Exert from a letter sent 9/12/18 by a prisoner at Columbia Correctional:
“The construction of this new supermax unit is being conducted now.
I’ve gotten one report from a staff member who says it is going to be
a psych ward and the rooms/cells are torturous.
Due to censorship and unconstitutional suppression of speech its
difficult to talk about IWW branch building through the mail. The
language will create harassment. I would like to help with that. But
this is better to do do later face to face discussions and
strategizing.
Most of these guys (in AC) are on meds, they need help exposing what’s
happening to them. A lot of them are not receiving real mental health
treatment.
Cathy Jesse as new ODC secretary is nothing good. She has been the
spin master of all their abuses in DAI.
I recommend that when you’ll have the Columbia Campaign that it also
address this new SHU construction. SHU are torture chambers, inhuman.
Inform the public. Ask news stations and papers to investigate.
6-9-18 meeting notes, my input on them:
The suggestion of #orange lives matters. This idea is not only not
inclusive of prisoners who don’t have orange clothing, but runs the
risk of being clownish, to reduce this pain & suffering to these color
games is insult. A prison jumpsuit’s color don’t define us. We are
about human rights. And that’s the message. Orange don’t rep that.
Courts & constitution as defined by courts and politicians limit
prisoners rights upon incarceration and allow prisons to be
deprivation so people are less likely to understand and sympathize
about “prison rights” because the prison propaganda machine spins
prison rights issues to be comforts or whining or soft on crime. So we
don’t want people to misunderstand what abuse in prison is. and what
we are fighting for.
I agree with FW’s observations a major part of lack of branch building
within is due to lack of communication & cohesive infrastructure from
an IWOC from within. These ideas cannot be communicated as PH stated,
censorship & face to face are needed.
Lucas Weber the security director should receive some of a lot of the
concern citizen phone calls & emails relating to CCI. CCI campaign
should include SC/A>C issue. They are still abusing SC/AC. My 21st
year in SC/AC is approaching & they have no plans to release me. Also,
CCI campaign needs to address how CCI holds mentally ill prisoners in
SC/seg.
Newsletter post:
We need guys to write in to tell what all prisons have the tablets,
mP3 players or whatever. What are they allowing them to purchase. They
are supposed to allow us to purchase tablets here (CCI) next month. If
they let us have them it would be a plus.
Senate Bill S25.20 seeks to amend communications act of 1934 which
requires FCC (Fed commission) to ensure just and reasonable charges
for inmate telephone and advance communication services. We need to be
pro-active in this new tech, otherwise WI-DOC will use these companies
to charge us extortion purchasing services
IWOC needs to have a press/media person who every six months would
hold news conference on DOC, release a Conditions of DOC report. I am
willing to help prepare this & write etc to aid this press person, the
media will be called to see the report, stating what DOC needs to
address, improve & what steps they have or have not taken. Address
humanitarian demands, etc. The report should be served on DOC
secretary by certified mail and allow them to address it. It would be
a came for us to compile this report. We need to address serious &
mass issues. We ask for people to submit issues they think should be
added to the health/conditions report.”
Conditions in the Wisconsin prison system need to change.