Via FAM:

On April 27, 2016 the realities of Overcrowding continues to translate into violence. As yet again, 2 Officers were assaulted in the Segregation Unit in 2 separate incidents.
Due to such a shortage of Staff and surplus of prisoners, Officers result to being over aggressive in order to emphasize their control, which in turn causes an influx of violent altercations between the two.
Since the Riots of March 11th & 14th, where an Officer and the Warden were assaulted, a Lt and 3 CO’s have been assaulted in the Segregation Unit alone as prisoners fight back against the repressive treatment.
How long will the ADOC allow this Overcrowding and associated violence continue before they realize that the money is not worth the cost of keeping so many people incarcerated in its dilapidated system?

Once again, the ADOC CERT TEAM is expected to arrive at Holman Correctional Facility to reassert control and instill fear as a means of addressing the deteriorating conditions.
After 4 attempts in the past 45 days, seems like it would be clear that this is not the most effective method.
As until Overcrowding is properly addressed the violence will persist.

This is an ongoing campaign so if you are reading this then it is still going 
on and your emails are important and appreciated!!!

From Omaha.com

LINCOLN — For a second time this week, prison personnel have been assaulted by inmates, this time at the State Penitentiary in Lincoln, corrections officials report.

On Wednesday night, two corrections officers were assaulted as they were trying to secure inmates in their cells for the night.

The following post is an excerpt taken from a letter sent shortly after the recent rebellion at Holman. The author (name withheld) is a prison rebel currently housed at Donaldson Correctional facility in Bessemer, Alabama who has also spent some of his sentence at Holman.

March 21, 2016

…We were so excited about demonstrations at Holman, that we spent most of the time talking about that, and how the transfer of many of the brothers who were involved up here to Donaldson will help our cause. That brings me to the other reasons I am in high spirits! I don’t know if you have heard or not, but it’s been all over the news here in Alabama. I also read a small excerpt on the events in Wednesday’s 16^th USA Today news paper. In the ‘State by State’ section. I will get the Youtube link from a video ________ told me some guys posted when they had absolute control of the prison and they were running around setting things on fire and whatnot.

As I understand it an officer or group of officers jumped some guy down there, and the men standing by who were witnessing it just went in flip mode! They smashed those officers, and the responding back-up unit. For like three days the inmates had complete control of the camp. They had to call in “emergency response” police from around the state to come in and gain control.

I was there in 2011 when we had a similar situation. The warden at the time was Warden Patterson. That time the revolt spawned from the prison having been on complete lock down for two weeks because of an isolated stabbing between two inmates. Patterson had the practice of punishing the entire prison because of the acts of a few. He also liked to walk around the prison during these lock-down periods and give speeches about how these kind of “behaviors will not be tolerated”. On one of these such speeches in A-dorm a guy threw a AA battery at him and screamed for him to “shut the fuck up”. Although the battery missed him, the act enraged him and feeling emboldened by the thirty or so officers he had accompanying him, he ventured deeper into the open bay unit, which houses 114 men, to try and confront the guy who he thought threw the battery. The man he chose to single out is one who is not to be messed with, and was not the one who threw the it. Nevertheless, Patterson was convinced it was him. We will call this guy “Red”. Once Warden Patterson was within arms reach of Red he attempted to grab Red by his shirt, I guess to direct him our of the dorm. However as soon as he touched him, Red fell into a crouch and came up with a devastating upper cut that knocked Patterson out cold. Red straddled him and began what was an MMA “ground pound”. LOL All the present officers converged on him, and the entire 114 inmates fell on them with sticks, fists, locks in a sock. To this day I can’t tell you how none of those officers weren’t killed. I know over half of them quit that day! LOL The prison officials didn’t have enough personnel to subdue the revolt that resulted so they called in State Troopers, County Sheriffs, and any police that were willing to come help. Once they made it into camp, they began shooting guys with rubber bullet loaded 12 gauges, throwing bang grenades, flash grenades, and teargas everywhere. They also had some machine which pumped teargas into the ventilation units so that the entire prison shortly became filled with the stuff. There was a big cloud of it outside the building. That stuff is what caused guys to submit to the orders of the police. With no escape from teargas, men were having asthma attacks, vomiting and even passing out. Remarkably no one died.

