Negative or positive anything is welcome. So please write I will respond. Thank you for letting me vent. Stay Strong. -DoLL(A)K_ Governmentally known as: Joseph Goraj Oaks Corr. Fac. Manistee, MI 49660 The choice you make, makes you awareness leads to choice choice leads to change change leads to wisdom wisdom leads to freedom freedom leads to peace of mind peace of mind leads to awareness Please send a follow up. I just need to know who received this essay. I don't need it back its safer away.