When it was all over, Holman went back to business as usual with about twenty fewer officers. The commissioner of ADOC gave a press conference outside the prison about contraband cell phones. He got on TV and just flat out lied about how “officers were trying to collect contraband cell phones”. There was no searching or shake down period during this revolt!!! But in the shift office they have a large file cabinet where they keep phones that have been collected during past searches. The commissioner filled a large see-through bag with maybe 100-150 phones and gave a speech about how detrimental they are to prison security and that the only way to combat the problem was to jam the cell signals around the prison, but that the public should contact the state legislature about approval of the more blah blah blah… I believe there are maybe more than 20,000 cell phone bills being paid from jails and prisons in AL, because the backlash from activist and different community leaders was beyond what any prisons could have cooked up.

Anyway, man I got off track there. The demonstration that recently took place causd them to bring in these same “emergency response” officers. After they left, the rebellion crank back up. And they were called in again. This happened three days in a row to my understanding. The prison went through many warden changes after Warden Patterson. There was Warden Hetsel, then Miles, Rayborn and now Davenport. I have been here at Donaldson since 2015 so I missed Warden Davenport, but he is known throughout the Alabama prison system to be one of the most cruel, strict, and oppressive wardens in the state.

After the demonstration which took place with Patterson in 2011, wardens never ventured into the housing units there at Holman again. Except GG. She is an assistant warden who likes to play the good cop role of the good cop bad cop act her and Warden Miles created. I have seen potential revolts be ended time and time again by GG. Actually, Warden Miles came in G-dorm once that I know of and a young guy from Prichard, AL we call ________, who is maybe 110 pounds if he is hiding a 10 pound weight, threw a can of shaving powder into his face and told him to get out of the dorm. LOL. Miles ran into no less than 15 beds trying to spring blindly out of C-dorm, LOL.

Well, Davenport is one of these wardens who really thinks he is tough. He walks into C-dorm in Holman, which might I add is the most turnt up of all the housing units at Holman. He walks into C-dorm during this pause in the revolts that took place earlier this week to address the men there. Predictably, they stabbed him up. Say they really fucked him up too. Him along with one other officer who was brave/foolish enough to accompany him. That sparked another rebellion which caused the police to be called in again. Might I add that the state HATES to call in extra forces, even the DOC CERT (Corrections Emergency Response Team) team because that shit costs so much money. Bringing in outside police is substantially more expensive, and ALABAMA IS BROKE!!! since the state has the most overcrowded prison system in the country. The feds have been cutting their general fund for the past 6-7 years. They even closed down all the state parks in order to have enough money to keep the prisons running last fall or last year. As of right now, Governor Bently is complaining for money to build four new state of the art prison facility which he claims will allow them to better manage the prison population.

Anyhow, lots of drama going on right now. Would make for an entertaining reality show. LOL Along with the group of guys who were transferred here from Holman this week I have heard is one of my dear friends. He is really much more than a friend to me. Bruh is my family! And ________ when I tell you he is ’bout that life! Man, G all the way with it. Anytime something jumped off when we were at Holman he was right there in the middle of it, or he was the one to jump it off in the first place. I hate they sent him up here to Johnathins House, but I am going to love to see him and talk with him and ultimately have him stand along side me when we finally get to launch the demonstrations against our oppressors here. Can’t wait to talk to you, man. Till then I will keep you posted, and _________, write me back bruh.

Sincerely,

Your Comrade

A second riot is happening at Holman, just days after the last one.  Prisoners are building barricades and have reportedly broken into other areas of the prison.

News coverage at WKRG.

The Alabama Dept. of Corrections Commissioner Jefferson S. Dunn can be reached at 334-353-3870.  Everyone is encouraged to call officials and the media to draw attention to the situation at Holman.

The following letter is from a prisoner at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama which has recently seen an inspiring act of rebellion that left two staff members stabbed and major fire damage to correctional facilities. Much of what really happened there is still unknown but this letter sent in late January might help illustrate some of the conditions in the Alabama prison  system feeding the rage that we saw yesterday.

January 25, 2016

Dear [name withheld from online posting],

Thank you for writing. Let me begin by saying that the Free Alabama Movement and prisoners in the State of Alabama can use all the help and support we can get in our efforts to be released from this unjust system.

The entire Alabama criminal justice system is corrupt, from the police departments, to the prosecutors and judges, and the prisons. There is no justice here. These people are solely motivated to lock people up and throw away the key. That is the mentality here, and it is focused on black people and poor whites.

You may be aware that the Alabama prison systemn is severely overcrowded with approximately 30,000 inmates in a system designed for about 16,000 people. Now you would think the state government and the courts would do something to alleviated this unconstitutional situation, but all that they have done for the last 20-years is talk about it, with no real solutions to solve the problem.

The courts in this state are so corrupt that contrary to federal law, prisoners are routinely denied acfess to the courts unless they can pay a $260.00 filing fee to have their petitions heard. And the federal courts are going right along with this practice.

In addition, the Alabama courts also routinbely deny prisoners ‘due process of law’ in the court. That is, when we file petitions attacking our convictions and sentences the courts deny the petitions outright without affording us attorneys or hearings in court.

My case is a perfect example of what I am talking about. In 2005 I was convicted of trafficking cocaine and attempted murder of a police officer. In court hearings prior to me being indicted and tried, the individual who owned the drugs told the courts and prosecutors that I was a visitor at his home when the police came and executed a search warrant, and that the drugs were not mine.

The police also stated that the drugs did not belong to me and that they were after the owner of the residence because they had reason to believe that he was trafficking drugs based upon a confidential informant. The police also stated that they did not see me with a gun and were not accusing me of attempted murder.

Never-the-less, the prosecutors and the judges ignored this testimony and decided to prosecute me anyway. Simply because I was there. I have all of this information in my transcripts.

My case is one of thousands, where an individual has been wrongfully convicted. Having said that, I am of the opinion that if the Alabama courts afforded criminal defendants due process and equal protection of the law, then the Alabama prison system would not be overcrowded.

The next issue is the prisons themselves. The Alabama prisons are basically falling down. I am at Holman prison and the living conditions are deplorable to say the least. In the winter there is no heat, you get warm the best way you can by putting on as many clothes as possible. The food is unfit for human consumption for the most part and if you don’t have money to feed yourself, you are just shit-out-of-luck.

There are many things that I could go on about, but these are just some of the things that we are going through here in Alabama. I cannot speak for everyone but we need all the help we can get whether it is through social media or actual protest to the legislature in Montgomery.

You also mentioned that you could help with reading material. If you don’t mind could you provide me with a catalog or list of books that you have available.

I appreciate your time and consideration in trying to provide assistance to the prisoners of Alabama. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,

[name withheld from online posting]

This post is an excerpt from a letter sent by a rebellious prisoner at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama. His name and other sensitive information has been ommitted from the following write up.

February, 25, 2016

…Dealing with the same ol’ same ol’. Still in closed custody, but I’m taking some delight in the convenience of being allowed in to remain in the same cell for an extended period of time. Normally the administration is constantly moving individuals in closed custody, from cell to cell. More on that later.

You’re right mane, it is some bullshit they don’t allow us to have books in segregation. Donaldson is the only facility in the state that has that policy. This is the only facility that practices many of the policies they have created. Camps are supposed to function by the rules outlined in the ADOC Administrative Regulations, but Donaldson disregards that all together. They have their own set of rules and policies which they change, bend, break and write as they go. No exaggeration what so ever. For example, according to the ADOC Administrative Regulations code 403 which governs the process of disciplinary citations and what not, I clearly should not be in segretation. There are ten “working days” allowed to the administration ot present your case before a “hearing officer” from the exact time that you are served with the citation. Any minute longer and it is considered a due process violation where the write up is to be disconnected and the inmate released from segregation back into general population.

Every facility takes great measure to meet the requirements for due process except here. I informed the warden over the segregation unit at one weekly Seg’ review board” that the time fo due process on my disciplinary had expired and when could I expect to be released from segregation. Herself along with many of the dozen or so staff members on the Review Board burst into laughter as if I was a stand up comedian or something. The joke was really on me. When she regained her composure she stated to me. “There is no due process in my lock up. If the time truly has expired you can rest assured that your citation will be ‘re-initiated’”… Sure as shit stinks thats exactly what they did about two weeks after. But I later found out there are guys here who have been served write ups for things which took place months prior to them being served and yet the administration files it with ADOC Central Records as if everything was done by the book. Blatant corruptions and obstruction of justice. Representative of state and government agencies as a whole if you ask me.

What can we do about it. Complain to the Central Records department? Many individuals do this and if their claims are legitimate the ruling will be overturned, but it takes over a year sometimes years to get Central Records to complete that process. The administration knows that, and they figure by the time Central Records gets around to investigating and what not you will have served all of the time they gave you anyway. This allows the administration the freedom to administer whatever amount of tyranny they desire with impunity.

There are many guys like myself who have recently been transferred here from camps where there is constant rebellion and militant resistance to the oppressive tactics those administrations tried to implement. We have witnessed that through collective resistance we can force prison officials to conform to our demands. We have no desire to appeal to the state to correct itself. Where they do that?!?…

…I can get zines [as long as they aren’t stapled and/or containing pornographic images]. At one point the adminstration was rejecting zine packages I was receiving from comrades, but that’s only because the package were being mistaken for containing books. They wouldn’t even open it; just send me a notice that they were rejecting the package because I can’t get books in seg. I wrote a letter when one of these notices had the return address of a company that had been sending me zines before I came to segregation. They started opening them and making sure that it wasn’t a book instead of just rejecting the package because it appeared to contain a book. Sounds so logical you would wonder why they weren’t doing it in the first place SMH.

-A prisoner at Donaldson Correctional Facility

This was in a letter written to me by a prisoner on the Tier program in Georgia State Prison, excerpted with his permission.

Well he committed suicide just 50 feet from my cell in the holding pens at the back of the dorm. I witnessed this brother being strapped to a gurney and taken out by officers and medical staff well at approximately 9 p.m. Sgt. Powers came and placed crime scene tape in a holding pens area, which is clearly an indication that the brother is no longer living. My cell mate says this brother only had a 2 year sentence and had only 17 months before he could go home. Due to being placed in this torture program and being subjected to sensory deprivation his spirit and mind was broken and he took his own life. Like I’ve said over and over, there is nothing positive about this TIER program which arbitrarily strips its victim’s of basic human rights and arbitrarily denies them their guaranteed constitutional rights to be free from torture in this so-called democratic and free society.

I’m losing count as to how many have attempted suicide and how many have been successful. You already know Ga Dept. Of Kkkorections is workking overtime to cover this death up. How many more deaths will it take before something is done to end this torture program and actions taken to punish these neo-fascists who implemented an operation designed to torture Amerikkkan citizens. The TIER program equals torture plain and simple no justification can be given as to why a prisoner is denied his first amendment right to religious, political and cultural freedom his right to freedom of speech and his right to freedom of association. Instead prisoners are being persecuted and punished for his beliefs and how he expresses his religious, political and cultural views. He is denied his right to be free from being placed in double jeopardy, denied life liberty or property without due process of law. This the prisoner’s 5th amendment rights are arbitrarily and deliberately trampled upon in a guise to bamboozle the public into thinking it is safe from the ripple effect of such cruel and inhumane acts done in the name of public service and safety. The old saying you reap what you sow will ring true in due time in and due form. The Eighth Amendment guarantees a citizen the right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment yet it is made a mockery by these my modern day slave traders and these capitalistic pigs who use the slave system as a way to test and gauge public opinion in order to enact social control over the very public it has sworn to protect. It’s simple if you allow and imprisoned citizen to be put to death or tortured in a so-called free society then you will allow your so called God given right to be stripped from you and that’s any and all citizens of this so called free society are subjected to become victims of death and torture simply for believing that they live in a democratic country that uphold true democracy and its principles the reality of the matter is that anyone can be arrested and tortured for their religious political and cultural beliefs. So is it truly a free society? I think not! The klan took off the sheets and put on a uniform and badge the judicial robes and now the black brown and Asian and poor whites are the targets for the resubjugations into the slave trade. Hopefully the public society as a whole will take a good look at how this system is being operated and then take steps to end the practice of mass incarceration and torture of it common citizens. You never know one day it could be you or a member of your family!

Respectfully,

Kelvin

Hey, well today investigators arrived at 1:15 pm to take pictures of the crime scene. The young brother hung himself in a holding pen (dog cage). I witnessed and overheard unit manager Ryan Chambers and Lieutenant Cloud telling the investigator that Lil Taye was on strip cell which is not true. the brother had refused to go back in his cell after coming from the shower now Brian Chambers has tampered with a crime scene by placing Taye’s personal property in the holding pen area when all he had at the time of his death was a pair of boxer shorts, a washcloth and towel. I’m not certain as to what he used to hang himself with but the young brother was no older than 22 or 23 years of age. Now Georgia State Prison administrators are working overtime to twist his death into something it is not. there are videos security cameras in the dorms and they also record audio so if this death is properly investigated it will reveal that Lieutenant Cloud and Counselor Hall, unit manager Brian Chambers all showed deliberate indifference to the effects this torture program was having on Lil Taye. Pressure needs to be placed upon the U.S. department of justice to send investigators here monitors that are willing to talk and take action against this torture program. Yeah, I finally got the name it’s Anthony Moffett or Moffitt. Please look him up he is from Albany GA. This cover up needs to be exposed.

Respectfully,

Kelvin